About a week ago, I went to the House Ear Clinic in downtown LA.  It's the
place, I'm told, where President Reagan went when he had ear problems.  Here's
a summary of my visit.

It was a positive experience.  After all I've read since my T started 6
months ago, it was time for some Q&A from the experts.  The fellow who
tested my hearing, and the first doctor I spoke with, both had T themselves,
and took their time in explaining things to me and answering my questions.

House Clinic didn't cure my tinnitus.  I didn't expect they would.  What
they did do is give me some more information and helpful advice.  They have
a little booklet on tinnitus that is the best collection of information I've
seen so far.

Their hearing test included sending in an audio signal at the same frequency
and loudness as my T; they turn it on & off until they get a match.  Then
they told me how my T was compared to their average patient.

The hearing testing would have included tympanometry, but I declined because
of a posting on this newsgroup about how T worsened after the test.   To my
surprise, after I refused, the tester said the tympanometry wasn't that
important.

Their recommendations were what we all probably already know:

no caffeine, no nicotine, relax, alcohol okay (two drinks max), lie flat at
night, exercise reasonably, lose weight, vitamins okay, minerals okay.
Their message is that it's possible to learn to live with it.   TRT, etc.

There were three new things (to me):

1.      They had a patient with a tumor that required removing the entire
ear.  After the operation, the patient still had tinnitus in the ear.

2.      The brain listens to the ear with the louder signal.  So if the T in
one ear is louder than the other, it may appear that the T is only in that
one ear, but it could be in both, at different levels.

3.      Take niacin twice a day, a half hour before breakfast and before
dinner.  Take 50 mg, or enough to flush.  (For me, that's between 50 & 100
mg).

Their opinion on hyperbaric oxygen was negative; they said pure oxygen was
poisonous, and prolonged exposure could do damage.

Also, I'm beginning to realize that what I hear is a strong combination of
what nerves are doing and how my brain is processing it.

In my case, they think my T is perhaps stress related. My understanding,
which may be flawed, is as follows:

The stress raises defense hormone levels, the increased hormones stimulate
the nerve system, the brain tries to get a signal at the high frequencies,
can't find them, produces a tone of its own.  (This theory does not,
however, explain the pressure or itching I sometimes feel in my ears.)

Well, that's my story.  I'd do it again, but I'd take more notes during the
visit.