as we shoot around in the dark, Jenn, we all would just give ANYTHING to understand, and find that piece that we can change, and get our lives back.
the complexity is a huge hurdle. i "get" parts of the genetics, parts of the bio-neuro-chemical picture, parts of the autoimmune, etc. i am sure better informed than i was 5 years ago, and actually i am much better off, but its just not enough to make that magic puzzle go together.
we have made a very few small contributions to understanding this, but it is like interviewing lab rats: our input is so subjective and clueless.
we get better at coping, thats all, and coping better is not science.