Had he been suffering for only a few days or is it relatively new but long enough that he's given up hope that it will ever go away?

It may sound weird to someone who doesn't fight the battle every single day, but chronic tinnitus is a tough adjustment. It can drive a person to suicide.

I suffer it in both ears. In one of them, it's been going on for 30 years. Fortunately, the pitch is so high that I can easily ignore it.

My other ear went nuts on me 5 or so years ago. After the first month, it became evident that it would never go away. It's so loud. During that first year, there were days when I wondered if I'd be better off dead.

I manage it okay now, most of the time, but there are still days when it gets to me and I have to talk to myself to calm down.

This is a lot of serious, embarrassing writing regarding a potentially funny story, but I'm very willing to cut a guy some slack when there is a mention of tinnitus.

Feel free to heckle me for my weakness. I think it helps.