It does say in the FAQ that you can never lose your master password...
I’m still not sure I completely understand what happened to you...
You got hacked
You recovered your account
You cleaned up the mess = edited the comments
But what happened then?
You changed your password, and than it wouldn’t work to log into SteemIt?
And you don’t have a copy of your original password?
That is exactly what happened. I have now found a copy of my original password, but I still don't know why I couldn't get in.
About that FAQ: yes it does, but it doesn't state clearly that regardless of what happens, it's the original password that remains the overriding key - regardless. I had been under the impression, and the Steemcleaners got it when I explained, that the new one generated overrode the first one. It does not. That needs to be made more overt for folk like me, who might misread the FAQs. Anyhow, as I say, I found it back up somewhere. Phew. Now let's see. Still waiting for the email to recover the account. It is very odd. Thanks for asking.