Woman, 40, left wheelchair-bound after doctor ‘misdiagnosed’ blood clot as a migraine
A woman has been left wheelchair-bound after a blood clot was incorrectly diagnosed as a migraine.
Ria Doak, 40, was rushed to hospital in December 2019 after her husband found her screaming in pain, frothing at the mouth and incoherent in the early hours of the morning.
She was taken for a CT scan and the doctor who analysed the scan said there was "nothing of significance" and she was diagnosed with hemiplegic migraine.
However, after Doak was transferred to a ward the following day, it was noted during observations that she was unresponsive and having difficulty speaking.
Doak was then transferred to intensive care when she had difficulty breathing, before an MRI scan confirmed that she had suffered from a major stroke.
She spent more than a month in hospital and nearly five months in a specialist rehabilitation clinic.
Doak now has limited mobility, requires a wheelchair, and needs equipment to transfer her out of bed each day. She also has carers who visit her four times per day. She also had to give up her teaching career due to her condition.
"Before Ria’s stroke, we really enjoyed life as a family. We enjoyed holidays, days out; all of the things that families do and take for granted," Doak’s husband Jeff says.
"Ria was a fun and loving person. She was independent and outgoing and had many friends. Seeing her struggle day after day is heartbreaking. It’s almost impossible to find the words to describe the person Ria was compared to how she is now."
After Doak was diagnosed with a stroke, another doctor reviewed her initial CT scan and found evidence of a blood clot in the artery of her brain.
"I just hope that by speaking out [results in] improvements in care can be made so others don’t have to suffer like our family," Jeff says of the missed blood clot.
"If we can help another family by raising awareness of what a stroke can do and what to look out for, then at least some good can come out of this terrible situation."
Stroke signs and symptoms
A stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off, something that is most commonly caused by a blood clot.
According to the Stroke Association, around 100,000 people in the UK have a stroke each year. There are currently around 1.3 million stroke survivors living in the UK.
Some signs and symptoms of strokes include facial weakness, arm weakness, and speech problems.
Other serious stroke signs include sudden weakness or numbness in one side of the body, difficulty finding words, sudden blurred vision or loss of sight, sudden memory loss, or a sudden, severe headache.
If you notice any of these signs or symptoms, call 999 immediately.
Additional reporting by SWNS.
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