FND/Conversion d/o Curiosities
Hi Everyone,
I got slapped with a ”conversion disorder episode” around this time last year. I’m a school teacher and was going through some pretty heavy stuff with work at the time. I want to share my experience and would love to hear more about others’ experiences.
In my case, I was getting ready for the day in my classroom when all of a sudden my vision was blurry, like I wasn’t wearing my glasses, but I was. then I started stumbling around like I was drunk. I called admin to let them know I wasn’t feeling well and was going to need to go home. my voice came out slow and somewhat slurred. admin came to my room along with the school nurse. when I tried standing again and was still wobbly, they insisted on calling an ambulance.
the paramedics thought maybe a stroke and asked me to smile. ER had me do a cat scan, and everything came out good. doctor knew I had bipolar but said he didn’t know what it was and advised me to follow up with PCP. when I did that, PCP said she wasn’t sure either.
finally when I had my psych appointment she asked me a million questions and concluded it was likely a “conversion disorder episode.” I hadn‘t heard of that before. I asked if it is common and she said it‘s not BUT it is more so for people with mental health disorders. after researching symptoms and taking into account my history, I do think that’s what it was. it was frightening and I thank god it hasn’t happened since.
im curious to learn about others’ experiences. How long do your episodes last, how frequently do they occur? Has there been an instance when you had an episode, then were “in remission” for a long period of time, then it re-occurred? Do you have a mental health diagnosis? Were you in stressful circumstances at the time? Appreciate any shares. Note: I’m not looking for someone to diagnose whether this disorder applies to my experience.