Dad paralysed by dodgy curry as food poisoning sparks rare auto-immune disorder
A dad-of-two has told of how a dodgy curry gave him food poisoning which led to him becoming paralysed and almost dying.
David Miller, 43, tucked into his normal chicken Bhuna curry order from his favourite Indian takeaway in London, where he used to live.
But he was quickly struck down with severe food poisoning which then developed an auto-immune disorder that caused him to lose the use of his limbs.
David stopped being able to breathe properly and couldn't walk or see clearly.
The web contractor, now based in Welbourn, Lincolnshire, initially suffered from a painful stomach bug thought to be brought on by the food poisoning, which lasted two months.
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A tingling sensation in his hands and feet some two months later developed into near-full paralysis where he couldn't roll over in bed, needed a wheelchair to get around and spent two and a half months in hospital.
David pictured during his illness (David Miller / SWNS)
For a period of time, David's breathing was seriously compromised (David Miller / SWNS)He was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, caused when the immune system is low.
He first fell ill in 2016 but has only now chosen to speak about his miraculous six-year recovery from the illness.
His recovery had been successful enough that he was now preparing to run a marathon - his first after the incident.
David, who before his illness was a keen cyclist, said: "It was pretty scary. Obviously we didn't go back to that restaurant again.
"It was a steep decline - I went from having tingling and pins and needles in my hands and feet to needing a wheelchair to get into hospital a week later.
"Some people die from this syndrome. It works its way from the extremities through your core and can stop your breathing.
"Imagine looking at your body and trying to make it move and it doesn't."
David Miller in hospital after being struck down with the illness (David Miller / SWNS)David suspected that it all stemmed from the food poisoning he thinks he caught from the chicken curry.
This lasted a week and led to David suffering from painful gastroenteritis for two months.
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The food poisoning and following painful stomach bug meant his immune system was compromised.
He was just back at work in December having moved house from London to Lincoln that same month, when over Christmas the numbness and tingling started.
A week later he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barr syndrome, a rare and serious condition which can lead to life-long problems.
It happens when a weakened immune system starts to attack its own nerve cells, damaging them.
David is now preparing to run a marathon (David Miller / SWNS)
David in hospital with Elise (David Miller / SWNS)David was admitted to hospital in early January 2017 and put into intensive care after his breathing became compromised.
The father of two daughters, Elise, now seven, and Eva, three, said: "I was worried about my breathing, I could tell I wasn't breathing strongly.
"I was never fully paralysed, I still had some movement in my hips but not enough to even roll over in bed with."
He remembered not even being able to watch football properly, as the nerve damage had affected his eyes and ability to focus them.
His wife Kirsty was at home with their 18-month-old baby girl Elise, who didn't recognise him in the hospital bed.
David developed an auto-immune disorder that caused him to lose the use of his limbs (David Miller / SWNS)
David was admitted to hospital in early January 2017 and put into intensive care after his breathing became compromised (David Miller / SWNS)David said: "I remember my wife putting her on me when I was lying in bed. Elise very clearly didn't want to be there. It was upsetting, certainly odd."
When David was released from hospital two and a half months later he was still using crutches and walking sticks to move around and installed grab rails around their new house.
He said: "It does make you think about food and the knock-on effect. It was a year of my life that it affected. My eating habits haven't really changed, but it does make you think."
He has since made a full recovery with no sign of any lasting side effects and is using his returned physical abilities to run the London marathon this April.
He said: "It makes you think a little bit more about life and focus on the now.
"I've been doing that more recently. I've taken more time off work and being ill was definitely a contributing factor in that.
"With the marathon I'm raising money for the John Muir Trust.
"I've been worrying about the future more recently and the money raised will go to protecting our forests."
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