I've dealt with tinnitis since I was a teenager -- I had a pretty rough-and-tumble childhood, and got clunked in the head a bunch of times -- and now that I'm pushing 50 and it is still with me, it's pretty clear to me that it's not going away anytime soon.

I use that ringing in my ears as a barometer to see if I'm over-doing it. When I am not rested, when I've been pushing myself too hard, and I have not allowed enough recovery time or good nutrition, the ringing is deafening. It's more of a shrill whine, actually. "Ringing" makes it sound melodic, and what I've got is anything but that.

It used to drive me crazy, but now it's a useful tool. It keeps me honest and keeps me in line. Otherwise, I would have few obvious (to me) indicators that I'm not using my head about taking care of my head. Tinnitis can be a pain, but it's a useful pain.

Good luck.