I have no idea how severe it really is, as I've never bothered to consult a doctor about it. But I can say that it's almost always present, although most of the time I simply don't pay attention to it. When I do pay attention, as right now, it's pretty loud. But it doesn't affect how well I hear anything else. I think I also have some mild age-related (I just turned 67) hearing loss, but that's quite separate from the tinnitus.
I am sorry that anyone would fall for a promise of a magical cure for anything at all.
Here's a non-tinnitus, but relevant story. Both of my sons have alopecia areata, an auto-immune disorder that causes hair loss. My older son lost his hair when he was four, the younger one at age ten. Both have alopecia areata universalis, the most extreme form. They have no hair on their heads, no eyebrows or eyelashes, no body hair whatsoever. I was fortunate in that I got a correct diagnosis of the condition immediately after my oldest son started losing hair. At first I was sad and angry at what was happening, but thanks to the wonderful people at NAAF (National Alopecia Areata Foundation) and their fabulous conferences, I soon learned everything I needed to know about this condition, namely that they don't really understand what causes it and there is no cure. Meanwhile, over the years I met many people who thought they'd found the magical cure for alopecia. Usually it was diet related. The thing with alopecia is that it can come and go without any rhyme or reason. A person has a full head of hair, and then in short order is totally bald. Someone who's been totally bald for many years, might suddenly grown a full head of hair.
Over the years at the conferences, I met many people in desperate search for the cure. For some magic that would make the hair grow. But there is no such magic.
For me, my tinnitus, like my sons' alopecia, is a benign condition I can live with. It can be annoying at times, especially times like right now when I'm hyper aware of it. But like the lack of hair for my sons, it's not the most important thing in my life. It doesn't define me.
I know that not everyone can be as philosophical about such things. But I want to get back to my earlier statement: there is no magical cure. If a genuine cure is found, we'll hear about it pretty quickly.
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