r/dysautonomia • u/juleslane • 1d ago
Diagnostic Process Functional Neurological Disorder diagnosis despite nOH diagnosis?
TLDR: despite nOH diagnosis from cardio, Neuro diagnosed FND. What should I do?
Six months ago I woke up and had extreme leg weakness, heaviness. A few weeks later, I started having faintness, blurred vision, heart palpitations, chest tightness. MRIs, EMG, myositis panels normal. Somewhat (not critically) low vitamin D and potassium. The month before this happened, I was diagnosed with sero-negative RA and Hashimotos. On Monday, I had the tilt table test. When they inserted the isoproterenol, blood pressure dropped to 90/25, I vomited and felt like I was going to die. Heart rate never compensated (stayed under 125). Dr said neurogenic orthostatic hypotension. On Tuesday I went to Neuro specialist out of town that I was referred to by my local neuro after he did the EMG and it was normal. The specialist turned out to specialize in FND. Without receiving my time table results, he gave me a preliminary diagnosis of FND. He is scheduling more autonomic testing but I'm concerned he has a bias that could prevent him from exploring completely physiological reasons for my symptoms. My cardio prescribed midrodone, and between that, compression stockings, and electrolytes, I'm feeling significantly better.
Has anyone else been labeled with FND? Did you flight back, and how?
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u/galangal_gangsta 1d ago
Run like hell from any doctor who wants to stick the FND label on you.
It is literally conversion disorder renamed. It is 1800s junk science based on a single study with 14 participants over 80 years old that could never be reproduced. These doctors love to direct you to bullshit sites like fnd hope run by Jon stone, a neurologist who speaks openly about how conversion disorder had to be renamed to something scientific sounding in order for patients to accept it.
They are trying to serve you a shit sandwich while simultaneously running out the clock on your life. Don’t eat it.
Also, any worsening of your real medical condition will be handwaved away as being psychosomatic if you have those three letters in your chart.
Check out the FND sub: it is full of two types of people, one group who believes their doctors when doctors say do not research fnd because it will make symptoms worse, and people who have been irreparably harmed because their real diagnosis was missed.
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u/Flunose_800 21h ago
I am one of the people who has been harmed. OP, RUN and get a new doctor ASAP.
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u/Previous-Artist-9252 1d ago
Dysautonomia is not FND.
FND can, in theory, exist alongside other diagnoses.
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u/SavannahInChicago POTS 1d ago
No, dysautonomia is not FND.