A teacher from Liverpool has revealed she is unable to stop smiling despite living with agonising pain caused by a rare disorder. Sarah Coughlin, 36, suffers from alexithymia, which means she 'constantly feels happy', along with other health issues following a head injury at work in 2014.
Ms Coughlin told the Liverpool Echo that she has struggled to breathe and turned blue 'a few times' due to spasms in her neck. She described an incident where a spasm blocked her airways while she was lying in bed, and her partner had to lift her up to allow her to breathe. 'I burst out crying when the first bit of air came in. It's happened a few times,' she said.
After the workplace injury, she was initially told she would recover within a week, but three months later she was diagnosed with functional neurological disorder (FND) and dystonia at the Walton Centre. FND affects her nervous system, causing seizures and tremors, while dystonia causes her neck to pull to one side. She was also diagnosed with alexithymia, which makes her unable to identify or describe her feelings.
Ms Coughlin has been forced to leave her job as a teacher and now relies on her partner, John Whittaker, 39, as her full-time carer. She struggles to sleep due to the conditions and often gets only one to two hours of sleep a night. She is now campaigning to raise £10,000 for a medical bed that can be adjusted with a remote control, which would help her breathe during spasms.
Despite her challenges, Ms Coughlin remains positive. 'I always think there are people that are worse off than me, at least I'm still here,' she said. She hopes speaking out will raise awareness about alexithymia and her urgent need for the medical bed.
