Smudge,
Normally, I would stay out of a rival company's product thread, considering it poor form to intrude. But, the tone of your post was so poignant, that I thought it needed to be reflected in the human qualities that transcend business competition. I hope all people can keep in mind that regardless of the merits of their concerns, the people doing this stuff are human and unless you've done the work yourself, it is really about impossible to appreciate the burden of the work and also the sheer amount of time it takes.
It is a sweat to reward ratio that would turn most people off immediately!
Most important of all -- I certainly hope things improve for all of you health wise!
Cheers,
Ken