Unless the Community makes itself available for these studies, exactly what do we expect to get? It is not fair to blame researchers or doctors if they don't have available test subjects. It just doesn't make sense.
I was a test subject for pain relief for patients with CFS/FM.....really, there was nothing until we came up with gabapentin (which now has family members). Fentanyl was a bust (if you're honest, most will agree with that....it just didn't work on nerve pain) and all of the old standbys were the same. It took 3 mos. of my life to stabilize on gaba, but look at the number of people I helped along the way. I wasn't the only one of course and yes, it wasn't easy for me or my entire family.
What Brian and others are doing is extraordinary. He'll feel that he gave something important his entire life long.
We had a terrible time getting test subjects for that fairly easy (in comparison to yours) study. Why??? Other groups manage to do it, why can't we?
My doctor at the time (now deceased) did a wonderful job, and we were even scheduled to appear on TV. Unfortunately Afghanistan broke the same day and never really went away.
I'm sure there are still studies that can't be done, and not all are as involved as Brian's. Make yourself available....these things don't last forever, but they are necessary. Mine was local, so I was fortunate and we still had negative reactions. Sorry, but I don't think there was a time when "perfect" ever existed.
I'm old now (76), so I truly can't enter studies at this point. Still, one day all of you will be my age and unless younger people partake, we'll be facing old age not knowing what is going to happen. If I'm anything to go by, I can tell you that everything is affected....and I'm still having things like spinal taps (much easier now than they used to be). I know my new neurologist doesn't believe in ME (what happened to FM?), and she was at least honest. Did I like it....no; did I blame her.....no. I'd have to get to know her and also present my side of the story. This takes time.
Unless we can get to the root cause we're going to be stuck in "nowheresville" even 50 years from now. Yours, Lenora