Latest news with #FND
Daily Mirror
16-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
'I went to hospital for tests and woke up paralysed two years later'
Megan thought her symptoms were stress, but then she work up trapped in her own body A woman who went into hospital for a routine test woke up two years later trapped in her own body. Megan Dixon was left paralysed from the neck down, blind and unable to speak. The 20-year-old, from Bath, had been experiencing visual blackouts multiple times a day. Putting it down to stress, she didn't think much of it; until it started to take her a few minutes to get a single sentence out. She went to the hospital as doctors believed it was a stroke – but she didn't wake up until two years later, completely trapped in her own body. Now, she's had to move just under four hours away from her friends and family to undergo intense therapy; though it's unlikely she'll ever fully recover. 'Being trapped in my own body feels like a prison sentence,' said Megan, who is currently in Peterborough. 'It breaks my heart every time I'm told that I'll never walk again. The last thing I ever said was 'I love you' to my parents. 'It's so difficult to get my head around. I'm never going to get my life back.' Megan has since undergone intensive therapy and has regained her ability to speak and control some of her movement, as well as opening her eyes. Megan used to be very sporty, playing hockey and netball for her local team. Out of the blue, her legs buckled; and that was the beginning of everything going downhill. She has since been admitted to a neurological care home and diagnosed with functional neurological disorder (FND). The condition affects around 8,000 people every year in the UK, according to the National Institute Health and Care Excellence. Megan, who used to have up to 100 seizures a day, now only suffers up to 15. She's also recently moved in with her boyfriend, Oli, 24, and has applied to college to begin a nail tech course. It's hoped that surgery will be carried out in the near future to help Megan bend her knees again; though this will ultimately leave her paralysed. The 20-year-old shares her battle on social media in a bid to raise awareness. She added: 'I'm tired of seeing the misinformation towards FND. I just want to help others feel less alone, like I did years ago. 'I'm in so much pain in my knees because they are now bent the wrong way. So I need this surgery to get me out of pain. I've been turned down by five different surgeons, though, all telling me that my condition is too rare and too complicated for them to want to take the risk. 'This condition may not always be visible or easily explained, but that doesn't make it any less real. Every small victory – whether it's moving a finger, speaking a word, or simply making it through another tough day – is worth celebrating. Progress isn't always linear, and setbacks don't erase how far you've come. 'I keep holding on to hope, because even on the hardest days, I am still moving forward.'
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'I've never let anything stop me before, so I'm sure not going to let this stop me'
A well-known dentist is having to learn how to talk again due to a condition so rare that even some medical professionals have not heard of it. Nathan Wedge, 33, who has practices in Accrington and Burnley, and lives in Smithills, was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) in August 2024. The father-of-six first began to notice something was wrong with his health seven months earlier, when in January 2024 he was taken to hospital with a suspected stroke due to symptoms of left-hand-side weakness. (Image: Supplied) In a recent turn for the worse, on June 4, 2025, he had 17 Seizures in one hour while celebrating his wife, Carly's, 40th birthday at Ribby Hall Village near Blackpool. Read more: Read more: Read more: He was taken to hospital and has since not been able to walk or talk while awaiting transfer from Blackpool Victoria Hospital to Royal Bolton Hospital for Neurorehabilitation. Nathan after picking up a prize at the Bolton Men in Business Awards (Image: Supplied) FND is a signalling issue in the brain so tests like scans and bloods often appear normal, but the symptoms are real. Nathan is still able to type, he told The Bolton News: "Life with FND can be greatly different from day to day, some days I can do everything I could before, but days like today it is so debilitating that I cannot even walk and currently am learning to talk again. "FND is under-researched and often misunderstood even by healthcare professionals. "When I was blue-lit to hospital, our ambulance crew and an A&E nurse had never heard of the condition." In February 2024, the former military man was misdiagnosed with hemiplegic migraines before starting with non-epileptic seizures in the May. Non-epileptic seizures can mimic epileptic ones but are not caused by abnormal brain electrical activity. The 33-year-old was having on/off symptoms of left-hand side weakness and several seizures a month, up until things got worse this month. Married to his wife for 15 years, Nathan credits her and his six children, Kaidah, Keane, Kiah, Kiki, Knalah, and Knight, as well as one grandchild, for his determination to carry on. He said: "It truly is due to the strength of the amazing people around me as to why I am able to continue everyday and fight to get better. "They inspire me to be the best version of myself and I will be forever grateful for every single on of them." Nathan with Kiki,16 (Image: Supplied) He added: "I am determined to get back fighting fit and complete as much fundraising as possible, and if a marathon is on the cards, I will do it because I've never let anything stop me in life before, so I'm sure not going to let FND stop me." Nathan also won Outstanding Man of the Year 2025 at the recent Bolton Men in Business awards. And in March, he came first in his category (rock and roll) with his 16-year-old daughter, Kiki, in Bolton's Strictly Learn To Dance event. The dentist is determined to continue raising awareness of FND, with his TikTok following of more than 40,000, his main audience. Carly said: "Nathan has had hundreds of messages of support. He is a determined person, so positive and upbeat and he is creating TikTok content to try and raise as much awareness as possible."
