Tinnitus

I've noticed that since I've stopped using earplugs when I sleep, I sometimes wake up with water in the ear canal.
I'm very afraid of ear infections so I immediately pop a Mucinex which dries things up nicely.

As for tinnitus, I've heard caffine and alcohol contribute to this condition.

Any young ear doctors worth a damn out there?
How 'bout a fix for us old guys?

I too suffer from an intermittent tinnitus in my left ear. It is a kind of a sound you would hear between FM stations. Not particularly high in frequency but in the upper midrange. I too, went to the ENT and after getting all kind of tests, it was determined I just have a mild high frequency loss above 8KHz in that ear. Below 8K is fine. My right ear is fine.
When listening to music, I would hear an increase in noise in my left ear and it did bother me for a while. The tinnitus now comes and goes and doesn't bother my listening to any significant degree. Some days it's gone, other days it's there. I was told salt intake, stress and anxiety would increase it. ENT says with time, you become accustom to the noise like anything else and it will, at some point, not be an issue. Mine bothered me for the first 6 months or so and now I don't notice it unless I specifically think about it.
Make sure though you protect those ears from now on out. Don't listen for any appreciable time over 85db.

I agree you will get used to it. I developed a constant high pitched whine in my right ear about 15 years ago resulting from a car accident, along with some high-frequency loss. Try to be patient and realize that like most you will probably learn to live with it without much effect on your quality of life. I was very upset then but now I almost never notice it-except right now as I write this!

Rebbi,

Actually, the cause of tinnitus has nothing to do with hearing, although is seems that way. This is a neurological condition. Do you have a history of silver amalgam fillings?

I often wonder how musicians, rock and classical alike, cope with their daily exposure to high decibels. One would assume that they all have tinnitus to some degree.