The last time I had a hearing test, they told me that I had hearing like a dog. Of course, I was only 23, and had not yet moved to America (American cities are noisier for some reason, despite the population being the same). So I was a bit concerned today when I had my follow up visit with the ENT , and before I saw the doctor I had a hearing test. Who knew what the results of the test would be?
During the years between my last test and this one, technology has changed. Previously they only required you to don headphones, go into a sound-proof chamber and raise your hand to indicate when you heard something. Today though, not only have the headphones gone high-tech and a button is pressed to indicate that you hear something, but they run pressure tests on your eardrums as well. Truth be told, the pressure tests were unpleasant, and exacerbated my tinnitus, which was already painful and quite deafeningly loud. Upon exiting the office onto a very busy street, I was wishing that I had brought earplugs for the walk home.
The funny part of the ordeal, which is what prompted this post, is that the technician was so thrilled to test me. Because she found my hearing to be exceptional and my listening skills sophisticated, she wound up running additional tests on me in order to calibrate the machine. So it turns out that I could make a living as the medical equivalent of a piano tuner, travelling around the country in order to calibrate hearing test equipment. I couldn't stop laughing. Anyway, I called up my Mom once I got home to thank her, because I'm sure that if she hadn't started me in music before the age of 4, I wouldn't have tickled the technician's fancy so much today.
If any of you have children of a tender age, maybe you should shell out the extra money for those music lessons, after all. ;=)
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