This time last year I tested positive for Covid for the first time. I was on a several weeks long orchestral tour through Europe and the cases just kept creeping up. We were leaving people behind quarantining in different hotels until we got to the last concert after which quite a number of us fell ill. 

WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT

The first two weeks were kind of what you would expect from a virus for me. Fever, headaches, blocked sinuses… But in the second week, it turned out I got an ear infection as a complication. I remember my ears feeling extremely blocked so I did what I was always used to doing, held my nose and “blew through my ears”. There was a slight pop in my left ear and then ringing.

THE STRAW THAT BROKE THE CAMEL’S BACK

That ringing hasn’t actually gone away ever since then. But the more I learn about tinnitus, the more I understand that it’s not a matter of one isolated event like me blowing through my ears or an ear infection. These things compound over time and in the end, it’s the straw that broke the camel’s back.

LEANING INTO SUPPORT

I am lucky in that my hearing is in tact but living with tinnitus isn’t what I imagined for myself. In some ways, it’s a good indicator of how much stress I’m under. Sometimes I barely notice it, other times it creeps in like a warning signal. I’ve been lucky to get support from friends who’ve either been through it themselves or know someone who has.  But let’s face it, hearing health in the music industry is still a bit of a taboo topic.

LET’S TALK ABOUT HEARING HEALTH

This is why I’m excited to dive into an honest conversation about it and the challenges associated with working in the music industry. My guest this week is a double bass player Sally Morgan who bravely shares details of her journey with hearing issues and navigating work as a professional musician with a hearing impairment.