BBC News
04-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Disabled woman left 'stuck' in festival campsite field
A wheelchair user who was unable to get into a festival after being left stranded miles away in a field, said she is "really, really upset" and "disappointed".Jayney Gage, from Wellington, said she got "stuck" in a camping field two miles away from the Festival on the Hills with no provision to get her to the main event of the three-day event in Somerset said they are "devastated for letting people down" but they had a "larger number of campers" then expected and have since refunded Ms gage her gage, said: "I literally look at the same four walls 52 weeks a year - it ruined something I'd been looking forward to for a year." Set up five years ago, Festival on the Hills is a not-for-profit event with all money raised going to the local community and festival, which took place between 29 and 31 May, was moved to Taunton Racecourse this year at short Gage, who suffers from functional neurological disorder (FND), said she had to save up and "live very frugally" to pay for the tickets to go to the festival."We turned up and we got directed to a field - down a single track lane - where we were told we could camp," she said."I don't know how far it was but it seemed about two miles away [from the festival site]. Ms Gage, said not only was her wheelchair unable to "cope with the field" but the minibus used to shuttle festival goers to the festival site was too small for her wheelchair."It was just impossible," she said."They didn't take into account that somebody that was being put in that field was disabled."For me to go out, it really is quite exhausting. My conditions mean that I have to pace myself. It is upsetting." In a statement, organisers said had Ms Gage contacted them directly with her concerns rather than posting on social media they would have "addressed these immediately"."We sadly couldn't monitor all socials comments whilst running the festival," they added that they had "expected to fit everyone in" but a "larger number of campers than anticipated" had occupied a larger area with their camping set ups than they had been prepared for."We acknowledge that we should have set size restrictions to prevent this and are devastated for letting people down," they said."We take on board the feedback and will of course use these learnings if we decide to bring the event back next year."
