I was, as I said, under a tremendous amount of stress. The credit crisis had inflicted a fatal wound on the startup I was working for, which was dying a slow, painful death. There were also some stresses within my family, which I'd prefer not to say more about.

All in all, it was as stressful a time as I can recall ever having experienced.

Again, I'm sure this contributed to my susceptibility to this infection. I just don't think it was the entire cause of my condition. My life now is certainly far calmer and more stable, yet my symptoms are not gone.