You are making perfectly good sense to me and I understand the fraudulence feeling.

I would see if there is anything your employer can do to accommodate you. Quieter work area, head phones or ear plugs, soft music, telling offenders to quiet down so others can concentrate... just anything that might help. Use your imagination. Most ear plugs don't cut out all noise, but help keep the volume down.

If you were hard of hearing, I'm sure they wouldn't have any trouble speaking up so you can hear them. Don't see why it couldn't work the other way, either.

Best of luck.