AWARENESS DAY 2019

AWARENESS DAY 2019 is coming up on the 25th March.

This year we want to hear stories from carers, friends, family, who help look after a sufferer.

How does it effect you and your life?

How does it effect your relationship with the person sufferering?

You can have your voice heard, and tell us your stories, just use the contact page.

Please help raise awareness by sharing this post, or printing off the flyer and leave some in your local doctors, or even hospitals if you are near 😊

Lets raise as much awareness as possible,

THANK YOU! 😁 👍 😊 🤗

Awareness Day 2019!

Hi folks, yes it is coming up to our ‘Awareness Day’ again. This year it is on the 25th of March, and we are going to try and look at how carers help many of us sufferers.

We will look from the view of the sufferer, the way it makes us feel. But we want to know how the carers see it, how do they feel having to care and help us in the many different ways required. We know being cared for isn’t easy, but we also know that being a carer is not easy either. Which is why we want to show thanks to all our carers out there young and old, by bringing them to the forefront this year.

You can show it too by using the hashtag #WeCare4FND or #WeCare4FMD in any posts you make on social media, it is your personal choice but either raise awareness and mean the same.

We hope that some of you would like to share your stories either by writing or short videos. You can send them to Functionalsufferer@gmail.com or by using the contact page here on the website.

Let’s push ever harder, and grow our awareness folks!

#FNDAwareness #WeCare4FND #FMDAwareness #WeCare4FMD

Thanks for reading and as always, take care folks 👍😊

Did you know?!

After posting how I was eventually diagnosed with Fibromyalgia last year, I have been looking into it more.

I found another poster, which shows more points relating to areas of the body that are impacted by having Fibromyalgia.

Image from Google images.

As you can see from the poster, there are many areas of the body that can get inflammation. It surprised me to see how it can impact on our bodies! I can relate to all of these points, which is even more scary to think about.

I have been ill for years, and you think you cannot get worse. Sadly of course you can, but I try not to think about the underlying problem anymore but try to just get on and work through it. I am disabled and I am not going to become able again, so I have learned to live with my problems. But maybe that’s the problem!?

Even though I cannot walk, and my back problems are not from FMD. The time it took to eventually get the drs to scan my back, must have had an impact on how bad my back has become. If they had not kept saying it was functional, then maybe I would have had my back scanned earlier and there would have been something they could have done, to help it from becoming this bad.

However, back to looking at the problems from Fibromyalgia, maybe we need to insist on looking at each symptom separately. That way we may be able to stay on top of our pains, and cope enough to move on to sort out the next symptom.

I truly do think we need to keep asking our drs to look only at the one problem we have at a time, and not to say it is part of our functional disorder. As by doing this the symptom then can get forgotten, and therefore not helped!

Take care as always folks x

Fibromyalgia

I now also have the condition named Fibromyalgia, which is where there are a number of pressure points on the body that can set off pain and inflammation. It is incredibly painful and there is limited help offered to cope with it. Again treatment offered is given in tablet form, along with CBT and Physiotherapy.

I had been in such pain last year, my head, neck and back got so much worse I got an emergency appointment to see my doctor. After checking me out, he said there were no signs of anything being wrong. No swelling or anything with my neck or back, which was good news. Though as he checked my notes online, he saw there was a letter from a Rheumatology Specialist I had recently seen at the hospital. After reading up on the information from Rheumatology, he said he was now sure I was having a Fibromyalgia flare up. After reading the last letter she sent, it noted how I have all the 18/18 of the Fibromyalgia pressure points for pain. I struggle a lot especially with my head being foggy which makes me very tired. The neck pain and the pains round my back really bothers me a lot. Trouble is as my doctor discussed and explained, I already take the full amount of pregablin tablets he would have offered. Plus, as I take so many other medications for my other problems, all I can do is keep cooling or putting heat on the areas in pain.