Irish Times
07-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
FND: ‘I have accepted that, sometimes, doing things like a weekend away means some days of pain, exhaustion and seizures'
'In February, 2021, I got what we assumed was a new tic,' says Niamh Cummins, who lives with both ASD (autism spectrum disorder) and Tourette syndrome. 'My arms were shaking, and this in time went on to full body tremors and a very strange walk. Mum sent a video to a member of the Camhs [Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services] team I was under, and they were adamant it wasn't a tic but couldn't say what else it could be. 'I had also begun to get really tired, which was unusual as I was always a very 'busy' child, constantly moving around, and dancing – but suddenly I found myself coming home from school and just wanting to go to bed. I had no energy to do the simplest of tasks. 'Things progressed quite quickly and one Saturday lunchtime I had a huge seizure which was like the body tremors but I was unable to stop them and was lying on the ground shaking. I was terrified and my mum, who said afterwards that she was really worried, managed to get me into the car and straight to our local A&E, which was 45 minutes away. They gave me some medication which eventually stopped the seizure and I was admitted for three nights. I had numerous tests and many visits from different doctors – but no one could say what was wrong with me.' The 19-year-old was discharged with a referral to a neurologist who, after setting her a few tasks, 'grabbed a piece of paper and wrote 'she has functional neurological disorder' [FND] on it' before handing it to her mother, Catherine, and advising her to look it up online, saying the condition 'will disappear after Niamh reads about it'. READ MORE 'Mum looked dumbfounded as she had never heard about this and asked if we could book in a follow-up appointment, but the neurologist said it wasn't necessary because the FND would go away after I read about it. I remember walking out of the hospital looking at my mum, who was trying not to cry. She rang one of the team from Camhs to tell them and they said, 'well, that's a great diagnosis', but she replied by asking: 'What part of not being able to function, move or walk and just offering a website to cure me was great?'' FND occurs due to an issue within the function of the nervous system, which impacts how the brain and body receive and send signals. According to FND Ireland , despite about 9,000 people living with the condition in this country – and it being apparently the second most common reason to visit a neurologist (headaches are the most common) – Ireland is the only country in western Europe without a specialised FND service. The HSE describes it as a condition which arises primarily from a disorder of nervous system functioning, rather than identifiable pathophysiological disease. 'I was still experiencing extreme fatigue and seizures; school was very difficult, with threats of them keeping me off classes until my FND went away due to health and safety,' says Niamh. 'But after a meeting with Mum and my Camhs psychologist, they were very supportive of me. Mum then made contact with a professor in England who had a big interest in FND and she found it very beneficial. 'Following that, she made an appointment for me with a physiotherapist, but it wasn't much help, so she then decided to find a personal trainer for me – and since then he has been such a benefit to me as my walking improved really quickly and over time my fatigue has lessened. It's important to do some research and talk to people who are in a similar situation. There is a Facebook page that people can join which will help them to know they are not alone. Because that is the hardest thing for Niamh – she doesn't know anyone else with it — Catherine 'It is now four years on and I'm doing okay – I finished my exams last year and passed them all, despite having seizures every day – and I'm taking a year out before, hopefully, going to college. I am currently on work experience in a local hair salon, which I love, and still attending the personal trainer. However, I can be in quite a bit of pain after work [two half-days a week] but I really enjoy it – and I get free hair cuts. I have become quite good at managing some of my FND symptoms, but I have sadly accepted that, sometimes, doing things like a weekend away means some days of pain, exhaustion and seizures.' Niamh and her mum Catherine Her mother, Catherine, who also has an older daughter, Aoife, says that Niamh has been through quite an ordeal over the past few years, which has left her exhausted, needing to use a wheelchair, experiencing paralysis in arms and legs to the point where she would 'literally drop to the floor' and unable to use her hands as they would become 'claw-like'. Despite all of this, she did 'exceptionally well' in her Leaving Cert and is coping admirably with what life is throwing at her, but she is unsure of what lies ahead. 'Her plan for the future is very hazy, because she's very aware of her condition and her limitations, and the fact that there is absolutely no support now that she's an adult – in fact, it's even worse than when she was under paediatrics,' says Catherine. 'There is nothing the GP can do, there's no OT [occupational therapy], no psychology or physio – there is nothing at all. 