'Rare infection left my face paralysed - I feel like a broken woman'
A woman says she "wants her face back" after a rare infection left it paralysed. Vicky Chadwick began suffering headaches but initially ignored them.
But three weeks ago she was admitted to hospital where doctors eventually discovered she was suffering from encephalitis – a rare brain infection which causes the brain to swell and leads to temporary paralysis, seizures, and weakness. Vicky said: “I feel like a broken woman, I want my face back and to spread the word about the dangers of getting this infection.”
The 53-year-old, from Burgess Hill, West Sussex, began suffering severe headaches in November. But it was only when she decided to go for a cycle ride to clear her head she became so dizzy she fell off her bike.
She went to casualty at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, Sussex, and underwent a CT scan but was sent home after doctors failed to spot any problem. Yet Vicky told how two days later her face began drooping and she found she could not longer speak.
She said: “It was absolutely terriyfying, I thought I was having a stroke.” She went back to the hospital and was initially diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a condition that causes facial paralysis - and was given medication and sent home again.
As her symptoms continued to get worse and she became increasingly dizzy, confused and her facial paralysis grew more severe she was called back again to have a lumbar puncture to diagnose the issue. It was then found she had Ramsay Hunt syndrome - a very rare condition caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox and shingles.
However, the infection had spread to her brain, resulting in her getting encephalitis which is strongly linked to the illness. She was admitted to hospital and began treatment. But she remains uncertain of her future – especially as none of the doctors seemed to know much about it.
She said: "They said it’s very rare, but if they were able to diagnose me properly earlier, it would have helped my prognosis. People don’t understand the symptoms, other doctors were called in to try and diagnose me, I just feel like there needs to be more awareness of this kind of illness.”
Vicky is expected to eventually make a complete recovery - however, it is likely to take some time. The right side of her face remains paralysed and she has been warned it could last for months.
She said: "I can’t close my eye properly and have to wear an eye patch when while I sleep." She said she had been left feeling depressed and anxious."
She said: “Eating and drinking are difficult, and I have lost a lot of confidence. Especially if you’re a woman—it’s awful. When I drink, I dribble, and I can’t speak properly."
Vicky was made redundant last year while working as a recruitment business partner, and although she’s had interviews for new jobs, her illness has stopped her moving forward. And while she has interviews lined up for next week she says her current condition means she has “no chance” of getting the job.
Vicky says she is thankful to the doctors who treated her saying "they were amazing". She added: "They just don’t know much about it but their care was first class. Hopefully I can make a full recovery and put this all behind me.”