'I thought I was having a stroke - then doctors gave me diagnosis'
A young woman has told how she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) after waking up with dizziness and double vision.
Megan Quinn, 23, from Scotland, felt as though something wasn't right when she woke up one morning two years ago. Her boyfriend noticed that her face had drooped to one side and immediately dialed 111. They were told by call handlers to make their way to A&E as it was thought Megan, an accounts assistant, could have been suffering from a stroke.
After going back and forth with doctors, she was diagnosed with MS three days before Christmas last year. Megan told Glasgow Live: "I woke up one day and I was really dizzy, my boyfriend told me that my face had drooped to the side and I had double vision, I had never experienced anything like it before.
“I phoned the doctors but it was a bank holiday so no one picked up. I ended up phoning 111 and they told me to go to A&E because it sounded like a stroke. I was 23 at this point and I was terrified. They did a lot of tests in hospital and they were happy to send me home because they didn't think it was a stroke and the symptoms started to get worse."
MS is a lifelong condition that can impact the brain and spinal cord, causing a wide range of potential symptoms, including problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation, or balance. She added: "I was back and forth to the eye doctor with double vision and then they sent me for an MRI scan because they couldn't understand what was wrong. I met with a neurologist in February 2022 and I was told that I may have MS. I thought the worst. I went for a lumbar puncture in March and then received a scan six months later, and in December I was officially diagnosed."
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Megan says her 18-month wait to find out what was wrong was excruciating, however, she feels fortunate to be diagnosed at a young age. She said: "It was horrible- I think I Googled every possibility, which is the worst thing you can do. Since we were still in the pandemic it was difficult to pick up the phone and ask what was happening and I assumed that I was going to end up in a wheelchair. But I met with my neurologist and he told me I'd be fun. I'm lucky I was diagnosed so young because there is medication to help me and slow the rate it progresses at."
With many celebrating the festive season, Megan felt isolated after she was given the diagnosis, but her support network has helped her come to terms with the MS diagnosis. Megan added: "For a while, I didn't speak about it but my friends and family have been amazing. In the last few months, I've become more open about it. I was diagnosed three days before Christmas and I didn't want to talk about it because it is supposed to be a happy time."
Megan has spoken of her experience with the condition ahead of the MS walk on September 9, which she is set to embark on alongside 30 of her friends and family. She initially looked to raise £100 but the Just Giving page is currently sitting at £1,500. Megan hopes her story can help other young people with MS realise they are not alone.
She added: "There will be people out there who are my age that have been diagnosed. It can be quite hard to talk about if you aren't familiar with people in your age group who also have MS. I want to raise awareness of how it affects younger people and raise as much cash as possible so it can be researched and I hope one day there will be a cure."
To donate to Megan's Just Giving page click here.
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