[Birdbrain]

I first saw a doc about "ringing in the ear" when I was in my mid-teens. That was probably before my first rock concert, which was The Beatles. I didn't shoot guns, so the loudest thing I'd been exposed to was a lawn mower. I did have many dire childhood diseases, including scarlet fever, which I suspect was a factor, but who knows?

The ringing persists now, 50 years later, constantly. I've learned to ignore it, mostly. I did try hearing aids that put out subtle pinging tones to retrain my brain, while boosting lost frequency response in the low trebles to compensate for my mild hearing loss. After one month, I felt they were making a slight difference-- but the stress of wearing them was worse. Imagine tucking two thousand-dollar bills behind both your ears. Imagine that cash is miniaturized so you can't feel it, and can barely see it if it's dropped. Twice I freaked out after losing one, finding it later on the bathroom floor. Hearing aids are a flawed product, in my experience. Unless you live in a chair and never go anywhere, fine. But plenty of folks do feel differently, as they trade their $50 apple airbuds for $150 cordless ones, also easy to lose.