Mom becomes partially blind days after wedding due to mystery illness

By James Connolly

A mom says she woke five days after her dream wedding - to find herself partially blind.

Chelsea Shields, from Doncaster, South Yorks., is just 28 years old - but says she feels more like 90 as she battles a condition called functional neurological disorder (FND).

Her nightmare began in August when she woke up unable to see out of her right eye - just five days after tying the knot with husband Connor, 34.

Doctors feared she might have multiple sclerosis (MS) as her vision deteriorated further, including in the other eye.

Within days, she was in hospital, unable to walk, in excruciating pain, and left catheterized as she said it felt like her body was "giving up". Chelsea now relies on crutches to move around.

She said: "I've always had issues with muscle weakness and pains. I've had back-and-forth visits to GPs and A&E for about 10 years.

"But the worst symptoms I've experienced came five days after my wedding. I woke up unable to see out of my right eye. It was complete darkness.

"I was panicking. I thought in my head - what if I'm going blind? What if I'm not going to be able to see my children growing up?"

She was rushed to hospital, where doctors first suspected a viral infection - but the next day, her condition became worse.

She said: "I woke up and the other eye had started going blurry.

"I went back to hospital for more tests and scans, and there was no field of vision in the right eye at all, but nobody knew what it was. They suspected it could be MS."

Chelsea was given powerful steroids while she waited for urgent scans - but by then, she was barely able to move.

She said: "I had a constant dull headache and I couldn't cope with it.

"My left eye got significantly worse - and then I was in the kitchen making lunch for my children when I got hit with a sudden thunderclap headache.

"I literally just dropped to the floor. I had to get my five-year-old to pass me the phone to call my husband. I was crying out in pain.

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"An ambulance took me straight to hospital. I couldn't even walk very far without falling over.

"I lost the ability to go to the toilet as well, so at 28-years-old, I had to be catheterized.

"I couldn't get out of bed, because I'd been put down as a fall risk. I could just feel my whole body starting to give up on me."

After four long weeks, doctors finally delivered a diagnosis - Functional Neurological Disorder.

It is a complex and often misunderstood condition that affects how the brain sends and receives signals to the body.

Chelsea said: "Before I was diagnosed, I'd never heard of FND, but it's actually more common than people would think.

"It can be very unpredictable, so it can mean anything from seizures to paralysis, which makes it even harder to get the right help."

FND can be difficult to diagnose, with treatment focusing on managing symptoms through medication and physiotherapy.

Despite the severity of her symptoms, Chelsea said the disorder is often dismissed or "not taken seriously".

She said: "The main symptom for me is brain fog, which is quite bad when you have young children.

"I have a lot of weakness in my legs, so 99 per cent of the time I walk with a stick or crutches. There are times when I can't feel my legs and I can't physically walk.

"I take about 20 tablets per day and suffer with constant pain. I've gone from a fully functional mum of three to feeling like I'm a 90-year-old.

"Three months ago, I never thought this would be my life."

Determined to fight back, Chelsea has launched a Facebook page to vlog her journey and shine a light on FND - hoping her story will help others battling the same illness.

She said she will be regularly posting videos documenting her daily reality, with everything from medication routines to talking about how her condition affects her mentally and physically.

Chelsea said that she hopes her page will push for better understanding of the condition, adding: "I can't work, so I'm putting all my time into raising awareness.

"I want to share everything, because I know it will help people."