'She started doing work experience in a hairdressers, but I don't know how much longer she's going to keep going with that, because heat is one of the things which can set her FND off. So I don't know what her plan is for the future – because even though she is interested in law, she can't study the traditional way by reading and writing, she learns by doing – so maybe she could do an apprenticeship in law. So she is really restricted. 'I think it's very unfair that she is in this situation and that there is nothing for her – there is no point in just having proper treatment in Dublin as we don't all live there and can't get access to things or have some kind of normal life. This needs to be available countrywide.' [ Illness management: 'If my condition does not improve, does that make it my fault?' Opens in new window ] The mother of two, who lives in Longford, says she would advise anyone else with a loved one going through something like this to try to find some sort of distraction. 'This is how she got through in the early days,' she says. 'Crochet and crafting were the main thing – and I would talk to her about something random to distract her. It's also important to do some research and talk to people who are in a similar situation. There is a Facebook page that people can join which will help them to know they are not alone. Because that is the hardest thing for Niamh – she doesn't know anyone else with it. 'So it's very lonely and has been since the beginning when we were handed that crappy piece of paper with a website on it and told that it would go away, and not to come back. It was a very lonely time and she was very scared that she wouldn't get her life back. 'Now, fortunately, she's doing really well, but I'm worried that she's just going to be stuck here because she needs to push herself, but she can't, because if she pushes herself, she'll end up paralysed with seizures and not being able to function. So we just have to see what the future brings. But she is in a good place, which is the main thing, and things are changing – maybe slowly, but at least there is some hope.' About FND FND is a condition which can present with a wide range of neurological symptoms, most commonly functional weakness, functional tremor and functional seizures, but many other symptoms exist. FND occurs when there is a problem with the functioning of the nervous system, and this impacts how the brain and body send and receive signals. It is a genuine condition which can occur alone or coexist with other illnesses and neurological conditions. At present, Irish data on the prevalence of FND is lacking; however, going by international figures, it is estimated that the incidence rates are comparable to multiple sclerosis (MS) and that approximately 9,000 people are living with FND in Ireland. International research has shown that FND is the second most common reason to see a neurologist. Anyone can be affected by FND, but it is more common in women than men. It can occur at any age, but in the main affects a young, working-age population. The condition is increasingly diagnosed in teenagers but uncommon in children under 10 years.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Floor & Decor Prepared For Current Tariffs As Sourcing Shift Limits China Exposure: Analyst
Telsey analyst trimmed the price forecast for Floor & Decor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:FND) from $115 to $100 while keeping an Outperform rating. On Thursday, the company reported first-quarter EPS of 45 cents, missing the 46 cents estimate, while net sales of $1.16 billion were inline. The company lowered its FY25 GAAP EPS guidance to $1.70-$2.00 from $1.80-$2.10 (vs. $1.97 est) and narrowed its sales guidance to $4.66 billion-$4.80 billion (from $4.47 billion-$4.90 billion) vs. $4.82 billion est. The analyst writes that Floor & Decor adopted a more cautious stance after a first-quarter 2025 comp decline of -1.8% (transactions down 4%). The second quarter comp is tracking at +1%, a sequential improvement but likely below expectations, adds the analyst. The analyst says that Floor & Decor is well-prepared for current tariffs, having significantly shifted sourcing since 2018, reducing China exposure from 50% to 18% by 2024 while increasing US sourcing to 27%. Their strategy involves vendor negotiation, further sourcing shifts, and price adjustments, adds the analyst. Telsey writes that despite the disappointing guidance reduction, they remain optimistic about the company's market position and long-term growth potential, driven by store expansion, product innovation, high-margin categories, commercial market initiatives, and Spartan Surface. For FY25, the analyst lowered the EPS estimate to $1.90 (from $2.06; FS $1.96) with a comp of 0.1% (from 2.4%; FS 1.4%) and an operating margin of 5.6% (down ~10 bps; previously 6.0%; FS 5.7%). For 2026, Telsey now sees an EPS estimate of $2.45 (from $2.68; FS $2.54) with a comp of 4.5% (from 5.0%; FS 4.9%) and an operating margin of 6.4% (up ~80 bps; previously 6.8%; FS 6.6%). Price Action: FND shares gained 2.51% to $74.06 on Friday. Read Next:Photo via Shutterstock Date Firm Action From To Feb 2022 Loop Capital Maintains Hold Feb 2022 Telsey Advisory Group Maintains Outperform Feb 2022 Wells Fargo Maintains Overweight View More Analyst Ratings for FND View the Latest Analyst Ratings Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? This article Floor & Decor Prepared For Current Tariffs As Sourcing Shift Limits China Exposure: Analyst originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Sign in to access your portfolio
