I cannot believe that one year has flown by since I started the private support group on Facebook. Where has that time gone!

I started my blog in January 2017 and have never looked back. It is simply one of the best things I have ever done, obviously second to me giving birth to my gorgeous girls and getting married to my Hubby!

I started the blog to share my story about my battle with vestibular disorders and mental health and in some way try and help others through their troubles. Little did I know how much it would snowball and completely change my life and others lives. I had no idea that I was about to meet the most amazing, courageous and strong people. The blog has also taken me on a soul searching journey, one that I needed desperately to go on! I needed to find ME again, I had lost myself over the years in the tangled world of vestibular disorders and mental health. Writing my story and blogging about my experiences over the years was therapy in itself and has helped me heal and put to bed some demons that were fighting against me.

By March 2017 I was getting about 20 messages from fellow sufferers a day, it was amazing, so many people suffer from these debilitating illnesses. I love mentoring people and supporting them as much as I can. They all felt so desperate, so alone. They could relate to my blog posts and my story, it made them feel less alone and more supported.

In August 2017 I decided to create a closed private Facebook support group. The goal…. to support fellow sufferers of invisible illnesses and give them hope, inspiration and try and keep their spirits up. Immediately there was interest in the group, floods of members asking to join who had been following my blog since the January. I was so touched that people wanted to be part of this. Over time we have built the group up to 350 members so far and growing daily. My plan is to advertise the group more publicly so that I can recruit more members and help more people. I will be focusing on doing that from September.

A lot of people who joined were totally lost, some completely desperate and some even suicidal, just like I was years ago when I was at my worst. By joining the group they suddenly realised that they were not alone, they did not have to suffer in silence anymore. They could speak to people privately about their troubles and symptoms knowing that we understood and would not judge them.

Over time the group has got incredibly close, the people are amazing, so supportive, so kind, thoughtful, empathetic, they GET IT. It is so special to find people who know exactly how you are feeling and what you are going through. Sometimes talking to friends and family is great but they do not understand, how could they possibly!!!?! You cannot understand unless you have been through these symptoms and years of struggling with them day in day out. Having the group has helped me personally so much too, its a place I can go to get advice and have a rant if I am having a bad day. But equally if I am proud of something I have achieved I will go on and post about it to give others hope.

We have helped so many people so far, a lot of the people who joined were not in a good way. It is so lovely to see those people doing so much better now, compared to what they were like a year ago. I am so very proud of each and every one in that group who keep fighting and try and stay positive. I am looking forward to growing the group more and more and supporting more people.

If you are struggling and need support or know a family or friend who needs support please send them over to our support group www.facebook.com/groups/mummyseeingdoublesupport  Please also feel free to email me at dizzy@mummyseeingdouble.com if you would rather talk to me directly instead or as well as be on the group. You can also follow my public blog at http://www.facebook.com/mummyseeingdouble

Lots of love
Lara xx