I only just found out I have a neurological disorder called Neurological Functioning Disorder (FND)
Had I known about it years ago, no but the symptoms were there.
I’ve been living with major back pains for a few years now although having bulging discs and a very slight hip tear it should NOT cause my leg to be weak and numb and make my walking life a living hell, balance being of and not being able to walk, foot dragging behind me like I had ‘drop foot.’
Many times I’ve been up to hospitals and also having a inpatient hospital visit for a week due to this because I was not able to move my leg at times throughout the day and it kept happening and worsening. I had no idea what was going on with me all I did know was that I was sick and tired of this day in and day out my left leg would be numb, weak, tingle, get frozen cold, I even have to lift my leg up with my hands if I wanted it crossed over my right leg, when walking the leg will drag behind me also at times which my physiotherapist told me was minor foot drop, and trying to strengthen the leg up and it wouldn’t so I be living my life with a weird leg, walking like I’ve got a carrot up the ass and my minor foot drop. Getting told by everyone I need to start walking properly and saying to them you know and wishing you could but no matter what you try it doesn’t work and you are still walking like a zombie.
But guess what although having many many scans done of my lower back and not finding any nerve impingement or major bulge discs to be causing this it just wasn’t making sense, I first went to a neurosurgeon, 2 of them to be exact, need to have that second opinion, had nothing done but lower back scans. Then I got referred to a Orthopaedic who specialised in hips because dad has hip problems that could be genetic and boy were they genetic, I got his hip displasia and a slight minor tear. But still nothing to be causing my leg problems. My Orthopaedic referred me to Neurologist he did a EEG on my leg to check the nerve conduction by slightly electrocuting them, that test came back normal so he actually sent me for a full body scan Brain to just above the L5 disc (as L5 down had already been scanned many times) first doctor in years who has ever sent me for basically a whole body scan because he was wondering what the hell was going on and I kept asking him because 4 specialist I’ve seen in and it was so frustrating just wanting to know what has been going on with me for a few years now.
Scan results came back my upper spine and neck were perfect, but my brain was not, I have a bit of brain damage it’s only minor at the moment and it was then he diagnosed me with FND, the white matter on the brain scan wasn’t enough for it to be diagnosed as MS. He asked questions on how my childhood had been, so scared to tell a stranger the past but he is a dr and needed the root of things, I told him my past traumas, getting bashed up in and out of school and hitting my head open numerous of times during that. I did forget to tell him the minor concussions I had playing soccer which would have probably contributed to the worsening of this condition.
He explained FND is a neurological disorder where you have limb weakness, numbness and pain it’s a real problem and it’s not imagined. It is a problem with the functioning of the nervous system, it’s a problem of the way the brain sends messages to the body, it’s like having a software problem rather than a hardware problem on a computer. Having shown my brain scan there is a matter of white (as said just before) which he said that, that bit of my brain doesn’t work anymore so the scan shows physical damage and there is no treatment to cure that bit but I can try help by getting help from professionals to help train my brain if possible.
FND explains so much more then just the physicalness like the weak and numb leg, but also why I’m constantly tired dozing off when I don’t want to, especially whilst out and at work; having a bad memory, hence why I’m always needing to write important stuff down as reminders wherever I go; Déréalisation episodes; Foreign Accent Syndrome (explains why I haven’t been able to get rid of the English accent although having heritage and being there I should have gotten my Australian normal voice back when I came back to Australia a couple years ago but basically I’m stuck with the English unless my brain says so, as I’ve read); Word finding difficulty, stuttering, struggle getting words out when speaking sentences; Needing to pee so much in a day, on some days I can pee 30 times a day, how embarrassing ; both legs jerk and twitch randomly also.
I can’t cure the brain damage that is done but I can train my brain so will be finding the right professionals for that and be working on hopefully bettering my life before the damage gets worst later on in life.