In our conversation after the tests he was surprised that I hadn't already cut caffeine products out of my diet. I had never been advised to do this before and switched my tea and coffee consumption to decaf the same day.

For my daily 4 o'clock diet Coke or Pepsi - a must-have habit of many years - I changed to caffeine-free 7-Up. I found that within a week I no longer craved an afternoon soft drink of any variety.

My tea and coffee consumption however is unchanged by the switch to decaf. And neither is my tinnitus for which I seek more helpful advice than that provided by my doctor. "You'll just have to learn to live with it," he said.