Having written such a long post, I'd also add a few random things I forgot in case they are helpful:

--Among the many tests that were run (including multiple & varied Lyme disease tests, all negative, vitamin deficiencies, etc) I was also given an MRI to rule out Multiple Sclerosis, which was negative

--I also tried hypnotism several times. Didn't seem to help.

--Sometimes I wonder if my symptoms have really diminished as much as I think, or if I've just gotten used to them? I guess either way, its improvement (?). When I stop to think about my pain levels during "light" days of 1s and 2s level stings, I wonder if they used to feel like 3s and 4s...?

--Though I fully believe this to be a physical condition caused by trauma (in my case, an unnamed viral flu-like infection), I also believe with 99% certainty that there's a psychological aspect as well. For example, sometimes I can go for 3 or 4 days with essentially no stinging/burning and think to myself, "I've been feeling pretty good lately!" then 30 seconds to 2 minutes later... ZAP! Like an arrow fired from the karmic cosmos into my shin, or bicep, or thumb or... well, you guessed it... sometimes even THERE! I don't know... I try to keep a sense of humor about it, but man is it _hard_.

Like another poster said... if I could know that it will never get any worse from here, but also not any better, it's a deal I would sign immediately. The biggest frustration is trying to remain graceful while in so much pain, never knowing how long it will last or how intense it will be.