What I was expecting when I came down for the Newcastle game back in March was a nice relaxing weekend before I went back for the last month of uni before Easter. In that time I had to finish off my dissertation and get it handed in, as well as 2 presentations and 2 reports on subjects I'd not been given yet, and work in another module. We'd then have the nice Easter break and go back for our final exams at the start of May, start back fulltime at work (instead of part-time/casual during term time) and be sorted for the summer before I got my results at the back end of June. Obviously as a City fan I couldn't have things go that easily. Instead I had to go and get an ear infection that weekend. By the time I got home on Monday night I couldn't stand up without my head spinning so much I ended up throwing up in the space of about 10 seconds. That carried on til Wednesday night when I managed to get up and have a bowl of soup. Next morning I was feeling fine, drained as you'd expect, but otherwise fine so I went to work. In the van on the way over to the job I went to take a drink out of my bottle of water, and found it just pouring out the side of my mouth. Over the next hour what happened was the whole right hand side of my face decided it had done enough work and became completely paralysed. I could still move my jaw as the left side of my face was fine, but the right side completely went. No facial expression what so ever, massive slurring of my speech until I could learn to talk out the other side of my mouth, and eye that was becoming increasingly irritated because it couldn't blink. The most disorienting thing though was that I couldn't feel the difference. It felt like everything was working normally, it was only when I heard myself slurring parts of my speech that I could tell. When I was smiling it felt like both sides of my face were moving, and there was no sensation of pain or anything unusual, and I was even joking with my boss about how they could use this as a "get to work" example when someone else phoned in sick. Anyway, after we'd finished the job finished at 2 I went to see the doctor (yeah, hindsight says it might have been a good idea to go straight away). First thing they did when they saw me was sit me down and get me to shrug my shoulders, which I can't remember how I knew but I knew was them testing whether I'd had a stroke and I knew that wasn't the problem. I then got told it was Bell's Palsy. Now that's something that can affect anybody at anytime (1 in 65 will have it during their life), and can be caused by either an infection spreading from elsewhere into the facial nerve, or just to be a complete bitch, if you've had chicken pox when you're younger the virus can flare up when your body is weak without any other outside trigger. Knowing it wasn't life threatening, where it got really worrying for me was when she said about how long the symptoms can last for. In some people it clears up in a couple of weeks once they're on steroids, in others it takes a few months, and for some people it can be permanent. I think the moral of the story here is, if you don't want to risk permanent facial disfigurement go to the doctor as soon as you feel a bit ill. Or something like that. Even the worst case isn't the end of the world, but it's not exactly ideal when you're in the final year of your degree and have to make presentations to be in a position where you can't talk properly. It's also not a good thing to have happen when your contract at work is zero hours, and the nature of your full time position in the summer (which wasn't even verbally agreed at this point) requires you to verbally communicate clearly with people, and not scare the **** out of children with the face of a stroke victim. The treatment I was given for it was a steroid called Prednisolone. The side effects are so strong that the biggest dosage they make the tablets in is 5mg, so they put me on 5 tablets taken twice a day. Thankfully they're like polo holes, because I can't swallow normal tablets, and the instructions specifically said they had to be swallowed whole (ie not crunched or ground up like I normally do). They other thing was I had to watch out for these side effects and stop using them if they became an issue (after prolonged use they can develop into serious psychiatric problems if you've ignored them). Other than total cover all things like feeling happy/sad/changing between happy and sad all being side effects the last 2 made me laugh at the time. I live alone, so when I'm at home I should either feel alone, or it means I'm feeling like there's something with me that doesn't exist. The rest of them just sound like me normally so I couldn't really tell either way. Two things it didn't mention though. One, it affects your ability to focus (yeah brilliant, last month of my dissertation that's what I needed). Two, high doses make you really dizzy. I spent the next 4 and a bit weeks in a near permanent state of drunkenness at the same level as you get on a Sunday afternoon sat in the sun at the pub having 4 or 5 pints over a couple of hours as you just chill out (so there was a good side). Two fold problem here that I was aware of at the time, one being that I couldn't work until the symptoms of the condition went and I was back off the medication, so I lost all my work for March (when I was affected) and April (which had already been staffed before I was fit to go back). The other being I couldn't really go to uni for the same time, I wasn't really safe crossing busy roads on my own due to the dizziness, and as I couldn't talk to do a presentation or focus on the subject I was dealing with there wasn't much point me being there even if I could. The 3rd problem that I realised afterwards, steroids encourage you to gain weight, being virtually housebound and unable to exercise properly makes me boredom eat. I stopped taking the tablets 4 weeks or 1 1/2 stone later and have only just lost the weight. I finally got off the tablets at the end of the weekend of the Swansea game, having missed almost all the deadlines at uni and relying on them giving me dispensation for the condition, 2 months down on wages (admittedly during term time that's only about £800), with at least 1, maybe 2 trips to Wembley coming up and no job lined up for the summer or beyond to be able to keep paying my mortgage (which is why I put in for one of the free tickets to the semi). Given I wasn't working that first month back it took me nicely up to the end of the season with the FA Cup Final without having to clear it with them first, and just left me to catch up on the uni work. Since the end of the season I've had 2 months of ridiculous schedule at work to make back up the money, and the nervous wait for my uni results to see what compensatory mark I'd be given (I really hate even asking for it, but I had no chance of doing things like the presentations) and now I can finally get back to normal knowing I've got what I was expected to and I've got my money situation back where it needs to be. So, other than GC getting us in the papers and OLM being back as a mod, what have I missed on here?
