29/4/2008No laughing matter having stroke at 21 - medics thought Laura had a bad migraine at first
A STUDENT has told how laughter may have caused her to suffer a stroke – at the age of 21.
Laura Speirs woke up unable to walk after suffering what doctors initially thought was a bad migraine. But tests revealed her condition was a lot more serious.
Although the elderly are most commonly affected, around 1000 people under 30 have a stroke each year – an average of 19 a week.
Doctors at the Western Infirmary, Glasgow, discovered Laura had been born with a tiny hole in her heart. The condition affects around one in five people and normally closes up.
The hole had allowed a blood clot to pass through and cause a blockage in the brain.
Medics believe her stroke may have been triggered by something as simple as an outburst of laughter or a sneeze.
Laura had just finished her third year of an English literature degree at Glasgow University when her world was turned upside down.
She woke up unable to walk, with slurred speech and numbness down the right side of her body – classic symptoms of a stroke.
She said: "I woke up with this really bad pain in my head and it lasted all day.
"My flat-mate came back and said I didn't look well so she took me to A&E.
"The doctors initially thought it was a bad migraine so I was sent home.
"But I woke up the next day and it was much worse. I couldn't walk and my right side was numb.
"I knew there must be something quite seriously wrong. I had all the tests done and they discovered I had had a stroke.
"I was relieved because I thought it was something more serious.
"They found out I had a tiny hole in my heart and said the stroke might have been triggered by laughter or a sneeze."
Laura, who lives in the West End, has now made a remarkable recovery after months of rehabilitation in hospital.
She underwent surgery last year and doctors say it's unlikely she will suffer another stroke.
Laura is taking part in a charity fashion show organised by Western Infirmary staff and with money raised going to the Survivors of Stroke Group and Alzheimer's Scotland.
Laura said: "When you are young you think you are unstoppable.
"When I tell my friends I had a stroke, they can't believe it."
Laura Speirs woke up unable to walk after suffering what doctors initially thought was a bad migraine. But tests revealed her condition was a lot more serious.
Although the elderly are most commonly affected, around 1000 people under 30 have a stroke each year – an average of 19 a week.
Doctors at the Western Infirmary, Glasgow, discovered Laura had been born with a tiny hole in her heart. The condition affects around one in five people and normally closes up.
The hole had allowed a blood clot to pass through and cause a blockage in the brain.
Medics believe her stroke may have been triggered by something as simple as an outburst of laughter or a sneeze.
Laura had just finished her third year of an English literature degree at Glasgow University when her world was turned upside down.
She woke up unable to walk, with slurred speech and numbness down the right side of her body – classic symptoms of a stroke.
She said: "I woke up with this really bad pain in my head and it lasted all day.
"My flat-mate came back and said I didn't look well so she took me to A&E.
"The doctors initially thought it was a bad migraine so I was sent home.
"But I woke up the next day and it was much worse. I couldn't walk and my right side was numb.
"I knew there must be something quite seriously wrong. I had all the tests done and they discovered I had had a stroke.
"I was relieved because I thought it was something more serious.
"They found out I had a tiny hole in my heart and said the stroke might have been triggered by laughter or a sneeze."
Laura, who lives in the West End, has now made a remarkable recovery after months of rehabilitation in hospital.
She underwent surgery last year and doctors say it's unlikely she will suffer another stroke.
Laura is taking part in a charity fashion show organised by Western Infirmary staff and with money raised going to the Survivors of Stroke Group and Alzheimer's Scotland.
Laura said: "When you are young you think you are unstoppable.
"When I tell my friends I had a stroke, they can't believe it."