The most annoying thing I find difficult to deal with, is that the causes of why people get Fibromyalgia, actually seem to be very similar to Functional Movement Disorder! It can just start one day, and you learn and to live with it. Though it surprised me that no doctor had thought of this before.

If you think you may possibly suffer from Fibromyalgia then please look after yourself and go see your GP, they will assess you by firstly ruling out other conditions. Then by looking at the criteria, for the diagnosing of Fibromyalgia. Through elimination, and checking of criteria, only then will the diagnosis be given.

Take care of you, as always 😊

Happy 2019

As we all start the New Year of 2019, I would like to wish everyone the very best in both their health and their hopes for the future.

Last year was a big step forward for the growing recognition of Functional Movement Disorder, Functional Neurological Disorder, and Non Epileptic Attack Disorder. Through the joining of groups, charities, and other institutions, between all of us using the same date to make a big push for awareness we created lots of interest about our disorders.

From highlighting the different symptoms, and how patients can suffer from each symptom differently, it brought light to shine on both same suffering and individual suffering.

How some suffer only weakness, some spasms, some seizures, some fatigued, some who suffer a combination of symptoms. There are so many symptoms that sufferers have to live with.

Now there are more people talking to family and friends without feeling on their own.

From all the new and many researches being done, Doctors now talk and are beginning to believe that the disorder is physiological instead of only believing it to be psychological. This has been a major step forward, at last showing the proof from FMRI images which show differences in the brains of people who took part in the research.

We have a lot to thank the participants of these researches for, as well as getting answers for theirselves they also helped to get answers for many others.

From here we can only go forward in this exciting new time. I look forward to a future of hope for new improved treatments, and continued research to make sufferers futures easier.

Take care as always x

Drink coffee and stay awake ☕️

I am tired, I am always tired no matter what time of day it is. I drink coffee to try to wake myself up, then I drink another! Though I am still tired, always tired 🙅‍♀️.

Sometimes I read things and it still makes me upset, that we continue to suffer. That we have still not got to a point where there is a structured treatment set up to roll out for everyone who suffers from Functional Movement Disorder yet. 

I go see my neuropsychologist tomorrow, I haven’t seen him in six months because I was ill yet again, which basically means I either was ill and couldn’t get to see him due to movement problems or if I was having injections or something else that I needed more.  I’ve not had an appointment for a while, this is the longest time I have gone without seeing him. I used to feel I needed to see him regularly to talk things out, to feel safe and secure that he was helping me get better. I’ve been seeing a neuropsychologist since Sept 2012, so I’m not far off six years. I no longer feel the horrible “need” to see him, I think I am approaching a turning point. That I do not need a crutch to lean on so much, that I am stronger in that way of thinking, though seeing him at longer stretches out times I think will give more to talk about..

Unfortunately I am weaker in my illness, as you know I have Functional Movement Disorder which mostly effects my left side but I have bits in my right such as my hand, along with the other body problems it gives. I also have Dystonia in my face and cervical Dystonia in my neck. I still have my  Non Epileptic Attack Disorder seizures which are back and usually worse, I have to try and not get upset and stay as calm as I can if I am on my own, though some I wake from along with the bruises. Along with my chronic pain syndrome, and chronic fatigue.

I was also diagnosed in  recent years with Degenerate Disc Disease, and the MRI scan shows my back is straight where it should be curved which gives more explanation for the pain, it is not just the nerves that are trapped.

Then more recently my knees, and hands got the most terrible pains. I was seen by a Rheumatology Doctor who also diagnosed me with the 18/18 points of Fibromyalgia which explained a lot. I was also having excruciating pain in my right shoulder, and was sent for an Ultrasound showing I had burtisis with the fluid in my arm, and showed I have moderate Osteoarthritis in my shoulder joint. More pain, and nothing to stop it.

I get injections in my face, eye and neck for my Dystonia. I also get injections in my back facet joints and have epidural injections in my back to send the pain relief down for my legs.

