'I thought my excessive yawning was tirdness - but it was devastating disease'

Mum Nickie Davies was yawning astir 100 times a day, but enactment it down to the aft effects of Covid. Eventually, Nickie was fixed a heartbreaking diagnosis of a deadly disease

A brave pistillate thought her excessive yawning was simply down to however bushed she was feeling, but mum Nickie Davies was enetually diagnosed with a debilitating disease.

Nickie, from West Kirby, Merseyside, was diagnosed with centrifugal neurone disease (MND) successful 2023. MND, the NHS said, “is an uncommon information that affects the brain and nerves” and “causes weakness that gets worse implicit time”. She initially thought that the “aftermath” from erstwhile she had Covid was causing her to yawn astir 100 times a day. The occupation persisted, however, and Nickie noticed she was yawning 10 days aft she had the virus.

After speaking with a doctor, Nickie was referred to an ear, chemoreceptor and pharynx doctor, who believed she could beryllium suffering from allergies. Nickie kept yawning, however, and began to make much alarming symptoms. Nickie adjacent started slurring her words. Nickie told Liverpool Echo: "Roll connected to July and August, the yawning was inactive there… I past noticed I was slurring my words but arsenic I'd had a fewer teeth retired and awaiting a partial denture I assumed it was to bash with that. Roll connected to September and I started with headaches and went to the GP and brought up the yawning and code which would beryllium affected chiefly astatine nighttime erstwhile I was tired. The doc suggested HRT [hormone replacement therapy] for maine and I started connected that."

In July, Nickie was yet diagnosed with MND. There is nary cure and it leads to decease among the individuals that person it. The NHS said: “There's nary cure for MND, but determination are treatments to assistance trim the interaction it has connected a person's regular life. Some radical unrecorded with the information for galore years. MND tin importantly shorten beingness expectancy and, unfortunately, yet leads to death.”

Nickie said: "On July 20, I had my assignment with outpatients astatine the neuropathy clinic. My sanction was called and my mum, my spouse and I walked into a country with the advisor and 2 nurses, I knew what the result was consecutive away. I had a little introspection of my spot and was told it was MND. The neurologist said helium couldn't archer maine however agelong I had near arsenic helium would beryllium incorrect and everyone is different.”

She added: "I felt similar I conscionable had to spell I couldn't stay, I felt claustrophobic my worst fears had travel true. The beauteous nurses took maine into different country but I conscionable couldn't instrumentality successful thing they were saying, I wanted to spell backmost to not knowing but it was retired determination I had centrifugal neurone disease." Nickie was near reeling from the atrocious quality and said she spent the adjacent 2 weeks crying implicit the diagnosis and the interaction it volition person connected her and her loved ones. She has a young teenage daughter.

Nickie said: "It made maine realise that thing matters if you person bully health. I kept reasoning of those times I'd privation for much pay, a amended car, to triumph the lottery and I ne'er thought - I conscionable privation for bully health. You conscionable take that for granted.” Now, Nickie says she finds eating a “struggle” but has a affirmative mindset astir her life.

She said: "Eating is simply a struggle, truthful I person to ticker what I devour due to the fact that my lingua doesn't enactment properly. I can't determination nutrient astir easy which could origin choking episodes and drinking is adjacent worse. I get bushed precise easy and conflict to bash the activities that I've ever loved, but I ore connected what I tin do… I bash effort and marque a gag of my code arsenic this is what works for me. It's similar a guessing crippled oregon charades each clip I unfastened my mouth. I person pains successful my arms and legs but I propulsion past this.

“I americium a large equine person and person 3 of my own, I person to trust present connected household and friends to assistance maine with them and person a program successful spot for erstwhile I tin nary longer thrust and spot to them." The brave Merseysider encouraged radical to importune connected a referral to neurology if they deliberation thing could beryllium wrong. She besides urged radical to marque a “bank” of their dependable to make a dependable astir similar their ain connected connection devices. Donations poured successful for Nickie connected the donations website GoFundMe. A full of £9,000 has been raised towards her £10,000 goals. You tin spot the leafage here.