Hopeless,

You sound like you do have some hope... I hope that is the case. I also hope you find some answers and some relief.

The converse is also true:-

Just because a doc sounds like he has the answer does not necessarily make him a good doc.

That may sound weird. But I've had a couple docs really inspire confidence in me... they listened, they talked, and what they said made sense (at the time). Surgery was suggested, and I could have accepted. Subsequent thought revealed incongruities.... that would also have turned up if I had been operated unsuccessfully... except after surgery my prognosis would have been worse. Not so good.

Going back to the doc that does not have the answers... I appreciate these perhaps the most. More often than we'd like, a medical case has no single, clear answer. Copious tests might be run and turn out negative, while symptoms persist or worsen. A doctor who affirms not to know, and is willing to keep looking is IMHO a good doctor. I'd say he need not be medically brilliant, but so far, the only ones I've ruun into who had that spirit of persistence were well above average.

Yes. It takes a lot of patience. With some things I have given up. Our (my non-US) health system does not really allow too much hopping. In the US you have similar constraints placed by insurance co's.

I wish you well.

waves