1. Anyone know what happened to the OP
Pamestique ? She used to post a lot but nothing in 6 years now.
2. I have tolerable tinnitus - it's annoying, doesn't keep me awake or interfere with hearing, but it is constant. No guns or anything like that in my history - lots of loud machinery but I always wore hearing protection (grandpa lost most of his hearing from farm machinery and I saw as a kid how much it affected his quality of life). Hearing doctors said earbuds are fine if I keep the volume reasonable - I almost always have music or podcasts or a book stuck in my ears... it helps.
By the way... it's pronounced
TIN-iddus... doctors appreciate when you know that.
My neurologists always ask me if I hear things that other people don't, and I tell them I have TINnittus and they chuckle.