Why symptom variability in chronic illness is not failure
Every clinician has encountered this moment. A patient leans forward and says, “But doctor, I was fine yesterday.” The statement carries confusion, frustration, and sometimes quiet alarm. It also reveals an assumption deeply embedded in both medical culture and human cognition, that stability should look like consistency.
In clinical medicine, predictability is often mistaken for stability. We feel reassured when symptoms follow familiar patterns. Patients feel encouraged when treatments produce repeatable …
Why symptom variability in chronic illness is not failure
