Just might save a life

Hi everyone,

My sister recently colapsed and was paralised down her left side as well as going blind in her left eye.
The doctors diagnosed a severe migraine and sent her home saying there was no way it could be a stroke because of her age.

My parents weren't happy with this so demanded an MRI scan which had a 6 week waiting list so they paid £300 to have one done.
It showed she'd had 4 strokes and later found out this was caused by a hole in her heart. 1 in 4 people have a hole on their heart apparently and migraines are a sign.

We were all understandably shocked that this could happen to someone so young and have since found out it is actually quite common. I've just found out the exact same thing happened to a friend of mine a few weeks earlier.

Anyway, i'm just posting this to make as many people aware as I dred to think what may have happened had we not pushed the RUH for an MRI and if our GP hadn't been so persistent in having her heart checked.
I would hate for someone else to have to go through the same thing and was shocked by how dismissive the RUH were. The nursing staff were amazing btw. [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

:o hope shes ok, thanks for the heads up, have passed it on

Hope your sister makes a full recovery ;)

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Originally Posted by GixxerStu

Hope your sister makes a full recovery ;)

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+1 to that.

:o Sh1t!!! That's an eye opener.

Hope you sister recovers and thanks for the story. :)

Thank you...frightening.

So glad your parents are persistent people.

I do hope your sister makes a full recovery.

woah, thats a real shocker. As someone who has suffered migraines in the past, it's a worry. My last one was 10 days ago and always starts with loss of peripheral vision and then total loss in one eye. Before that, the last migraine I had was 4 months ago. :-/

Hope she makes a full recovery :)

Wish your sister and family well Dan. Sorry to hear this especially in someone so young. GWS

Well done Wiltshire Builders for bringing this up
I wish Id known this a few months ago as my mum might have had a chance to still be with us.

She'd had a few really bad migraines over a period of months.
She at first thought it was those 'plug in' smelly things so got rid of them.
The week before she had a massive fatal brain bleed, she had text to say she was having another bad head...same day and time as the week before !!

All the 'if onlys' in the world won't bring her back.....but I urge everyone to pester, even hound, your GP's if you think there is something wrong.


I wish your sister all the best and am glad its been detected.....well done on refusing to take one doctors word for it !!

Hope your sister makes some recovery WB as obviously depends on how severe it all was.

Too much import is placed on the opinions of GPs and I very well know few question their methods/illness management. It doesn't surprise me that complaints against GPs are on the rise...had to complain about one too ...utterly useless >:(

Yeah gotta praise the nurses and other staff in their work at RUH which is what you hope when people are in hospital.
Their pay and conditions are very good nowadays before someone bleats in as is the pension scheme :P

The food in the RUH cafes is brill too ;D

Great story, hope she's doing ok.
There is evidence that people who are assertive live longer precisely because they have a better chance of getting the treatment they need from the NHS.

There's a story in the Wilts Times this week about a man from Westwood who died as a result of the RUH and them not giving him the attention he needed

Say hello to Charlotte for me and wish her the best GWS ;)

It pays to be persistent, especially if you don't think they are getting the correct diagnosis, well done to your parents, and wishing your sister well.

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Originally Posted by wesrrw

It pays to be persistent, especially if you don't think they are getting the correct diagnosis, well done to your parents, and wishing your sister well.

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I agree, it's very sad to say, but I have no faith in the NHS anymore - local papers up and down the land are full of horror stories.

A hospital in Manchester agreed a £10 million compensation pay-out today.

Sorry Dan - hope your sister is on the mend.

Good wishes to your sister - GWS!

Awareness of strokes is particulary bad (that's why there was a recent TV campaign)

Thanks for bringing it to everyones attention - it could be a life-saver in the future.