The Day Everything Changed — 16 October 2024

Episode 1: The Day Everything Changed — 16 October 2024 On 16 October 2024, my life changed. I entered hospital experiencing generalised weakness, difficulty finding words and changes in my level of consciousness. What followed was a month of investigations, uncertainty, seizure-like episodes and questions that would ultimately become the beginning of a much longer neurological journey. In this first episode of My Voice Is Still Here, I take you back to where my story began. My initial CT scan identified a small area in the right frontal region that the radiologist reported could represent an old lacunar ischaemic event, alongside another finding that required further investigation. An MRI, EEG, lumbar puncture and other investigations followed. The subsequent MRI found no acute intracranial pathology, and eventually my discharge documentation recorded encephalopathy of unknown cause. But while investigations were searching for an explanation, I was living through the symptoms. During that hospital admission I experienced seizure-like episodes, fluctuating consciousness, weakness and difficulties communicating. A month later, I was discharged home, mobilising with a stick and with a package of care. Leaving hospital, however, wasn't the end of my story. It was the beginning. In the months and years that followed, three letters would eventually become a major part of my life: FND — Functional Neurological Disorder. This podcast documents that journey from my perspective — the hospital admissions, symptoms, uncertainty, diagnoses, challenges and the experience of trying to understand a neurological condition that can be incredibly difficult to explain to somebody who hasn't lived through it. There is another reason this podcast is called My Voice Is Still Here. At the time of making this series, FND has affected my ability to physically speak. The voice you hear narrating the podcast is therefore AI-generated, but the words, experiences and story belong to me. Technology is providing the sound. I am providing the voice. I have deliberately chosen not to fill this podcast with music or elaborate production. I want there to be space for the words, the pauses and even the silence. This isn't intended to be medical advice, and my experience of FND will not necessarily be somebody else's experience. FND can affect people in many different ways. This podcast is simply an account of my own journey and the events that shaped it. Episode One starts on the day everything changed. 16 October 2024. And from there, the story of My Voice Is Still Here begins. Written and created by Paul Edwards © 2026 Paul Edwards. All rights reserved. This podcast describes personal experiences of neurological symptoms, seizures and hospital treatment. It is provided for personal storytelling and awareness purposes and should not be used as a substitute for individual medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.