'I started with a stress headache - and ended up needing a wheelchair'

A young woman has been left needing a wheelchair from awhich followed her suffering and sickness bug. Heather Chandler, 26, suddenly started experiencing symptoms of chronic and body tremors just two months before her 18th birthday.

She claims she was initially fobbed off and told it was "all in your head" but after her symptoms persisted she was diagnosed with functional neurological disorder (FND) a year later. can't confirm the cause of FND but Heather believes it could have been caused by stress and a sickness bug. Heather now experiences leg weakness in both legs and arms, full body paralysis attacks, brain fog, fatigue and speech issues.

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Heather, a former marketing and business coordinator, from Blandford, Dorset, said: "They typically say that one of the main triggers of FND is stress or a trauma incident - it can be something as simple as you get a common cold or you get a sickness bug.

"I believe I was stressed, but then also got a sickness bug. But there's nothing definitive that sets off FND, and it's sort of like a little bit of guesswork." Heather's symptoms started in March 2016 but she struggled to get an answer for what was wrong.

She said, several neurologists told her: "It's a movement disorder, but it's all in your head. There's nothing we can do." Heather spent two weeks in hospital where doctors did countless tests and assessments, but no one knew what was wrong.

Heather said: "They assessed my walking, at that point I could maybe walk five steps forward. But they were still like, you can go home now. We don't know what's wrong with you."

Heather was finally diagnosed a year later in 2017 with FND. At the time there was no definitive test for FND and instead it was a process of elimination to get her diagnosis. Heather said: "It took pushing, referrals, waiting.

"Then finally I saw a neurologist who talked me through the options and process of elimination, he then diagnosed me through that." Since her diagnosis her symptoms have fluctuated.

Heather said: "At first I was at home all day. I couldn't go out very much at all. I just had to learn my own rehab. And that took two to three to four years." Heather started to build up strength over the years. She went from being wheelchair dependant to being able to walk with the help of a stick.

Then luckily, she experienced two years where she was symptom free but she still feared they would return. She said: "I always felt like that sort of loomed over me - I'm better, but will it come back?" Unfortunately, last December, Heather's symptoms returned.

They have become so debilitating she has no choice but to be off sick from work. She said: "I never had problems with my speech before. And now suddenly, it's different how I talk every day. Sometimes I'm better. Sometimes I am so I can get so fatigued where I'm not able to speak at all and I have to use an app on my phone."

Heather is now hoping to get neuropsychology, physiotherapy, and speech therapy treatments but has been told their is a two year waiting list on the . Desperate for quicker help, Heather is hoping to fundraise £10,000 for private treatment.

She said: "I'm looking to raise enough money to go to a rehabilitation centre where they offer all three of those, to help retrain the brain. I've got £400 so far. And it may not seem like a lot, but it's still blown me away. Despite the immense physical and emotional toll of FND, Heather continues to find reasons to keep going and stay motivated. She said: "I have two cats that I'm absolutely obsessed with, and they are my fur babies. They keep me going a lot.

"I've also got an amazing support network around me that help lift me up." Heather advices people who are also struggling with FND to find a good community.

She said: "Find your community online as it's extremely isolating. Having people around you who fully understand the symptoms and have them themselves makes you feel less alone." She is also hopeful to raise more awareness for FND. Heather, who has a, said: "Even now, it's not very well known, but it's a lot more well known compared to nine years ago. Doctors are a lot more understanding and caring about it, and they know that FND is real. It's not all in your head."