Like 100 related accounting questions that you never answered. On a serious note glad you are feeling better.
I think you' ll find, that all that you describe is an existence outside of the normal. That of which you may of missed on here makes normal , seem abnormal. So nothing much. Glad to see your back to your own good self. You'll find plenty of therapuetic Soul Healing Here. Welcome Back Ricardo.!
Wow....that was obviously a very scary time for you Ricardo....and a lot of pressure too with all your uni obligations. But you're a young fella and I'm sure you'll be fine. In July last year I had an aortic aneurysm on a Sunday evening and wasn't expected to make it through the night. But I'm still here and feeling good....and made it to Wembley for the Cup Final. Feels good to be alive. Makes you appreciate every day though when something like you've been through happens to you. Just enjoy every day and the new season. Welcome back!!
Just read the last half dozen posts from before you were ill. The next 300 are roughly the same. Oh, and we had a sweepstake for the World Cup and raised loads of money for The Alziemers Society. Wishing you a strong recovery. You sound like you've had a tough time. Good luck.
Glad your back I did ask on here if you were ok a week or two back. So you've passed your Uni?? Malingerer.......
sounds like a right **** un mate , hope ur back on track real soon , health wise and ur Uni stuff !!!
I know someone else who had Bell's Palsy, strange condition, and the symptoms (visually) do look exactly like the description they used in the stroke adverts. Glad you're feeling better! Did you get dispensation for your Uni work?
Glad you're on the up. The imagination runs riot when we're ill at the best of times, but one that affects perception as that does must be far worse. Glad you're back. I thought I had something similar, but it was Bells Whisky.
Apart from that, you been ok though?? Ta for sharing the details, it's something often overlooked, and too many blokes take the "Ahh I'll go to the docs when it falls off, if I have the time" approach too. Raising awareness is awesome. Since you've been gone we've been to Wembley where we were in the FA Cup Final 2014 and are now planning a trip to Slovakia to compete in the Europa League. Honest. Same old same old on here other than that. Welcome back Ric!
Welcome back Ricardo. Glad you got through that dreadful time. What have you missed? Whining. Banter. Whinging. Moaning. Slagging off. Handbags at dawn. The usual. Sure you've missed us?!
Chin up mate (no pun intended), my brother suffered from Bell's Palsy many years ago just after leaving Uni. He had a bout of Glandular Fever before his exams & the doctors believed it may have triggered this attack. His symptoms were very similar to yours, but he did (like most do) make a full recovery & has thus far not had another attack (that was 25 years ago) You will just have to make sure you take care of yourself, eat well & healthily & keep fit. My brother took up cycling & swimming after his attack (previously he was a couch potato) & I wish I was half as fit
Glad you've come through it ok and are feeling better, I've been in your position of being ill at the end of a Uni course and asking for dispensation, it really rankles doesn't it but needs must x I was on steroids during chemotherapy and wrote off near enough 6 months where I can remember a few days here and there but the rest of the time I was asleep or really ill. What doesn't kill us etc etc...
