"They have helped me deal with my new normal"

My REHAB …long covid ..Posterial orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS ) Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) and Peripheral Neuropathy

I met my REHAB team after being diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) this was a diagnosis I was not prepared for. After being in a coma with Covid my body has had so many ‘new normals’ that I needed to make peace with, my latest diagnosis was no different after several falls and wakening up and being unable to walk …I was petrified ..both of my diagnosis and future.

I was referred to the Cumbernauld (North Lanarkshire) Rehab team where I met Louise, & Natalie my physiotherapists…and Kathryn my Occupational Therapist.

When I first met Louise and Natalie I was unable to move too much and the prospect of never walking again did seem real to me, I was scared of falling again but gradually with lots of thought I was introduced to a rotator….a device where I could stand safely holding on and be turned to allow myself to sit elsewhere be it a chair, commode or back in bed. I then gradually learned to stand for seconds then a couple of minutes and before Christmas take some steps while using a walking aid. This has been repeated consistently to help me get access to my bathroom. I still have very shaky days, tired days but I can not thank the girls enough I never thought I’d ever walk again but they made me believe in myself.

It’s still early days with Kathryn but I’m learning how to feed myself more independently, hopefully dress myself, close buttons, zips and tie laces.

FND has and still is very difficult to understand. Your brain and body have difficulty communicating and I have non epileptic seizures ..again Louise and Natalie helped me understand things better and I just face each days challenges as and when they arise.

There’s no quick fix but the girls have helped me deal with my new normal. I cannot speak highly enough of them and have had a very positive experience.