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In a shocking turn of events, a night out with friends, involving drinking and merry-making, took a turn for the worse. Joanna Whitelaw, a 27-year-old administrator from Edinburgh, Scotland, was celebrating her friend's upcoming wedding during a hen party, when she suddenly felt numbness in her body and her vision become blurry.
Initially, everyone figured it was due to a spiked drink, but, shockingly, this was not just the effects of some drink. Instead, Joanna had suffered from a stroke, which was due to an undiagnosed hole in her.
Joanna's story serves as a reminder to make our heart health a priority and get health checkups regularly in order to avoid such situations altogether.
The Mysterious Symptoms Related to Spiked Drink
In an interview with the Independent, Joanna shared that, on the night of May 6, she was enjoying herself at a bar with her friends when her life took an unexpected turn. Suddenly, she started to feel numb, and she feared that her drink had been spiked. Outside the bar, she felt vision abnormalities - she was seeing double and experienced numbness throughout her body.
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The following day, she tried to get along with her routine but failed as her symptoms kept worsening. Worried about her health, she decided to get medical attention and got a diagnosis at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh.
The Revelations from the Diagnosis
After her admission to the hospital, the assumption was that of a possible stroke, although no one was actually sure about the actual cause behind the stroke. Upon further examination, it was found that she had a blood clot in her brain, which confirmed the presence of stroke on her left side.
Doctors, on further examination, found another shocking discovery. They found an undiagnosed hole in her heart. The source of the clot on her brain was due to this hole only. Joanna ultimately went through surgery for her hole and is now on the road to recovery.
Learning from Joanna's Case
Joanna's story marks the importance of prioritizing our health. Many of us might take such serious symptoms for granted, just like Joanna took her stroke as a simple side effect of drinks. One should be aware of the symptoms of stroke, and if one feels uneasy, it is better to seek medical attention as soon as possible.
The common symptoms of stroke can be classified as sudden numbness and weakness on one side of the body. One might face difficulty in speaking and understanding as well.
In addition to this, there are vision problems that are common during a stroke. These symptoms should be recognized and should not be avoided as they might cost you your life.
Joanna's story gives us a lot of insight into stroke. Stroke does not differentiate according to age and can happen to anyone at any age, even if they are healthy and young. One should be aware of the symptoms and get medical attention if needed.
Monthly check-ups should be regularized in order to avoid such problems. By sharing her experience, Joanna wishes to raise awareness among others in order to make others aware of stroke and its symptoms.
