A mum was diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder after she developed physical Tourette’s-like tics which made her feel like a “puppet on a string”.<br /><br />Jo Mason, 42, initially had migraines and vertigo but soon developed uncontrollable body jerks. <br /><br />Every limb in her body started jerking - and she’d throw her arms back, above her head. <br /><br />After a strong of tests was diagnosed with functional neurological disorder (FND).<br /><br />FND is when the brain has problems receiving and sending information to the rest of the body - despite it not being damaged. <br /><br />The former music teacher had to quit her job due to daily tics. <br /><br />She sometimes struggles with walking - and will need a stick or mobility scooter to get around.<br /><br />On a day-to-day basis, she's never sure when her symptoms will flare up.<br /><br />Now, she’s looking for treatment to manage the disorder, but says she worries specialists don’t understand it.<br /><br />Jo, who is now unemployed, from Rotherham, South Yorks., said: “FND is the ultimate invisible disability, because you can’t see what’s gone wrong in the brain. <br /><br />“I’m still on a waiting list to see a psychotherapist - so a lot of my knowledge has come from my own research. <br /><br />“Alex Mitchell, on ‘Britain’s Got Talent,’ gave us fantastic representation because he was raising awareness of it.<br /><br />“But there are still a lot of people out there, unaware of what it is.” <br /><br />In January 2021, Jo began suffering from migraines and vertigo - and often felt like her head was spinning. <br /><br />Shortly after symptoms began, she saw her GP - who referred her for a lumbar puncture and MRI. <br /><br />She was diagnosed in September 2021 with multiple sclerosis (MS), after doctors found markers in her spinal fluid consistent with the condition. <br /><br />“I tried to go back to work a few days later,” she said.<br /><br />“But on the first day, I had to be sent home by lunch.<br /><br />“My speech had gone, and I could barely stand. <br /><br />“I thought this must’ve been part of my MS.”<br /><br />Just one weekend later, Jo found she felt more “poorly” than ever. <br /><br />Every limb in her body started jerking - and she’d throw her arms back, above her head. <br /><br />Her husband, Ben, 47, noticed the tics, and advised her to go back to her GP and find out what was going on. <br /><br />Jo said: “All my limbs were jerking, suddenly.<br /><br />“It built up to the point where it was uncontrollable - I felt like a puppet on a string. <br /><br />“All day, every day, just constant jerks and movements.”<br /><br />She was referred back to her neurologist, who presumed her symptoms were part of her MS. <br /><br />He said she was experiencing dystonia, a condition which causes involuntary muscle spasms and contractions. <br /><br />Jo was told her brain was just “short-circuiting” - misfiring signals to each of her joints. <br /><br />She set out to help her own MS as much as possible, taking every therapy on offer to her. <br /><br />“I did everything I possibly could,” she added. <br /><br />“I started disease modifying therapy, occupational therapy, talking therapy and electric therapy.<br /><br />“I was exercising - I became the volunteer group co-ordinator
