I have had tinnitus for more than 30 years.

Thirty-four years ago, Forsaton manager Steinar Berg Ísleifsson came up with the idea of ​​shooting a partridge for Christmas dinner. To prepare, he took a shooting course and shot a clay pigeon. In an interview in Reykjavik this afternoon, he described it as the end of his hunting spirit, but also the beginning of a problem he has suffered from ever since, namely chronic tinnitus, ringing in the ears.

The gunshots emitted high-frequency sounds that Steiner can still hear in his left ear.

“It was so aggressive, so overwhelming. I felt like it was more in the head than in the ears.”

Feeling physically sick when the sound is at its worst

Since then, Steinar has been living with high-frequency sounds. He has studied the problem in depth and has searched all over the world for a solution, but without success. He says it is well known that tinnitus is caused by noise, for example by soldiers and musicians.

Impact sound waves can trigger this phenomenon.

Tinnitus has a certain frequency and affects different people differently. Some people only feel it when they lie down and hear their young son’s voice. When Steiner was asked to describe his experience, he said he always heard a constant high-frequency sound in his brain, although the pitch was different. At worst, he would get sick physically.

“It has a huge impact on quality of life. Your life is meant to get through a day or a day and a half in good shape, and then it starts up again and climbs.”

Among other things, Steiner traveled to Israel to look for a solution to his problem, after speaking with a man who had seen a doctor there and believed he had found some relief. There, he took supplements for several months, but unfortunately they had no effect. He also tried various methods, such as masking the sound with a high-frequency sound, which irritated everyone around him, but did not work in the long run. He kept a close eye on YouTube, where people with the same problem demonstrated this and other methods that should work.

But I didn’t find anything and nothing changed. I understand the desperation and willingness of people who are trying their best to get out of this situation.