My brain HAS been out to lunch of late!
I found a solution (response to people asking about my pain/condition) that my wife & I have both been using for the past year or two, and it just slipped my mind in previous posts....
Friends, etc.:
"How are you?"/"How're you doing?"
Me:
"Good days & bad." (or something along those lines).
It works as a social convention, and if people are truly interested/concerned, it doesn't slam the door on them.
Doc