Ask for the longer appointment slot. Ten minutes is not enough for a complex history and pretending otherwise wastes both your time.

Is it normal to feel worse before better? Nobody told me that.

It gets smaller. Not easy, smaller. That distinction kept me going.

Small wins count. Walking to the mailbox is a data point.

You are not imagining it and you are not being difficult. Document it and take the document in.

Test one thing at a time. It feels slower and it is the only way to learn anything.