Oh! You musta seen me with your mother! Shame on you for peeking!

Bluto in his rude and inelegant way is trying to suggest habituation.

I can only speak for myself and describe my own history and describe my own
suffering and how I have coped over the 40 years I've had tinnitus.  In my
case, which I think may be typical of many, the cause was undeniably too
much noise, too much loud noise, too much continuous loud noise.  Guns as a
youth, music in bands and orchestras, factory environments, use of loud
equipment without ear protection, and work I did for years in the military
that necessitated headset use.

I first "heard" the ringing in my early twenties, and today at 65 it is
louder than ever.  I can only describe it as a thousand tuning forks struck
hard pressed to my temples.  I can hear dozens and dozens of tones, mostly
high-pitched, but many medium and even low-pitch.  Upon occasion an army of
crickets marches through.  The racket is debilitating, indeed.

I spent a decade agonizing over my worsening tinnitus, despite my new
awareness of ear protection and HOW THAT WORKS!  This malady is progressive.
To stop it progressing, protect your hearing at all times.  After this
period I made a conscious decision to quit agonizing about it.  I learned
tinnitus would not kill me.  Do not underestimate this awareness.  It is
crutial to any recovery at all.  I decided to get on with my life and
learned to cope.  Before long, years actually, I realized that I seldom
thought about my tinnitus any more, that I only "heard" it when I listened
for it or was in a very quiet environment.  Today, when I listen to it,
which is seldom, it is much louder than before.  It's getting worse as I get
older, but I don't think this is common to all.  I hope not.

But, I have obviously HABITUATED to the noise.  I no longer hear it unless I
listen for it.

Now, how can that be?  The simple answer is we get used to things, things we
have learned will NOT kill us.  Our minds are made up to render certain
stimuli moot and ignore them on the conscious level.

The tinnitus is there, but is no longer a quality of life issue.  It is
irrelevant, actually, if we want to function well.  To dwell on it is to let
it win.  You win when you ignore it.

How do we ignore something like this?  I don't know, but I know it happens
naturally if you allow it to happen.

My own personal theory revolves around anxiety.  It is reported among some
studies that use of Xanax lessens perceived tinnitus.  I don't know if that
is true, but I do know that when I took Xanax my ANXIETY was relieved, and
during that time my perceived tinnitus was less.  At least, it bothered me
less.

I concluded lowered anxiety lowers perceived tinnitus, Xanax aside.  Since
then I've tried to lessen stress in my life, get more sleep, and control any
anxiety I might be feeling.  It was then my tinnitus stopped being a factor
in my life.  I quickly learned the perception of the noise is relative to,
or responds to, anxiety.  When you have less anxiety in your life the
tinnitus doesn't matter that much, I believe.  You quickly begin to forget
it's there for long stretches at a time.

Today, after 40 years of listening to this loud howl, this awful blaring
noise, I am amused when I "listen" to it.  It's fascinating, obviously (to
me) an injured nerve or some process in the brain caused by to much stimulus
for too long (for me), and the noise the malady produces is fascinating to
listen to.  I'm usually fascinated for a minute or so and then don't hear it
any more, because I'm habituated to its presence.  The body is capable of
doing this.  My story is repeated by almost everyone on this list I've read,
and among my friends who also suffer from tinnitus.

There are many causes of tinnitus, and many times tinnitus can be reversed
if it is caused by medication or disease.  I'm not expert on these cases,
but there have been stories told of many kinds of tinnitus here and how they
were resolved.

I do know, personally, you can get used to the noise, not hear it most
times, and you can live your life normally with high quality of life.
Tinnitus will not kill you, nor will it cripple you.  Some struggle more
than others do, and resolution is not always clear in all cases, but for
most, the great majority, we all habituate to the noise and get on with our
lives.

I suggest any who are in agony from tinnitus to get a first-class check-up
by a medical doctor, don't be depressed when he or she says there's nothing
that can be done, have the standard tests run (scan for tumor, etc.), and
then do something about stress, anxiety, and sleep.

Exercise is good, too, while I'm talking too much.

And, by the way, Francis Poon is an idiot troll.

Best wishes and good luck.

(snip of rude insults, gratuitous slander, and food for trolls)

I don't think anybody "suffers" from it.  It'll never kill you like
suffering from cancer will.

I accept and deal with it.  Not like the whinners and cry babies that
post here.

I have: DEAL WITH IT and quit crying about it.

I did earn it dummy.  By service to my country and by law.  Veterans
checks are not welfare checks that you are accustom to.  In fact YOU
pay me fool!