Now with my new problems, I am lucky enough that my dr does small surgeries and he injects my knees for the Rheumatism pains.

I have go to my local hospital for guided injections into my shoulder, which may become both shoulders in the future. I’ve started getting pain in my left shoulder, as the consultant who did the guided injection he explained it is not unusual because when one side is damaged we use the opposite arm more to reduce using the painful arm. This then starts to wear this arm down and leaves a person possibly with both shoulders needing injections. They cannot be done together though because the pain that comes from having the guided injection after the anesthetic wears off is immense! I couldn’t use my arm for a good two days. But I am very aware to not over use my left arm, as I do not want that one to wear down with Osteoarthritis too. 

Well I got through writing this without dropping to sleep, I fall asleep a lot while doing things. Either watching television or on the computer such as this morning! I suddenly wake up, it is the weirdest feeling. My fatigue can be hard to manage because you have to live your life, I cannot sleep through it. Though at times I would like to stay asleep in my dreams, where I am well and walk or run with the air rushing past me. Though it’s not to be, not unless I’m in my wheelchair or on my mobility scooter, then the air rushes past me even faster! 😁

Thanks for reading, and as always take care folks x

Check out the newest personal story, from Colin Cook!

Go check out a new story from a sufferer, who no longer suffers!

Yes you heard me right, Colin Cook has been through a really tough time. Through all the lows, and the desperation of just wishing for a diagnosis so he could start to understand what he had, why, and where to go from there.

This story is really touching, and written so perfectly, that I have not changed one word. This is all Colin’s words, showing how he has fought and come out the other side. He still needs to stay aware of not over doing it, and to rest when needed. But this is a great inspirational story for us all to read, it gives hope that if we can get the right help, then we can get the right life back.

Here is his story:

My Story – Colin Cook

I know we are all different, we suffer many, and different symptoms, but this doesn’t mean that there is not an answer out there for us all, some may just take a bit more time. There is also of course the reasoning behind why we got FMD, and this is individual to each person too. Though if we keep trying, keep going, one day we will all find our door to the way out.

Stay safe, stay strong, and stay fighting 😊

Take care folks, Andrea x

Thank you for your continued support

Thank you to everyone who helped with the awareness day on 25th March 2018. It was a great combined effort from each charity,  and each organisation that joined together. As we all helped to raise the much needed awareness of our Functional Movement Disorder, Functional Neurological Disorder,  and Non Epileptic Attack Disorder. Functional Movement Disorder were very happy to have been part of the teamwork.

As some of you may know, I started this website to help others in  mid 2012 and I held an awareness week each year on the 17th May, as that was the actual date I was diagnosed.

Deciding to let go of my personal feelings and to join with the group as a whole, to push and raise awareness was hard at first, but I am glad I did!

I hope that with your continued support, we will continue over the following years to aim even higher to get awareness of our disorder known by more and more people!

Many thanks, Andrea x

Check out our new YouTube Channel

It’s early days, but we do have two videos posted for our “2018 FND Awareness Day UK!

We were honoured to post both of them, as they are great both in their own ways in how they get across the message about FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT DISORDER and FND.

Functional Sufferers YouTube Channel

That the disorder needs to be now seen and categoriesd up with MS and Parkinsons, this is a real neurological problem and needs to be treated as such.

Instead of us just being left to cope! There needs to be something more, something better set in place to try and keep sufferers pushing themselves. The hospitals could do meet up groups of sufferers in the hospital, how great would that be not to feel so alone in all the agony of painful movements. Plus those that have become disabled, how great to feel a part of the real world! From these meet ups the neurology consultants could learn a lot, watching the interaction showing that sufferers don’t want to be left behind. Medical professionals of different types could learn from these groups. Psychologists, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, and of course the neurology consultants. It would be a type of experiment, that would hopefully take sufferers out of depression at least.

I will look and try to get more videos posted in time, but for now please feel free to watch and share 👍😊