When Vicki Purdey, 37, from Dorset, experienced symptoms including fever, severe headaches, muscle aches and sensitivity to light, she thought she just had the flu. However, she had no idea that doctors would soon discover a rare disease in her, as a result of which she would stop walking, writes the newspaper.
She only sought medical help when her mother, Julie (75), noticed difficulties with her speech. Vicki was unable to touch her chest with her chin on the instructions of the paramedics, so she was rushed to the hospital. A lumbar puncture examination confirmed that he had viral meningitis, also known as meningitis.
Vicki believed she contracted the disease after taking her youngest son Freddie, six, to hospital a week earlier. “I was healthy, in good shape and at the top of my life. When I started feeling sick, I thought it was just the flu. I never thought it would be meningitis,” she said. However, within 72 hours, her condition rapidly deteriorated, she started vomiting and suffering from migraines.
After a week’s hospitalization, she had to return to the hospital again with recurrent meningitis. However, an unexpected complication came. Vicki claims she was unable to walk by that time. The doctors subsequently explained to her that suffering from Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) caused by meningitis, which disrupted signals in the brain, causing the loss of most of the functionality of the legs, which kept her bedridden for almost a year.
“I remember going to the bathroom and suddenly I lost the coordination of walking,” Vicki recounted the first moments when she realized that her body was not recovering as well as she had hoped. Despite various therapies, she still has little sensitivity in her legs and is still confined to a wheelchair. which is a huge disappointment for the mum-of-two, who enjoys hiking with her husband Ian, 39.
“I basically lost feeling in my lower body and my independence took a serious hit. It was very strange and the doctors put it down to being in bed for so long. I lost the opportunity to be a mother and a wife. It was an incredible isolation. I did not recover as the doctors promised. In addition, I also suffered from short-term memory loss. I didn’t even know my longtime neighbor,” she admitted.
However, as time went on, FND caused that Vicki suffers from mental fog and frequent eye spasms (about 20 times a day), which requires regular botulinum toxin treatment. At the same time, her hip joints are unhealthily twisted in such a way that they cause her upper body to turn 180 degrees. Desperately fighting to regain her health, Vicki regularly attends physiotherapy sessions and exercises to improve her mobility.
Now she wants to raise awareness of FND to help find a cure. “FND research still has a long way to go. Few people know about this disease and we have to fight to make it a priority. I don’t think I’ll ever make it, but I hope my story helps others become more aware of the symptoms of meningitis and FND. You are not alone,” she added in conclusion.
