Part One: From Friendship to Diagnosis: ME, FND, Medical Gaslighting & Nicola’s Story

In this episode of Chronically Glitched, my friend Nicola joins me for the first part of a very honest conversation.We talk about how we met and how our friendship grew through shared experiences of chronic illness and mental health struggles.Nicola opens up about her journey before diagnosis, including endometriosis, hysterectomy, pancreatitis, open surgery, and functional cognitive impairment. We also get into the reality of medical gaslighting, being passed between specialists, and the emotional toll of not being believed.This episode covers grief, depression, and the long road to finally being diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), on top of everything else she was already dealing with.This is what it actually looks like before a diagnosis. Confusion, dismissal, and trying to hold yourself together while your body is falling apart.#chronicillness #fnd #mecfs #medicalgaslighting #endometriosis #hysterectomy #pancreatitis #mentalhealth #chronicillnessawareness #invisibleillness #spoonie #nhs #grief #depression #functionalneurologicaldisorder