Sarah’s Story | Living With FND

A personal story of living with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND).
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Hi, my name is Sarah and I am FND free for nearly 7 years on the 24th October 2026.

I wanted to share my story in the hope I can help someone. So from July 2019, I started the onset of debilitating seizures daily which left me physically and mentally disabled. At the time there was no awareness of FND so I was regularly dismissed by NHS professionals who thought I was making it up. I was hospitalised due to the seizures.

Once I was left on an A&E floor for 20 minutes by staff as they thought I could magically get up after having a seizure. 20 miutess later, iI was finally lifted when they realised something was wrong, and I was so distraught and confused. I was finally took seriously by a neurologist who at this point was organising home care for myself due to being severely disabled.

My whole life changed overnight as I was not able to go anywhere myself, and I was constantly getting injuries from the seizures and the blackouts. My arms and hands would lock into claw positions and I had uncontrollable tremors. I would also have to use a wheelchair due to the pins and needles in my legs at times. I felt so hopeless and getting the answer from doctors of “we don’t know what is wrong with you” really knocked me down.

Finally getting took seriously by a neurologist was the first step in getting the right help. It took a good year and a bit to fully recover but yeah I am now nearly 7 years free from FND. Life is getting a bit better now and I wanted to share my story so no one else suffers like I had to.

You are not alone. Be kind and patient with yourself. It is scary, it is an awful debilitating condition, but it is possible to beat it. There is hope but I do think there needs to be more awareness. Just because the scans come back clear doesn’t mean it is not a condition. Your symptoms are real.

Take the time to rest and recover because self care is so important.

~ By Sarah, Age 35