I WENT TO BED...AND WOKE UP IN HOSPITAL

Alli Bate, 41, tried sleeping off a painful migraine, but now she's a completely different woman

- CANDICE FERNANDEZ, FIONA FORD.

Licking my lips, the scent of creamy carbonara sauce filled the air and my tummy rumbled appreciatively. It was August 2022, and me and my partner Olivia, then 49, were out for dinner with friends.

‘You look happy,’ Olivia smiled as we sat down. ‘That's because we're on holiday tomorrow,’ I laughed. We were going camping for a few days with my son from a previous relationship, Mason, then 15, and I couldn't wait. Working two jobs as a teacher and counsellor meant life could be stressful. A trip away was just what I needed.

Sinking into my chair I tried to relax and enjoy my pasta, but a pain began throbbing away at my temples. ‘Are you OK?’ Olivia asked, as the waiter cleared away our plates, mine barely touched.

‘I'm getting a migraine,’ I said, feeling a sense of dread. Until recently I'd been an occasional sufferer, but lately I'd been getting them every couple of weeks. When one hit, it was so painful, all I could do was rest.

We went home and Olivia helped settle me in bed, where I hoped I could sleep the migraine off, but when I woke, I felt dreadful. Squinting my eyes open I saw people rushing around me and I was lying in a single bed that wasn't my own. I tried to move, but the left side of my body was totally frozen, and I couldn't make a sound. I couldn't even move my face or swallow, and my face felt like it was drooping on one side. I had no idea what was happening to me.

Then I noticed Olivia standing by the bed. The scared look on her face confirmed that something was very wrong.