It feels like forever since my last post. I’ve been absolutely terrible at keeping a regular thing going and I apologise for that, but life gets in the way. If you’re not having a flare up then you’re caring for a new puppy… you know how it is.

I was thinking about maybe doing a vlog type thing on my Instagram story; just letting you all know how I’m getting on with the puppy and managing my FND. It has been a bit of a challenge at times – a couple of weeks ago especially. But as always I have my wonderful family to help me out.

Over the last month or so I have definitely been pushing myself to the max, and have really been teetering on the edge of a seizure as a result on more than one occasion. I’m 7 weeks seizure free, which at the moment is my all time record so we will have to wait and see how the next few weeks pan out.

Buddy and I have just about got into a routine of sorts; and this morning I’d be feeling a lot better if I didn’t have disturbed sleep and an abundance of vivid nightmares. He’s just waking up and is ready for a walk and I really need a nap; but it will have to wait. If I really tired him out I’ll get at least 2 hours of down time when we get home… the only thing is, after a walk I desperately need the down time! The best thing is to take him somewhere new – lots of new sights, people and smells – and then we don’t even have to walk fast or far to tire him out.

As for the FND side of things, like I say, I’ve been pushing it… big time. I’ve been pacing myself when I know I’ve done too much when normally I would just stop, and then I’ve pushed on right through until I urgently need to nap or sleep. Not the best thing to do, and my Neuro-Psychiatrist would be shouting ‘REMEMBER THE BOOM AND BUST’ at me right now, but it’s only temporary and I’m making it work.

For all those who haven’t had the opportunity, or are on a waiting list for CBT, the boom and bust theory is essentially this expertly drawn image >

Essentially the upwards slope is the ‘Boom’ where you do a lot, pushing your body when it may not be capable of coping. The downwards slope is the ‘Bust’ where you make yourself ill from doing too much. The more you manage your symptoms, the slopes become less inclined and levels out much more. You don’t push yourself too much, and your body doesn’t suffer for it.

Obviously, as with a lot of things, this is easier said than done. One week you might have an unusual amount of plans for some reason, or a few social functions to attend, and of course you want to do them all. But when trying to regulate your activity levels to avoid a major ‘Bust’, you might find yourself having to say no to certain things. Please know that this is not a bad thing. You may feel guilty for cancelling plans or wish you were there, but in the long run, you are able to keep on top of your symptoms. This is not a guarantee, though, as FND has a habit of catching you off guard and throwing you in the deep end. In theory – and most of the time in practice – you can manage your symptoms through your activity.

There’s a helpful website that talks about ‘The Downward Spiral of Boom and Bust’ and ‘The 4 P’s’ to help a person manage their activity so you don’t push past your limit and suffer because of it. It is probably far better at explaining the whole concept than I am.

Moving Into Balance Website

I hope you are all doing well, and I really am going to try to get a post up every week. As always, message or email me if you have any topics you would like to be covered, my Instagram account and e-mail are linked on the right hand side of the page (if you’re not on a phone).

Speak to you all soon! x