What you need to know about your functional symptoms to help you recover
So, what you will find here is a brief summary of what I have covered in my book:
Answers to your most pressing questions:
What are functional symptoms?
What are the causes?
What happens to your body that allows these symptoms to arise?
How does your body react to the challenges it is exposed to?
What you can do to reduce your symptoms?
Beyond the answers to these questions, I hope to explore with you further thoughts and ideas about functional conditions and interview some experts in the field to cover more areas.
I am guessing that you are here because you are searching for an answer. You’ve been putting up with symptoms and no one can tell you why. I am a family physician who has been treating people like you for over 40 years and have researched some of the best units in the world which specialise in the treatment of people with symptoms unexplained by most doctors.
Let me say straight away that this research is only just beginning, and we have a long way to go before doctors around the world agree about how to diagnose and treat your condition.
But real advances have been made and I am excited to share them with you.
So, let’s begin the journey to recovery right now.
I going to assume that you have symptoms that have no medical explanation. All your tests are normal, and you have been told these myths:
MYTHS
Myth #1 ‘there’s nothing wrong with you ‘
Myth # 2 ‘You’re just faking or seeking attention ‘
Myth #3 ‘It’s all in your head.’
Let me say now that I know you wouldn’t be reading this if any of these were true:
FACTS
Fact #1 Your bodily symptoms are real.
Fact #2 You didn’t intend to get sick.
Fact #3 There are usually several causes to your symptoms.
And here is the good news: when each of these causes have been found and addressed, your symptoms will improve.
To help you understand what is happening to your body to produce these symptoms, I have written a book, called ‘What the Hell is wrong with me? A guide to treat fatigue, pain and other undiagnosed symptoms.’
What I have written is yet to get into the medical curriculum. (I know this because I teach young doctors.) The reason for this is that most medical conditions follow certain rules – your symptoms don't.
Why are these symptoms called ‘functional'?
Let's face it. There is no good way to describe your symptoms. ‘Functional’ symptoms occur when your body’s stress response system go awry, that is, they don't function normally. Your body is just fine. People with functional symptoms live as long as those without.
A good way to think about it is to compare your body to a computer. If you have a functional symptom, it is like saying you don't have a hardware problem, (like disease of your organs) but there is a software problem: your body is fine but it needs reprogramming to restore normal function. Luckily, there are a lot of ways to do this.
In my book, I go through what this means in detail, but here I just want you to know that your symptoms are being taken seriously and there are treatments.
What is needed on your part is to be open to a different way of thinking about your symptoms. Let's face it, the way you have been approaching your health problem is entirely understandable, but it hasn't helped you, right?
What we need to do is to take a fresh look at the nature of your symptoms and try another means to recover. I have had the privilege of witnessing the recovery of dozens if not hundreds of my patients and can say that these means are beneficial.
Each week, I will bring you some inspiring stories to show that you are not alone and that even severely unwell people can make a full recovery from their functional condition.
Best wishes to you for a speedy recovery.