I have been fortunate too in that (a) my case is really quite mild compared to the nightmares some people go through, and (b) I haven't had to deal in person with anyone telling me my disease didn't exist. My doctor has been quite open to it, and readily agreed to start me on valacyclovir when I asked -- he had tested me for everything else he could think of, and it had been some 10 months since I had started having these symptoms.
