Sign In
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
A woman who has never experienced complete silence has finally been diagnosed with a rare condition after years of being dismissed by doctors. Gemma Cairns, from Glasgow, hears constant noises from inside her body, including the sound of her blood rushing and her eyeballs moving.
Gemma first realised this wasn’t normal when she mentioned it to her mother as a teenager. However, doctors struggled to diagnose her for over a decade. She was prescribed medication for blocked ears and nasal issues, but nothing worked.
It wasn’t until she moved to Glasgow that she met a specialist who identified her condition as bilateral superior semicircular canal dehiscence in 2016. This rare disorder means parts of the temporal bone in both her ear canals are missing, affecting her balance and hearing.
The sound of blood rushing is like a "swooshing noise", and her eyeballs make a "squeaky sound”, Gemma explained. The sound is constant. "I’ve never heard silence,” she said.
The condition also causes dizziness and balance problems. Loud noises can disorient her, making it difficult to move normally. She often struggles in busy environments and gets overwhelmed by multiple sounds at once.
Doctors believe Gemma was born with the condition, unlike most sufferers who develop it after head trauma. She underwent surgery on her right ear in 2019 and is awaiting an operation on her left ear in 2019. The recovery process was tough, affecting her ability to walk and move independently.
Despite the challenges, Gemma continues to work as a café assistant and refuses to let her condition define her. She urges others with similar symptoms to seek help.
Gemma thinks many people may have this condition but don’t realise it’s treatable.
