Tinnitus Went Crazy Four Months Ago and Hasn't Resolved

I've been lurking on this board for about 3 months and figured I'd post something. It seems to be a great resource and there are a lot of knowledgeable people here!

About 10 years ago, I noticed something didn't sound right. while listening to a CD. At first I thought the EQ got changed on my stereo, but it was my ears causing the difference. It was subtle, but I have a good ear and studied music, so I noticed the change. Then I dealt with a several days of sensitivity to sound. Then came a slight ring (high pitched, kind of like a constant cricket chirp). I went to the doctor and they tested my hearing and said it was great, and everything looked ok. I was frustrated for a long time, but learned to deal with it. I figured playing in a band when I was a teenager must have caught up with me (even though I was now 27 and much smarter and careful about that sort of thing). I could only hear it when it was dead silent, and turning a quiet fan on would drown out the sound. Only sometimes if I had a migraine or something would the ringing be a little louder.

Now fast forward to last July. I had been dealing with health problems (shingles, eye infections, constant congestion, being dizzy and spacey). I went to do the doctor several times about the lightheadedness with no answers. I had been trying a few different things and the latest one being high amounts of Vitamin D. Then one night I noticed the ringing was louder than usual. I was watching a movie with a friend and even over the TV and fan we had on full blast, I could hear the ringing. I called a friend later that night and noticed I couldn't hear her as well as normal and thought it was bad cell service. By the 6th day, my ears were SQUEALING! I went to urgent care and told them I don't know what triggered it other than swimming the day before. They said it looked like I may have fluid in my right ear and gave me antibiotics. The ringing died down some and my hearing got a little less muffled. But 4 months later, it hasn't gone back to how it was. I started getting vertigo really bad and went to an ENT who did the Epley maneuver and the vertigo went away. She said the fluid was gone and tested my hearing, saying that the high frequencies had dropped off some and that probably caused the tinnitus. I was never given a reason why though - the loudness went from a 1 or 2 to a 7 in a matter of days. I asked her if I got another "infection", if it would get worse. She said an ear infection couldn't make it worse...after she had just told me that the ear infection made it worse!

I'm having a hard time with it because it's competing with sounds I need to hear. I edit video for a living and it's hard to balance voices and music with this ringing going on. It almost seems to disorient my perception of where things are. I've tried magnesium, potassium, ginkgo biloba, lipoflavinoid, niacin (that makes the ringing worse!), and zinc. I've also been treated for TMJ, tried cutting out caffeine, and am currently doing acupuncture. Nothing has really seemed to help and it's so frustrating not knowing what caused it to escalate like that. I'm glad there is a place like this to come to for help and support. Thanks for letting me share my story!