The first odd thing happened in August 2012 at the Speedway GP held at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium. It had been a stiflingly hot day but I’d managed to stay out the heat for most of it. However, in a stadium filled with over 35,000 people and the roof shut it wasn’t so easy. I’d been drinking plenty of soft drinks however towards the end of the event I started to feel dizzy and boiling hot even though the temperature had started to drop. It didn’t matter how much I had to drink I felt desperately thirsty and my hands felt shaky. I’d finished my drink and those belonging to my parents but I was still thirsty. I couldn’t purchase another drink because the refreshment stands had closed so in desperation I went to the St John’s Ambulance Medical Station. I managed to convince them that unlike many of the people they had treated that night I hadn’t been drinking and just desperately needed water.
An hour later, well after the event had ended and after drinking 2 pints of water they allowed me to leave. They contemplated sending me to the paramedics but decided it was either low blood sugar or heat stroke and I just needed a good night sleep. I didn’t feel too great the next day but by the day after that I was back in work and didn’t think anything of it until 4 weeks later.
The second odd thing happened as I got off the bus to go to work. I’d not felt well the day before as I’d had a stomach bug – nothing major, just a 24hour thing. I’d felt tired the next morning but other than that okay until I got off the bus. I was running a little late so was trying to rush but when I tried to get off the bus realised I had a really bad case of pins and needles in my right leg. I hobbled through the bus station trying to walk it off but I couldn’t. In fact I couldn’t really lift my right foot off the ground but was dragging it instead. I started to panic and tried to rush to get to work (only a 5 minute walk away) but I kept stumbling like I’d had too much to drink (it was 8.30am, definitely too early for that sort of thing!). Not only that but I noticed my right hand was shaking and my arm had pins and needles too making it difficult to carry my bag.
I got to work eventually, collapsed into my seat and burst into tears. It had taken me 15 minutes to get to work; I felt exhausted and completely freaked out. I rang my husband to come and collect me then made an emergency appointment with a doctor for that lunchtime. By the time I saw the doctor I was able to walk and use my right hand again but my arm & leg felt weak. The doctor assured me that I hadn’t had a stroke (which I hadn’t thought anyway!) and he didn’t think it was diabetes (which I also didn’t think it was!). He asked me if I suffered from migraines which I said I didn’t just the odd headache. We talked about my headaches – the sort that didn’t stop me from functioning but that paracetamol didn’t get rid of, would last a couple of days and then pass. The doctor concluded that I did suffer from migraines & that what I had experienced was a localised sensory migraine. I looked it up on Wikipedia and it made sense, my symptoms did match his diagnosis. Only I’d been looking online earlier that day whilst waiting for my appointment (something I know you really shouldn’t do as you only end up scaring yourself!) & something else had come up that matched my symptoms too – MS. The doctor was so sure though and off course with a choice between migraines and MS you’re not going to pick MS are you? So I went with the doctors diagnosis. I had blood tests, everything came back clear and within a few days I was feeling okay. Life returned to normal, we joked in work about how I’d had another one of my peculiar illnesses and then I forgot about it. Well, I forgot about it until 8 weeks ago…
TrevisMS 