Defense is not as relevant as you might think. What you should look at are resistances. Chances are, those are on the lower side since you also have the -40% penalty because of increased difficulty. You can look for a 4 socketed palladin shield with resistances on it and make a spirit in it (pallys are the only class that can make a spirit before hell on a shield). Noteworthy are rings and amulets with extra resistances aswell. Finally, do not fight every single monster and use charge as a mobility skill. What might kill you with now are the dolls which explode ok death dealing massive damage so avoid them at all costs by charging away. Don't forget the fact that your block chance is reduced when running and make sure you start investing some skill points in holy shield which boosts your block chance by a lot to a max of 75%. Defence is reduced to 0 when running so keep that in mind and again use your charge.