Doctor issues warning after woman loses all feeling in one side of body at 3am
The singer was told she'd never walk again and needed major brain surgery
A doctor appearing on BBC Morning Live today (October 29) has issued major guidance after a woman's terrifying 3am experience. Dr Oscar Duke shared the message during an interview with singer Lauren Jean who suffered a stroke as a teen.
Lauren, who suffered the stroke while on a family holiday, spoke about the terrifying experience that happened three years ago. She recalled feeling "normal" when she went to bed, but woke up at 3am to go to the toilet and couldn't move.
She said: "I felt like I couldn’t feel one side of my body. So I grabbed my arm to try and get out of bed because I needed the toilet as well. It was around 3am. I whacked my head on the bedside table and literally fell straight to the floor. Luckily, my mum was awake and she thought she heard me and my sister fall over so she came in the room and there was blood everywhere."
At first, Lauren’s mum thought she might have a concussion, but when she helped her daughter up from the floor, she noticed the drooping on her right side and immediately recognised the signs of a stroke. Lauren said: "They put me in the bath because they thought in the bath I couldn't roll over there and that it was probably the safest place for me.
"I was choking on my tongue - there were little things that you just don’t think about. Dad went and got the neighbours up and they rang for an ambulance and within 20 minutes I was in the first hospital. They looked at a scan said she needs major brain surgery."
She was swiftly airlifted to hospital in Spain by an air ambulance and admitted that the experience was terrifying. “If I hadn’t woken up at 3am, I probably would have died in my sleep,” she was told. Dr Oscar praised Lauren’s family for their quick response, emphasising that time is absolutely critical, and strokes are unfortunately common.
Remember FAST
The doctor said if you think someone is having a stroke, remember the FAST acronym, "which is really important."
- Face weakness: Can the person smile? Has their mouth or eye drooped?
- Arm weakness: Can the person raise both arms fully and keep them there?
- Speech problems: Can the person speak clearly and understand what you say? Is their speech slurred?
- Time to call 999: if you see any of these signs
The doctor said that there "tends to be a drop in the side of your face" so when you ask people to smile or show their teeth, they can’t do that. Someone may also have arm weakness, so whilst they may be able to lift their arms up, one arm may fall and feel heavier to lift.
Slurred speech is another major sign. Lauren said: "My mum kept asking me questions like 'what colour are my eyes' and I knew what I wanted to say, but I just couldn’t get the words out. It was frustrating more than anything." So if you have any of these, calling 999 is key.
Why did Lauren have a stroke?
Lauren, from Clitheroe, Lancashire, revealed: "I had a PFO, which is a hole in the heart. I had heart surgery two years ago, but I didn’t know until after the stroke. A hole in the heart can lead to a stroke because the clot came from my leg, straight all the way to my heart to the brain.
"They said if I didn’t have a hole in my heart, then I would not have had a stroke, and if I wasn’t on the contraceptive pill. So the two things that caused my stroke were the contraceptive pill and the hole in the heart."
"The impact of flying and the altitude of flying brought it on quicker", she added with doctors not wanting her to fly back home too soon.
What happens if I have a stroke on my own?
Dr Oscar advised that you should try to get someone’s attention in any way possible. He recommends calling 999 or knocking on a neighbour’s door, but don’t worry if you can’t speak clearly or your speech is slurred as call handlers are trained to manage those situations.
He said: "If you’re struggling with your speech, they’re going to try and support you through that and perhaps track where you are."
Lauaren was told she'd never walk again
Thankfully, Lauren is doing great now. In fact, she is doing better than doctors thought. Lauren revealed: "After the stroke happened, one thing I really wanted to get into was walking because I got told I would not be able to walk again.
"Getting told you won’t be able to walk again and the chances of you singing is slim, I was like I will be walking again." Her determination led her to numerous physio sessions and workouts, which allowed her to achieve something brilliant. She proudly said: "I ran the London marathon in April of this year for the British Heart Foundation."
What are the signs of a stroke?
The main symptoms of a stroke can happen suddenly. They may include:
- face weakness – one side of your face may droop (fall) and it might be hard to smile
- arm weakness – you may not be able to fully lift both arms and keep them there because of weakness or numbness in 1 arm
- speech problems – you may slur your words or sound confused
The easiest way to remember these symptoms is the word FAST. This stands for: face, arms, speech and time to call 999.
There are other signs that you or someone else is having a stroke. These include:
- weakness or numbness down 1 side of your body
- blurred vision or loss of sight in 1 or both eyes
- finding it difficult to speak or think of words
- confusion and memory loss
- feeling dizzy or falling over
- a severe headache
- feeling or being sick (nausea or vomiting)