Mum's 'excessive yawning' turned out to be a sign of devastating disease

29 October 2023 , 08:47

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Nickie Davies has Motor Neurone Disease (Image: Nickie Davies)

A mum who developed "excessive yawning" initially thought it was due to tiredness - but actually, it was a sign of a devastating disease.

Nickie Davies, from West Kirby, Merseyside, said she had Covid in January last year and put down her exhaustion to an "aftermath" of having the illness. The 47-year-old said that 10 days post-Covid she noticed she was yawning continually and up to "100 times a day".

The mum said she "knew something wasn't right" and went to her GP. Her doctor thought her symptoms were related to sleep apnoea and Nickie was referred to an ear, nose and throat doctor, who in turn thought it could be allergies.

Nickie now wants to be positive about the future (Nickie Davies)

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, she said: "Roll on to July and August, the yawning was still there. I then noticed I was slurring my words but as I'd had a few teeth out and awaiting a partial denture I assumed it was to do with that. Roll on to September and I started with headaches and went to the GP and brought up the yawning and speech which would be affected mainly at night when I was tired. The doctor suggested HRT for me and I started on that."

Nickie had suspected that her symptoms might be due to Motor Neurone Disease (MND), but doctors initially reassured her that it was not the case. In March, they thought she was dealing with a functional neurological disorder - an issue with how the brain communicates with the body.

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However, in July, Nickie's worst fears were confirmed. She was diagnosed with MND - a rare condition that affects the brain and nerves, causing increasing weakness over time. She said: "On July 20 I had my appointment with outpatients at the neuropathy clinic. My name was called and my mum, my partner and I walked into a room with the consultant and two nurses, I knew what the outcome was straight away.

"I had a brief examination of my strength and was told it was MND. The neurologist said he couldn't tell me how long I had left as he would be wrong and everyone is different.

"I felt like I just had to go I couldn't stay, I felt claustrophobic my worst fears had come true. The lovely nurses took me into another room but I just couldn't take in anything they were saying, I wanted to go back to not knowing but it was out there I had Motor Neurone Disease."

Nickie admitted that she spent two weeks crying, unable to think about anything other than her diagnosis and its impact on her loved ones, particularly her 16-year-old daughter. She said: "It made me realise that nothing matters if you have good health. I kept thinking of those times I'd wish for more pay, a better car, to win the lottery and I never thought - I just wish for good health. You just take that for granted.

"I couldn't even talk about it or mention MND without crying. It came to a point where I thought I could sit and cry and feel sad or I could get up and get on with things and that is the path I have chosen. My strength just grew from then, there is no room in my life for sadness or negativity. I have so much to be grateful for and I knew I had to remain in that mindset."

Nickie shared that her MND diagnosis has affected her speech and she has had to take time off from the job she loves. She also finds socialising difficult due to her speech problems. She explained: "Eating is a struggle, so I have to watch what I eat because my tongue doesn't work properly. I can't move food around easily which could cause choking episodes and drinking is even worse. The likelihood of me getting a peg feeding tube fitted sooner than later as this disease progresses.

"I get tired very easily and struggle to do the activities that I've always loved, but I concentrate on what I can do. I do try and make a joke of my speech as this is what works for me, it's like a guessing game or charades every time I open my mouth. I have pains in my arms and legs but I push past this. I am a great horse lover and have three of my own, I have to rely now on family and friends to help me with them and have a plan in place for when I can no longer drive and see to them."

Nickie advised anyone going through something similar to insist on a referral to neurology. She also urged those diagnosed with MND or a similar condition to "bank their voice" using their iPhone or other methods. This can then be used to create a voice closest to their own to be used on communication devices.

She warned: "Anyone can get this awful disease, I considered myself to be healthy and it happened to me at 45, it can happen to anyone at any age. My case is not familial. Generally, MND is believed to be caused because of a combination of environmental, lifestyle and genetic factors.

"Most cases of MND develop without an obvious cause. Around one in 10 cases are 'familial', meaning the condition is inherited. This is due to a genetic mutation, or an error in the gene.

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"My advice to anyone is record your voice, this can be done by iPhone or any smartphone by recording your voice without any background noise, i.e. not through a car as I learnt after having hours of recordings rejected."

The mum shared that her family, boyfriend and friends have been by her side throughout her diagnosis and continue to support her. Her pals have organised a charity event at the Railway Inn pub in Meols on Saturday, February 3. They have also set up a GoFundMe page to help Nickie out. You can donate here.

* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]

Chiara Fiorillo