Hi rose_thorn98,

Is it that, or is it that old stigma of not being believed by family, friends, and other doctors? (That's a rhetorical question; I'm guessing the answer is: Both.)

If putting a name on it would really help, there are specialists - diagnosticians - who may be able to put a fancy (albeit perhaps meaningless) name on it. I think what we all really want is hope (if not a cure).

I understand where you're coming from, but I respectfully disagree. I have a few "diagnoses" with fancy names. Unfortunately, treatment is still of the symptoms, because there is no specific treatment for the condition/disease other than to treat the symptoms (as with idiopathic PN), and that doesn't make me one iota more able to "accept" the pain.

Despite the wisdom of the "sages", I think I will likely never "accept" the pain (definitions subject to interpretation). Instead, I've had to learn to get past that. Some things that have helped me are the coping techniques discussed in other threads here, educating myself and becoming my own patient advocate, learning about (and recognizing) the steps of grief & loss (for which there is also often no answer/explanation/reason), learning about medicine & how the system (how doctors are educated and think) works, becoming actively involved in FtF (Face to Face) support groups, and learning more about myself and being human in general (which I've had a head start on from previous experiences).

Doctors may understand more than we sometimes give them credit for.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Blogs/21266?

I also dug deeper into what what medical "diagnosis" really is/means. You may be way ahead of me on this one, but I found the sections on Overdiagnosis and Errors in diagnosis interesting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_diagnosis
(I don't use Wiki as an authoritative source, but it is often useful for overviews and jumping off/starting points.)

Doc