Hi! I'm Joanna. I was diagnosed with Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures (also known as Functional Neurological Disorder) and Dystonia in October 2025, but I'd been dealing with them since June 2025. Apparently my fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, hypothyroidism, Sjogren's Syndrome and a build up of cerebral spinal fluid around my brain wasn't enough to deal with.

I'm also a really cool person for 47. I'm a stay-at-home Mom to my 16yr old Autistic daughter, I homeschool her and I love reading romance books from Indie Authors. I used to make character Bibles for some Authors but when your whole body seizes multiple times a day, it puts a huge thorn in your daily activities.

PNES with Dystonia isn't well known unfortunately. I'm on Neurologist #3 (not counting the ones I've seen in my 2 hospital stays and multiple ER visits). I started out with 20+ seizures a day. But then the doctors said "Try CBT therapy, it'll help release the pent up trauma that is causing these 'attacks' that you're having". So I started therapy and lemme tell ya, IT SUCKS! I am a survivor of 34yrs of child abuse and I was raised in a domestic violent home, so C-PTSD is another fun thing I have. I've been doing therapy once a week and like I said, it sucks because all that stuff I went through all those decades ago, gets brought up again so that I can rewire my brain and how I process this pent up trauma.

As you can imagine, bills have piled up and there's more on the horizon. I need to go to physical therapy for the muscles spasms, muscle paralysis and the muscle weakness PNES/FND gives you. I went from being the builder and fixer in the family, but now in the house I use a cane and when I go out, I have a rollator walker named Bertha. She keeps me walking and gives me a perch when my body has had enough. I used to devour a book a day, now I'm lucky if I can read a book a month because of the fatigue, the brain fog, the spaced out seizures and time-outs my brain does just for random kicks. I'd give you the boring list of tremendous symptoms but then you'd wonder how I'm called a human being and not a potato.

If you know trauma survivors, we don't like to ask for help. But I've waited 6 months to do so and it was a big mistake. Co-pays, medications, ER visits, Urgent Care, therapy, loss of work for my Husband so he can drive me to my appointments (cause they took away my driving privileges) as all added up.

Please help me so I can help myself. I want to get better, I NEED to get better. The sicker I get (therapy has made my seizures more intense and longer, I go non-verbal, full body paralysis and so many more fun things), the more stressed I get, and then I get sicker. Not to mention the toll it's taken on my daughter who is currently regressing because of my seizures and I don't want my daughter hurting because of me.

If you can't help monetarily, I understand....I'll take all the prayers, good vibes, unicorn farts and glitter bombs you can spare!!!! If you could share me as well, I'd appreciate the help and the awareness for PNES/FND. And when you send out those prayers and vibes, throw some sarcasm in there cause laughter is the best medicine! Also, if you want a video, I've got them cause I save them for my Neurologist.