My Hearing Condition ,Please read this

[Tom J Armstrong]

Sorry to read about your hearing problem.  It reminds me of a allergic
response!  I've been sick before with various viruses, and experienced
sensitivity to light.  People with migraines get that to, but your
hearing problem is new to me.  

I have been tuning for decades.  I've noticed the "popping" ear reflex
before.  In my reading about hearing protection, I believe that there is
some sort of muscle response in the ear to protect from loudness, similar
to the pupil in the eye.  There have been times when my ear "flutters",
which I believe to be a spasm of this reflex muscle.

A couple of years ago a truck battery exploded in my face.  I was
physically OK (not my acid washed clothes, though).  The sound was
equivalent to a shotgun blast in my face.  For three weeks my ears were
ringing, but, thank God, it went away.  My hearing tests out fine now. 
At night I can hear a little tinnitus, but over the years I have
gradually noticed that anyway (I am 44).

I do sound-mixing at my church.  Especially if I am tired, I can be
hypersensitive to female voices in the upper midrange/ low treble area of
the sound spectrum.  Some days I find that certain pianos really irritate
me, and that is when I put in the earplugs!  Then I talk to the customer
about voicing.  I consider my sensitivity an asset to making good
decisions about voicing pianos or EQing sound systems.  Remember, just
like any other part of the body, ears need protection and rest.  Good
recording studio engineers know when to take a break---or when to leave
and come in another day.

If I am "aurally" exhausted, I probably won't try to tune or especially
voice any pianos for the rest of the day (I tune aurally).  Sometimes I
take a day or two off and do shop or office work just to recover.  I
don't know how some people on this Pianotech list can tune 25 or 30
pianos a week!  I would go crazy.

Tom Armstrong, RPT
Salinas, CA