The Hidden Growing Pains of Complex Chronic Disease

Unfortunately this is a problem I see and hear about FAR TOO often.

Tell me if this is you!

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Someone comes down with some sort of complex condition in their digestive system, immune system, along the gut brain axis, etc. so they go see their doctor, who refers them to specialist after specialist without ever getting an appropriate diagnosis or testament to what is the plausible cause of symptoms.

Let’s say, 5-10 doctors, nurses, specialists are seen (on the low side) and this individual seeking help in their health has driven hundreds of miles, likely spent hundreds if not thousands of dollars, as well as the health insurers / employers behind the scenes.

So… what can they do?! No one can give them answers?!

They start looking elsewhere. They read online about functional medicine and gut health. Maybe they’ve already learned or heard about some of these things before.

They find the closest practitioner to them who they can go see. This professional is dedicated, determined, scientific, in-depth, and spends a great deal of time with the individual patient/client.

But, this professional requires out of pocket payment, and is pretty expensive compared to the standard insurance premiums the patient/client normally pays.

But they are determined to get to feeling better and they are SICK & TIRED of feeling SICK & TIRED (or as Dr. Hyman puts it: FLC syndrome - “I Feel Like Crap!” syndrome so the patient pays the practitioner the hundreds of dollars for consultation + the hundreds (maybe thousands) of dollars in additional lab work and schedules follow up.

At follow up, there is a detailed summary and evaluation of results and reports, helping point in the direction of probable malfunctions, dysfunctions, and inefficiencies. The professional then recommends a handful or more supplements costing the patient another $100-$500 per month.

What are they to do?!

Well of course they pay it! They borrow from their savings, their investments, and their child’s college fund i order to pay for the next 6-months of treatment via supplements and follow ups.

Jumping forward: After 6 months, the patient / client feels marginally - moderately better, still many unknowns exist and they had real life challenges and stressors come up that made things even more difficult, let alone the lack of coaching or training on how to actually implement many of the diet and lifestyle Recommendations suggested by their practitioner. But they still don’t feel quite optimal, they still feel kind of … well, “sick”

They’ve now spent thousands of dollars, visited a dozen different doctors, sent off for 3-7 new exams, images, and tests, giving away 25-50 vials of blood for checkups and follow ups… and still no answers and still have challenges in their health.

What are they going to do?!

They give up. They shut down. They internalize the prolonged suffering and come to the conclusion they will remain hurt, broken, sick, frustrated and ashamed they spent so much money, spent so much time and energy visiting with all the “experts” they could find… and still nobody could help “fix” the situation.

OR

They decide to take everything in their own hands and dedicate the rest of their life to learning and living a healthier life with gradual progress in their wellbeing and vitality as they make incremental change by themselves.

It can take years, but they find their way and learn what they need to do to feel at their best, whatever that may be.

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This is a hidden dilemma in my opinion and one no one speaks about openly enough. It’s a sad state of afffairs that affects far too many people in my opinion, especially women in their young 20s all the way through their 60s.

It ultimately changes the trajectory of their life, their career, their capacity to lead and inhibits them from giving their best self, showcasing their individualized gifts they can give to the world. It prevents them from living their life to the best of their ability in all areas of health and wellness and overall Quality of Life.

It’s sad, but true. I’ve seen it many many times.

My questions are below, so maybe you can help me out..

• “What can we do better?
• What can we do different?

• How should we change standard care?
• How can we change functional medicine care?

What can we do to work better together to change Heath and healthcare in America and ultimately ensure people get the affordable, accessible, quality care they are looking for and the healing they deserve?

Lastly, what causes these issues in the first place and what can we do from a place of prevention?”

Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below

Love you all,