“Every doctor says my tests are normal — but I’m not making it up”

Extensively-investigated, persistent, genuinely disabling symptoms with normal/non-diagnostic tests describe a FUNCTIONAL NEUROLOGICAL DISORDER / persistent physical symptoms — real conditions (a problem with how the nervous system FUNCTIONS, not structural damage and not "made up"), common and treatable. The single most important intervention is to VALIDATE explicitly that the symptoms are real and the patient is not making them up, and to give a POSITIVE explanation (the "hardware is intact but the signalling/software misfires") — never the dismissive "your tests are normal so there’s nothing wrong", which is what has harmed her and perpetuates the cycle. Avoid BOTH failure modes: placating with more scans/referrals (entrenches the cycle, risks iatrogenic harm) and dismissing her (ruptures trust). Raise contributory mind-body factors (stress, trauma, sleep, anxiety) sensitively, not as blame; build a rehabilitative, multidisciplinary plan (physiotherapy for functional disorders, psychological therapy, sleep, pacing, reputable resources); offer continuity with a named clinician; and safety-net proportionately for genuinely new/red-flag symptoms so she is treated actively, not abandoned or re-investigated.