FND Q&A

Hi everyone, I haven't written a blog post for a while, so sorry about that! A while ago, I was planning to make an FND Q&A video, so asked for questions via social media...I have now decided these questions on a blog rather than a video, so here we go!! Enjoy :-)

What is FND?

Functional Neurological Disorder. A condition due to a problem with the nervous system which is thought to derive from the brain's ability to send and receive signals properly

How does it feel to have FND?

Having had FND for nearly 2 years, it just feels normal to have FND. Overall, it doesn't feel particularly nice and can feel very frustrating at times

How does it limit you in your day to day life?

It varies depending on what sort of day I'm having, but it often prevents me from being able to do things enjoy like meeting up with my friends. It also limits my school hours quite a lot and I sometimes don't even make it to school due to pain or fatigue or other symptoms

What's the most common misunderstanding about FND?

A lot of people (including some doctors) think that people with FND are either making up it or think that our symptoms are 'all in the mind', because there's nothing wrong with our 'hardware'. This can lead to people not taking us seriously or thinking we aren't doing things for the sake of not doing it (e.g. some teachers might think that I'm just skiving off school even though I actually can't physically sit in a classroom)

What's the worst part of living with FND?

I don't really think there is a 'worst part'. There are quite a few bad parts i.e the bad symptoms, but I suppose the worst part would have to be the unpredictability of FND and having to basically map out your life in order to do the things you want to do. Then realizing that even though you've made a plan, your symptoms could still have a bad day.

How long does it last?

Who knows? Asking this question is the equivalent of asking 'how long is a piece of string' - it varies from person to person and to be honest, I don't think anyone knows for definite how long it lasts

What symptoms do you get?

Fatigue, pain, muscle weakness/paralysis, brain fog, other cognitive problems, IBS

How long have you had FND?

I started getting symptoms just over 22 months ago and the offical diagnosis of FND about a year ago

I hope you found this Q&A interesting...feel free to message me if you have me on social media with any other questions you have that weren't answered in the post

Becca xx