You have my sympathy, Batsgirl. I have a chronic health condition also that causes me constant pain, and I'm in much the same state of affairs as you are re: work etc. When I am (rarely) well enough to go out, I have to rest frequently as well. I'm lucky in the respect I have someone who acts as my carer and is always with me, so people generally leave me alone but I've had so many moments where my legs have buckled or I've been doubled up while I catch a rest for a moment, and people find it very hard to accept that yes, I do have severe pain, but no, it's not going to make any difference if I go and waste several hours in an A&E department. On the other hand, I also find myself having to deal with people who can't understand that it's a disabling condition because I'm not old/on crutches/in a wheelchair or any other kind of visible clue to my pain - and people can be downright nasty when you need a seat and they don't want to move, or if they spot you sitting quietly somewhere and they decide you're just lazy. That, I find, is even harder, especially when I can hardly stand. I daren't honestly even consider the blue badge for parking because I know people will assume I'm stealing a space from someone who's "really disabled". I like your card idea though - I might just work on that myself for both the overly concerned and the judgemental disbelievers.