Hi! My name is AJ, and I’m a young adult who got my FND diagnoses just recently, and it seems to make sense with several of the symptoms I’ve been having: tremors, pain, fatigue, mobility problems, etc.
Recently, I had a stressful experience, and my tremors skyrocketed. I could barely hold a cup of water, and my legs were shaking so badly that I fell (luckily I was by a couch though, so no injuries were sustained).
I’ve noticed that other times when I’m stressed, I end up in severe pain and struggle to get through my daily tasks.
Obviously, this isn’t ideal, and I was wondering if anyone has any strategies for minimizing symptoms during stressful times.
I appreciate any help!
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AJtheCool
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Mindfulness, meditation and being kind to yourself (self love) are important and try not to put too much expectations on yourself.
FND has a lot of symptoms that appear with other diagnoses, so keep a diary.
Whst sort of support have you been offered, any tests, counselling?
My son got diagnosed with FND and Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome and I guess I was quick to accept the dx (diagnosis) but when others mention other dx's and their symptoms I always check to see symptoms of their dx.
However, you seem open to try most things and understandly so.
My son suffered thigh spasms at the beginning of his journey and also leg numbness (so it alternated) and it was a stressful time as all so new. Grounding was one of the things a Neuro Physio suggested. In a safe space (to stop you falling and injurying yourself) feel the floor beneath you and concentrate on that. He was told to try it every so often (I think as pretty vague memory, it was when his legs were numb and I couldn't out of bed or get downstairs, had to shuffle on bottom or use wheelchair (for comfort) I got him.
What sort of pain are you in and where is it located?
In times of stress we go into a "fight or flight" mode and this is the same with the neurons in our brains. In the case of my sons legs going numb it was because the thigh spasms were so intense that his brain effectively blocked the pain signal, hence no feeling at all.
CBT (cognitive brain training) may help (under the guidance of a Specialist, as you mentioned trauma). Everything we do, we learn from an early age, so our brains are effectively programmed and I saw a fascinating video at the beginning of his journey of how we see of the world around us (and as you would expect we all see it differently). So with CBT it helps and trains the brain to respond how it used it. Think its often discribed as a glitch in software.
You will see other posts regarding stress, check those out and the replies, everything helps.
Thank you so much for your reply! I really appreciate your advice about keeping a journal of symptoms— that’s definitely something I’m going to give a try.
As far as support, I’m currently on the wait list for a neurologist who specializes in FND, as well as a counselor! I’m optimistic that they will be helpful.
AJ, Aww I'm so sorry to hear how your symptoms have been affecting your day and balance of your life. Your not alone however as this is something that often happens to me as well , especially when I get into a disagreement with my bf even the slightest sometimes immediately tenses up my posture and often locks it in place causing tremors and stuttering. The worst part is it can be for such a short time I feel this way about our "conversation" however the symptoms are present for hours and the fatigue of dealing with the symptoms can last well into the next day or further. It's been a huge struggle of mine and stress is always going to be part of who we are as a person it's a natural process. Acknowledging the current issues your going throu is going to be your guiding light to recovery even if it's brief/ short lived. Like others here suggest I couldn't be in the place I am today without my support system of specialists my neurologist and therapist truly help me wrap up what's going on in my body and make each obstacle a little easier , it's been a long struggle for me as a young male losing so much of my pride and self worth from my symptoms but we are all here for you! Think about how you've gotten past this and through this for the next time it may happen and know it's going to be alright. Much love 🩵
p.s. your in the right place and hopefully one day you can change your username from AJthesick to AJLovingLife ☺️
Same here. Propranolol might help you a little with tremors, helps with mine a little when they worsened from anxiety. Tremors used to really drive me crazy. I’ve almost gotten used to it, but does make doing things more difficult. Distraction tends to help a little as well. Give your brain something else to focus on.
Check out the "Hoover Symptom" video on neurosymptoms.org it shows how a distraction technique can stop the leg shaking. I tried this distraction technique when my son's thighs were going crazy with spasms every minute or less. I lifted up the one leg and the spasms stopped temporarily but shows the power of distraction.Also in the FND comic book (title to be added, temp brain freeze) it shows a girl who has sensed a "drop attack" coming on and moved herself away from the classroom to a quiet place. Obviously this is only possible if you have and notice the triggers but can work.
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