I feel like this week I’ve experienced every emotion it is possible to experience in such a short period of time.
This week started off amazing. I was going on holiday with my mum to Tenerife for 2 weeks and I was so excited. It was supposed to be a time to relax and to just generally have some quality time with my mum. I wasn’t actually supposed to be going in the first place, but my step dad (very kindly) gave up his spot because he thought I needed the holiday more. Ever since I got back from Germany, I’ve been organising everything for Tenerife; sorting out holiday clothes (which is genuinely very hard considering it’s winter,) buying books and finding sun cream etc. I literally had everything sorted and ready for 15 days relaxing in the sun and I genuinely was so happy and excited for it.
The morning of the flight to Tenerife we got up at 4:30am and honestly I didn’t feel that much different to usual. Everything was packed and organised so all we needed to do was check our bags in and we’d be on our way. When we got to Manchester airport I still didn’t feel that anxious, I was just as apprehensive as I usually am before going on a flight and considering I’m not usually a nervous flyer, I wasn’t too bad! Going through security was a bit more difficult than usual on account of the fact it was incredibly busy for 5:30am on a Tuesday morning. The security staff were shouting and there was a 45-minute wait but again, nothing different to usual. The only time I was anxious going through security was when my bag got pulled aside as I had forgotten that lipstick was classed as a liquid and had left it in my bag and even then I was only worried because they said we would have to wait another hour in the queue before I could get it back. Luckily, the security woman who went through my bag was extremely nice and let me through as she saw it was a genuine mistake.
Going through duty free I was actually quite relieved after going through that security dilemma. I was just hungry as I had only had an apple before leaving the house but we were on our way to eat anyway so I didn’t really give it a second thought. Just before we got to the lounge, my mum decided she wanted to go to duty free again to get a present for my sister and asked me to sit on a bench and wait with all the bags. The next ten minutes I don’t have a great recollection of. I remember sitting down and then checking through my bag to ensure I had everything. After this I remember my arm just going limp all of a sudden and my phone falling out of my hand and hitting the floor. I specifically remember my last thought being ‘why did I just drop my phone,’ before I blacked out.
I had two seizures. It still doesn’t feel real writing it, but I did. I only know what happened because of the people who happened to be around me at the time told me once I came round again. Apparently everyone turned around when they heard my phone hit the floor and then I proceeded to fall back where I was sat (for anyone who hasn’t been to Manchester airport terminal 1, they have these weird seating areas that are like waves- I really don’t know how to explain it so I’ll just insert a picture!)
I know it’s not the best image, but you get the picture. Anyway, I fell back and proceeded to have a seizure for approximately 2 minutes. The people around me were amazing; they put me in the recovery position on the bench and generally comforted and looked after me. My mum, at this point, was still in duty free but had looked over at me to check where I was sitting. She then noticed I was lying down on the bench and there was a crowd of people forming around where she had left me. She dropped everything she was carrying at the time and ran over to me just in time to see the start of my second seizure. I can’t remember any of this at all. After dropping my phone, the next thing I remember is seeing someone putting a privacy screen around me and also being really confused as to why there were random strangers holding my hands.
It was really weird coming round after I had my second seizure. I can honestly say it was like that bit they usually do in films where someone is coming around after having an operation and at first everything is all blurry and they can only see shadows and outlines and then it gradually gets clearer and clearer. I also remember the voices sounding like they were really far away and it felt like it wasn’t really happening to me- an out of body experience if you will.
I just wanted to say a huge thank you to the two women from Jo Malone who were the first people to reach me and made sure the paramedic was on their way. Also to everyone else who helped, especially the paramedic who was incredibly nice to me. After my 2nd seizure I remember trying to sit up and I felt incredibly sick and dizzy and repeatedly telling the paramedic that ‘I was going to faint’ to which his response was always either ‘no you’re not’ or ‘that’s why you’re going in the ambulance.’
After about 15 minutes the ambulance was ready and I was rushed down to the tarmac where it was waiting. I once again received a police escort off the site in an ambulance. I hope to god the police did not recognise me from last time because at this point I swear I must have some sort of record for the most ambulance escorts off an airport in the shortest amount of time (2 times in under 2 months if you’re wondering.) This time I went to Wythenshawe A & E, which was just as nice as Leighton and the staff were just as friendly. They did lots of tests on me (specifically lots of blood tests as my blood kept on clotting, which was awful considering anyone that knows me knows I am absolutely terrified of needles!) However they have yet to say what they think caused it and I’m still having lots of tests done to determine the trigger.
I feel a lot better now and haven’t had another seizure since, although they have said I need to stay relaxed in order to prevent another one. Obviously I am very disappointed that I haven’t been able to go on holiday because I am currently ‘not fit to fly’ until they find out what caused them- although I am more disappointed for my mum than anything because I know how much she was looking forward to it. Personally, I’m just glad that it happened before I got on the plane and not part way through the flight!
Thank you for reading!
Once again, here’s the website address for the national tremor foundation- I’d really appreciate it if you had a look!
www.tremor.org.uk
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