Hello and thank you for your reply.

I followed the links. It looks like there is no specialist anywhere near me. It also sounds like I might have trouble convincing anyone that this is worth investigating, until it is too late.

Fortunately, my family doctor is very caring, so hopefully when I get to speak with him, he will be able to do something to help move things along. The trouble is that if the "specialists" are unfamiliar with the condition, or don't know how to correctly diagnose it, then what hope is there? My hope is that I do not have this condition, since it sounds pretty gruesome, but obviously the sooner it is diagnosed (or ruled out) the better.

Thanks again for your input. I'm just playing a waiting game at the moment. I will post again once I have some news.

Merry Christmas!