Getting Interested in Functional Gastrointestinal Patients

We have all been there, seeing the patient with irritable bowel syndrome or functional dyspepsia on our clinic list and the trepidation that follows. The functional patient cometh! The catastrophizing starts with thinking of the time investment the patient will become, frustration with not being able to “fix” him or her, and the possibility that the patient is unwilling to accept a diagnosis of functional disease with the argument that may ensue