LK, sorry to hear about your difficulties. Hearing loss is a big loss and I hope it turns out to be temporary. Unfortunately even temporary can last for a number of years.

I can relate to your feeling old, too. I just got the news of two new chronic problems maybe related to my MS. The one, a digestive problem which has plagued me already for a couple of years, I just found out is a chronic, incurable problem. That one has me feeling quite low, since the diet recommendations include switching to a mostly liquid &/or pureed diet. (Yum, pureed steak!) Like you I know there are those so much worse off. I only use a cane occasionally. I still have most of my hearing (I think there is a loss, but not bad enough to send me for testing yet). My vision is good.

I guess sometimes there are those things that just hit us harder than others and like all the other things about this crappy disease, we eventually find the silver lining, or a level of acceptance.

Of course, having to deal with an insurance company that won't pay for hearing aids doesn't help matters. What do they place their denial on? That the aids are unnecessary? Will they cover the old-fashioned horns they show in the old silent movies??? (Sorry, always trying to find the funny )