Thank you for sharing. I can relate to a lot of this. I've had one-sided deafness for nearly 40 years after an "acoustic trauma" (loud noise) essentially killed one of my eardrums. It's only two years ago that I learned SSD (single-sided deafness) creates hearing problems of the kinds I've had all this time (crowds and other issues).

I haven't bothered to do anything about it because I guess I've adapted enough to manage it, plus I live a quiet isolated life. But recently have been thinking perhaps I ought to check into a hearing aid. You've given me food for thought. Thank you! And good luck with your journey!