I realize that it's an uphill battle, but nothing was ever gained by giving up. I'll give it a shot, and if things don't work out, I'll just stay at my current job.
After my diagnosis (a bicuspid aortic valve w/ regurgitation and a dilated ascending aorta, to be precise) I was convinced I could never hold a medical again, so I didn't even apply for one after the last one expired. I was surprised to find out just how much of my self image was built on being a pilot, and after losing that status, I went through a phase of not wanting anything to do with aviation. If I couldn't fly, I didn't want to watch others do it either. But the blood is poisoned, as it were, and after some time I figured what the hell, I'll do all the test the feds want and see this thing through. And whaddya know, in the mail one day there's a first class medical. So, unlikely as it may be, I'm going to play this hand to the end.