What you need to know
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Vicky Purdy, from Dorset, UK, was diagnosed with the life-changing illness after her flu-like symptoms worsened.
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“I started feeling sick for a few days, but thankfully my mom called an ambulance,” she recalls.
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Mr Purdy, 37, is now wheelchair-bound and also suffers from brain fog and frequent eye twitches.
A mother is trying to regain her mobility after an illness that started with flu-like symptoms left her unable to walk.
Vicky Purdy, a mother of two from Dorset, UK, was “healthy and energetic” until March 2024, when she developed symptoms including a fever, severe headaches, muscle pain and sensitivity to photosensitivity. He said this in an interview with a news agency. S.W.N.S.Mr Purdy, 37, recalled that before receiving his life-changing diagnosis, he thought he simply had a “seasonal illness”.
Her mother Julie, 75, called the UK emergency number 999 after realizing she was vomiting and had slurred speech.
“I was in good health and at the peak of my life,” Purdy told SWNS. “So when I first started feeling sick, I thought it was just the flu.”
“I remember waking up with a headache and pain, but I didn’t think much of it. Honestly, I thought it was just the flu and the symptoms would go away. But after a few days, I just started feeling worse, and thankfully my mom called an ambulance.”
Mr Purdy was admitted to Poole Hospital on April 1, 2016 after being unable to place his chin on his chest as instructed by doctors. A series of tests and a lumbar puncture later confirmed that she had viral meningitis.
“My body was failing a little bit, so I was given antibiotics at the hospital,” Purdy recalled, according to SWNS. “But when I heard meningitis, those words hit me like a train.”
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Purdy said that while she was being treated in hospital, her body showed “some signs” that indicated she had not fully recovered.
“I remember walking to the bathroom, but I just didn’t have the energy to walk,” she said. “It was the weirdest thing, but the doctors thought it was because I was like that.” [kept] In bed for years. ”
“On top of this, I also developed short-term memory loss and there were times when I was unable to recognize my neighbours,” Purdy added.
The mother was discharged from the hospital a week later, but was readmitted to the hospital on April 15 due to recurrent meningitis. She discovered that the disease had severely affected the nerve pathways in her brain, causing her to “lose most of the function” in her legs.
After further testing, she was diagnosed with functional neurological disorder (FND). This condition, caused by meningitis, causes problems with the brain’s ability to send and receive signals, resulting in a wide range of problems, including loss of body sensation and the sense of touch.
Purdy believes he may have contracted the disease a week before he was diagnosed.
“He was unwell and I was sitting in A&E,” she said of her six-year-old son Freddie. “That seemed to be the only place I was exposed, and I started showing symptoms right away.”
Purdy’s second hospitalization lasted four days. She was told it would likely be several weeks before her mobility returned. However, two years have passed since then and I have had to rely on a wheelchair to get around.
“My independence has taken a serious hit as I have almost no feeling from the waist down,” Purdy said, adding that she was “incredibly isolated”, according to SWNS magazine.
“I never thought I would get meningitis,” Purdy added. “Many people think this disease only affects babies and young people, but that’s not the case.
“It nearly killed me and now sometimes I can’t be the mother and wife I want to be,” she continued. “FND is impacting my coordination and ability to walk and requires additional awareness and resources.”
Purdy regularly attends physical therapy and does exercises to improve her mobility. According to SWNS, her hip socket is “back to front” and her upper body has rotated 180 degrees. Due to her FND diagnosis, she also suffers from brain fog and eye twitches about 20 times a day.
“I still have very little feeling in my legs and am dependent on a wheelchair,” Purdy said. “I suffer from relapses from time to time, and each time I have to relearn a new way to walk. It’s a battle, but I’m learning more about myself and the support from my friends and family has been amazing.”
The mother said that despite the increasing number of FND patients, resources for FND patients are “limited.”
“I’ve been doing some really shitty things the last few years, and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone,” Purdy told SWNS. “I am doing everything I can to recover and I don’t think I will ever recover, but I hope my story will help others learn more about the symptoms of meningitis and FND.”
“You are not alone,” she concluded.
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