Introduction to me! (Becca)

Hi, this is my first blog post, so I thought I would just introduce myself and my story with FND. I'm Becca, I'm 16 and I've had FND for about 18 months now. I won't bore you with all the details of my diagnosis, because it was pretty complicated and a very long process. Basically, it started January 2016 when I noticed some weakness in my hands. After brain and spine scans, nerve conduction studies, an EMG and multiple blood tests, the doctors were slightly confused, because everything came back clear. This was great news, because it meant there was nothing too serious going on, but also very frustrating, because it began to feel like no -one believed that my symptoms were real. In May 2016, I was diagnosed with functional limb weakness, and by this point the weakness had left my hands and spread to my legs, leaving me in a wheelchair/on crutches. So that was it for a few months, my symptoms went up and down, I stayed in hospital for 3 weeks in June, but life went on...to be honest I was just pleased to have a diagnosis, so I didn't feel so confused anymore!!

I'm sure you're probably quite confused by this point, because, obviously, FND doesn't stand for functional limb weakness, this leads on to the next part of my story. In October, I started to notice some weakness in my jaw and before long, I was unable to move my jaw at all, so that meant that I couldn't get any food into my mouth or talk properly. This led to another 3 week stay in hospital at the end of November/beginning of December, where the doctors realised that, seeing as my jaw isn't a limb, the diagnosis of functional limb weakness must've been wrong. This was when...finally...I got the final diagnosis of FND, which stands for functional neurological disorder!!

I now suffer from other symptoms as well as the muscle weakness, such as pain and fatigue, along with others.

I am still adjusting to life with FND and while the journey so far has been a tough one, it has also taught me so much about how strong I can be and has introduced me to so many amazing people!! I hope that you all enjoy being able to be a part of this crazy, scary, but sometimes amazing, journey with me as I share more of my experiences, both good and bad, with you xx