Well Steve, I gotta say your present load of health problems certainly exceeds mine, and I gather from other's comments here I'm no worse off then the rest of the pack! I've frankly been feeling sorry for myself recently, as a good friend once stated, "I'm running short of usable body parts"! Sharing our problems is good therapy such as here, and if nothing else is helpful to ward off depression. I completely agree with Sandy, despite the hassle, pain, and just plain frustration with the inevitable it beats the hell out of the alternative! I lost a very close friend of some 40 years this past Monday and though it hurts I feel very fortunate to be the lucky one, it's all relative.
These things seem to ebb and flow of their own volition but the intervals between are not so bad. I hope your bad "run" is near finished for a good long time and recovery is fast.
All the best and hang in there!
Cheers,
Lance