@jethrob. Welcome to the hearing loss support group at Mayo Clinic Connect. I suspect you'll get quite a bit of support from others in this group. FYI, Iwas diagnosed with progressive hearing loss decades ago, and have managed quite well after learning strategies that work and using appropriate technology. So, I will start with my thoughts for you:

It sounds like you have typical sensorineural hearing loss, which is common. One of the first signs of SNHL is having trouble understanding conversation when background noise is present. Most social settings include a lot of that unwelcome noise. Even moderate hearing loss is affected by this reality. You 'hear', but don't understand. The exhaustion you feel relates to the fact that you are working extra hard to try to hear. It's called auditory fatigue. The brain gets tired of working so hard.

It makes sense to see an ENT specialist when one is first experiencing hearing loss. You want to rule out causes that can be corrected or need special treatment. The next step is to see an audiologist who will test your hearing in a variety of ways. Some ENT medical doctors have audiologists on staff. Others will recommend someone in private practice. You want to be tested in a sound proof room by a professional who can evaluate your hearing. Online testing can give us hints, but they are limited.

Have you mentioned your hearing issues to a medical professional?

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