Alison,
I hope you feel better SOON and I want to thank you for your post. You made some excellent points- particularly about what people who are/live alone have to go through when they're sick/in pain/etc. I have a good friend who has had to go through numerous hells all alone and I hate that she lives halfway across the country from me and that I can't be there to help her out. I thank my lucky stars every day that I have a good husband here who is always "there" for me and takes care of me when I'm sick or in pain. I don't know what I'd do without him.