A FERMANAGH country music star has announced she will be taking “time out from everything” after being diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND).
Lisa McHugh, pictured below, posted on her social media yesterday (Tuesday) that she has spent a scary and difficult couple of weeks in hospital.
“After what has been an incredibly scary and very difficult couple of weeks in hospital having multiple CT scans, MRIs, X-Rays, blood tests, lumbar punctures and every kind of test you could imagine, I have just been diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), as well as Trigeminal Neuralgia that I was diagnosed with earlier this year,” she said.
“FND is a condition that affects the way the brain and nervous system work, leading to a range of neurological symptoms such as limb weakness, paralysis, seizures, walking difficulties, spasms, sensory issues, cognitive problems and more.”
Lisa explained that the specific cause for FND is unknown, but one of the main triggers is stress, trauma and anxiety. While there is no cure, it is treatable providing you adapt your life as much as possible to manage it.
“I guess the stress and trauma of this last year and everything we’ve went through has finally caught up with me and my body and it’s now decided to make me physically stop, process and heal from everything properly,” she added.
“So that’s my plan. As you can see I’ve a good bit to go on the healing front, going from walking into hospital with a very bad headache and severe facial pain, to losing function in both legs and then trying to walk again using a zimmer frame.
“It’s quite a lot to wrap your head around. So I need to drastically adapt things in my life right now and for the future to reduce the severity of the symptoms in any future flare ups. Rest assured, I will be cared for like a queen every single day until I fully recover from this episode.
Ms McHugh thanked the staff who cared for her at the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH).
“A special mention of thanks must go out to all of the doctors, specialists, nurses and staff of the South West Acute Hospital,” she said.
“The care and first class treatment I’ve had since I arrived has been absolutely amazing and I am so thankful to all of you.
“With all of that said, I’m going to sign off and take time out from everything for a while to concentrate on recovering fully. In the meantime, I’d really appreciate all of your prayers and I’ll soak up this time with my beautiful family and be grateful for every day.”