Thank you for sharing with us @sag. Just learning you're not alone has made a different in the lives of many hard of hearing people. Those who are deaf, as in culturally Deaf, tend to socialize together and work in jobs where there are other Deaf people. They don't feel the isolation we feel, and are content to be deaf. My story is similar to yours. Diagnosed in my 20s, now in my 70s. Learning about HLAA when I was in my 40s probably saved my life...or at least the life I wanted to live. Stay tuned to new information. You are very close to being a CI candidate. I know others who were told they were not candidates, but learned they were less than a year later.

Oticon hearing aids are good quality, but not having telecoils is a shame. There is assisstive technology that can be used to remedy that, but it means having another device. If there are hearing loops installed in your area it would be worth learning more.

I wish we knew where people on 'Connect' lived so we could let them know if there are support groups in their area. Keep us posted on your hearing loss adventure and keep learning. It really matters!