Idioms and terms related to difficult diagnoses


brain fog difficulty with focus or cognitive tasks
diagnostic odyssey The long and frustrating journey a patient undergoes to obtain a correct diagnosis.
blind spot something a person fails to see or acknowledge, often routinely
Iatrogenic A condition caused unintentionally by medical treatment or intervention.
needle in a haystack something difficult to find
red herring false clue
shot in the dark a guess with little information to support it
paradoxical reaction when a medication or treatment causes the opposite of its intended effect.
functional disorder a medical condition where symptoms occur without detectable structural damage.
idiopathic condition a disease or condition with an unknown cause.
grasping at straws trying anything  to solve a problem
wild goose chase pursuit of something futile