My name is Kayleigh, I am 25 years old, 5 years ago this year in July, I was diagnosed with cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. I had been suffering from major headaches and feeling sick for weeks.
I had just been on a girls’ holiday and came home feeling sick and having excruciating headaches: I thought I had just come back dehydrated and so did the hospital when I had gone in to get a check up. The headaches carried on and kept getting worse over the next few days. But then one morning I woke up and my mum was asking me questions that I should know the answer to – such as “What’s my name?” and I didn’t have a clue. This is when I was taken straight to the GPs, where they asked me the same questions. I was still unable to answer, and an ambulance was called for urgently!
When I got to the hospital I was taken straight for a CT and MRI scan. It came back that I had a blood clot in my veins that had caused my vein to pop and cause a massive bleed on my brain. If I hadn’t gone in the day I did they said I wouldn’t be here anymore. That first day I was in, they suspected I was not going to make it through the night so had asked all my family to come up and see me.
“If I hadn’t gone in the day I did, they said I wouldn’t be here anymore.”
I was then taken to Preston hospital the day after. I was in there for nearly a month. Whilst in hospital I also had a massive seizure.
I will forever be grateful for everything the hospital did. I am still under my neurologist and have yearly check ups. When I was told what caused it I was shocked that they think it was the combined pill.
It is important that people know the signs of thrombosis and also the dangers of the medications that we may take.
At first when I left hospital, I was having people come see me to ensure I was recovering well and I was going through seeing a therapist to help with PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). But I am now fully recovered.
Hopefully I am going to be sorting out a fundraiser to spread the risk and word of thrombosis to everyone – especially young people.