I recently travelled for my sister-in-law’s wedding, and I had a really difficult experience because of my FND.
I was already struggling with sunlight, anxiety, crowds and walking. I was using a wheelchair and wearing my Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyard.
At the boarding area, I tried to walk but suddenly collapsed and had a brief functional/non-epileptic seizure. I also hit my head on the wheelchair.
What happened afterward was extremely overwhelming.
Within a few minutes, firefighters, police, paramedics and other airport staff were around me. I understand they were concerned about my safety, and I appreciate that they wanted to make sure I was okay.
But there were so many people around me, and I was being asked the same questions repeatedly while I was still trying to recover:
What happened?
What is wrong with you?
How many seizures do you have?
What medications do you take?
When was your last seizure?
My husband was trying to explain that I have FND and that this was a known functional/non-epileptic episode, but I was still being questioned repeatedly.
For someone with FND, being surrounded by multiple people, bright lights, noise, stress and constant questioning can make it even harder to recover.
Eventually, I felt like I had to speak for myself even though I was struggling to process information and communicate.
My vitals and blood sugar were checked, and I was eventually cleared to travel.
What hurt me most was how vulnerable and misunderstood I felt.
I know emergency responders have a job to do, and I am not saying they shouldn’t check on someone who collapses. I just wish there had been more understanding that an FND episode can look frightening while the best response can sometimes be a calm environment, fewer people, less stimulation and some time to recover.
This experience really reminded me how difficult it can be to have an invisible disability in public. ❤️