This post is a response to Sheryl Chan of A Chronic Voice’s October writing prompts. This month’s terms are: disabling, enabling, committing, communicating, and reinventing. The first time I heard of Covid-19, my niece brought it to my attention. It was late December 2019, and she showed me a news article discussing this new virus…
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…
While the term caregiver is bandied about a lot in the disabled community, it’s important to distinguish between paid and unpaid caregiving. Many of us have been caregivers in a less official capacity at various points in our lives—caring for children, parents, siblings, or friends during temporary or long-term health problems. Most of us have…
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…
You and your doctor(s) can co-create a quality treatment plan. This includes not only the medical treatments, but also lifestyle changes.
I took a deep breath, put my mask on, and limped into the office. My fingers shifted, tightening so my fingertips touched my palm, squeezing, relaxing. They shot out, stretched to their fullest extent. Some stayed that way, others shifted. I was aware of this, but not consciously telling them to do so. My teeth…
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…