Introduction by Alison As I have shared in previous posts, I have been living with Functional Neurological Disorder since 2000, and was diagnosed in July 2003. At that time, the condition was poorly understood, and my neurologist had few recommendations for me. Over the years, I found and explored many treatment options, many of which helped…
Functional Neurological Disorder is a common but poorly understood condition. Being diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder isn’t just overwhelming for you as the patient, but it also can be a challenge for your doctor as well. The symptoms look like neurological symptoms(each FNDer may have a different symptom set), but don’t have the usual causes…
I participated in the MoRe—Motor Reprogramming—program in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2016. It was the single most helpful treatment I have ever had, and may ever have, for my Functional Neurological Disorder(FND). In this post, I want to go over why this is a treatment option, how it works, and how you can find a similar…
April is FND Awareness Month, and April 13 is FND Awareness Day. I’m going all in on that, and I’ll be focusing this post and month on the process of accepting your diagnosis—and illustrating it with my FND experiences (and what I’ve picked up from fellow FNDers inside of discussion groups). I’m also using A…
Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) is a relatively common (though rarely properly diagnosed) condition. I was diagnosed in 2003 when it was still being called Conversion Disorder (and labeled as a mental illness rather than a neurological condition). I want to be really clear about this: the condition you have (your diagnosis) is less impactful on…
After some thought, I decided that the most appropriate way to end FND Awareness month was to talk about my early experience with FND – from when my symptoms started to when I actually recieved my FND diagnosis. This is a journey that took a bit over 3 years, so that you have a sense…
Functional Neurological Disorder is a common but infrequently diagnosed neurological condition that appears to be on the boundary between neurology and psychiatry. When I was diagnosed in 2003, it was labeled as a psychiatric condition that required a neurologist and a psychiatrist to diagnose. Since the mid-2000’s there has been a huge push by both…
Functional Neurological Disorder is a neurological condition, but how it works and the processes associated with it are right on the boundry between neurology and psychiatry. While characterizing it as neurological is very helpful for those of us with the condition and for the researchers studying it, the fact remains that many aspects of FND…
It’s that time again, I’m writing in response to A Chronic Voice’s monthly linkup. April prompts: distancing, returning, stressing, understating, celebrating When I was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder(FND) in 2003, I was told by the neurologist who diagnosed me that I also needed to see a psychiatrist to confirm my diagnosis, since it was considered a…
I have a condition known as Functional Neurological Disorder(FND). I was diagnosed in 2003, when people were even less aware of the condition than they are now. It had a different name(Conversion Disorder) and was labeled as a form of mental illness, rather than as a neurological condition. In my case, Conversion Disorder remains…