Fin here is our FND (Functional Neurological disorder) Alien. With FND There are multiple treatments (physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, etc.) used to help manage symptoms. There are success stories out there of people who successfully manage their symptoms and live relatively normal lives and their are some of people who cannot this is due to them not really knowing exactly what causes FND. The thing is this disorder is debilitating and very misunderstood. The Artist has been diagnosed with this disorder since she was 18 but has ben struggling with symptoms since she was 16. FND has had her rely on mobility aids (mainly wheelchair) since she was 17. Her Dr's think that it was caused by injury and illness, that caused her brain to basically short circuit and now continually glitches as they described it. These "glitches" cause all kinds of physical issues such as non-epileptic seizures, continuous muscle spasms, weakness, pain, fatigue, etc..
Physical therapy has been helpful with being able to stand and walk short distances! Along with coming up with ideas on how to prevent falls. Things like using a gait belt, a weighted walker, and really just working on getting out of the wheelchair more is a big goal to have. They also are fabulous for having helpful stretches to help with loosening up dystonic tics and issues or finding creative solutions to help with it. Right now the Artist is working with a pretty awesome team of therapist and has a really awesome PT who is helping her get back to walking and standing for at least a little bit out of the day!
Here is an article about FND that also has links to other resources for FND
Comments