'Puff of smoke' in his brain led to stroke, bypass op

Suddenly struggling to write his name was among first signs that something was wrong

- Joyce Teo

The first signs surfaced in February, but 24-year-old Chee Ming Heng, who was healthy and fit, quickly dismissed them.

On his first day of work experience on Feb 8, he realised that he struggled to write his name on the time sheet, said the student at La Salle College of the Arts.

"I could hold the pen but I could not find a way to write (my name). It was very mentally tortuous to write it."

He eventually managed to do so, but his writing was a lot more closely strung together than his usual style.

It was strange, but he did not think much of it.

A day earlier, he had already felt some weakness in his right hand. He also had to miss his family reunion dinner four days earlier because he was unwell.

When Chinese New Year rolled around on Feb 10, he went visiting and realised he had difficulty holding cutlery.

The next day, he visited a general practitioner, but did not get a referral letter to see a hospital specialist.

On Feb 12, his family members noticed that the right side of his face was drooping slightly when they gathered for a family photo.

On Feb 13, his younger brother noticed that he could not pick up the mahjong tiles during a game, and his parents took him to the polyclinic.

The doctor there told Mr Chee that he had signs of stroke - arm weakness and inability to smile properly, even though his walking and speaking abilities were normal - and he needed to go to the hospital immediately.

There, the neurologist first suspected some sort of autoimmune vascular condition, but after a scan and further tests to rule out other conditions, Mr Chee was diagnosed with moyamoya disease.