Tim sent me this message and said is was OK for me to respond for everyone’s benefit.

Here goes:

Greetings Dainis!

Thanks so much for your message on “What makes you feel GREAT!” And thank you for sharing some of things that make you feel great.

I think Julian is so right — at least in my case! — about the tendency of tinnitus people to get lost in our heads. (I know I do!) The problem for me has been that sometimes the T can drive me even further into my head!

I wanted to ask you specifically about music, because I’ve noticed several times that you mention musical composition and performance as very much a part of your life.

How do you balance the T and music? Back before my T spiked about a year ago, I was in and out of bands and playing music all the time. Even though I had mild T at that point, I could play our shows — even at clubs — and not even think about my ears. (We were an all acoustic band, which helped of course, but things still got pretty loud and it wouldn’t bother me.) Recently some friends asked me to throw in with a little ensemble they have playing Irish and other roots/folksy music. Here’s the rub: I love playing music in bands, but found that it was tough on the T — especially the accordion the the tin whistle. It seems that the T has robbed me of something that really makes me feel great!

So, I’m just wondering how you balanced/balance your obvious love of music and the T?

Blessings!

tim