Yeah, thanks. Didn't know the English term. I had them for years, and I've been told by my doctor that's the likely cause to me having it for as long as I can remember.
I'll add this. When I first mentioned it to my Dr (GP, not ENT), he looked in my ears and saw scar tissue. That was all he had to go on.
I was also driving an old car w/ heavy cabin noise and the timing fits. I recently moved into a different old car and will see if anything changes.
edit: The last time I tried to gauge my freq, I put it at about 1150Hz. Today I would say it's closer to 5300Hz. I guess ignoring it includes ignoring changes.
Almost certainly. My Dr feels mine created a weakness that enabled tinnitus to develop 4 decades later.