I have given up on ever being cured, or even feeling good - but I am still clinging onto being "okay" most of the time.

You should give up on being cured. You never can tell as there is what we call miracle and it still happens every time. It is good to know the nurse was friendly and as a medical practitioner it should be one of those things they will learn. Conversation these days are often dead on arrival and it takes meaningful engagement for conversation to hold. It is always good to share our problem with people as these will help our mental health. It is that people are often afraid of sharing their pain since they believe they might be abused by it later on.