A 22-year-old student in Wales suffered a life-threatening stroke probably caused by his birth control pill, although doctors initially told him he had just hung up, according to a report.
Nia Phillips, an Ammanford psychology student, sought medical advice when she felt a headache one day in the autumn of 2019, Wales Online reported.
He was told the pain was probably the result of a hangover, but doctors determined days later that he was actually suffering a stroke.
“On Friday I thought I had a headache, but it wasn’t bad. Then I woke up on Saturday and it was definitely a migraine, ”Phillips told reporters.
“I vomited, I had blurred vision, I was seriously sensitive to light to the point that I had to have closed curtains and an eye mask,” he added.
The then 20-year-old had planned to go to a ball at Royal Holloway University in Surrey, but could barely lift her head off the pillow.
“The migraine persisted until Sunday and then on Sunday evening I thought it was enough and I called the GP out of hours [general practitioner]. I was told it would probably be a hangover and I should just watch my symptoms, ”Phillips said.
“I was prescribed co-codamol (a mixture of paracetamol and codeine painkillers) to relieve the pain,” he said.
Phillips received advice from the doctor and rested for the next two days, but the pain persisted, so her mother came to help her return home to Carmarthenshire, according to the report.
“We had gotten back on the train and it was so light sensitive that I had to walk around the reading station with a sleep mask and hood up,” he said.
“When we got home, I saw a nurse who thought it was an ear infection because I saw swelling behind my ear, but since my eyes were still so painful, my mother suggested we go. an optician. The optician was a friend of the family and we were lucky that it fit us at the last minute, “Phillips continued.
The optician noticed swelling in Phillips’ brain and sent her to the hospital immediately.
“I’ll always be very grateful to him because, if he wasn’t pointed out, who knows what would have happened?” she said.
“In the hospital I saw an ophthalmologist. He thought it might initially have been IIH (idiopathic intracranial hypertension), which is a pressure on the brain that is not too strange in my age group, so they sent me to explore, ”the student said.
That night, Phillips was admitted to the hospital, where he underwent an MRI and an ultrasound of his eyeball.
“They came back and said,‘ After seeing your MRI, we can see a blood clot in my brain. ’They injected me with heparin instantly to thin my blood as soon as possible,” he said.
“I was completely asleep and it felt like an out-of-body experience,” added Phillips, who remained at Glangwili Hospital for two weeks.
After discharge, tests were done to try to determine the cause of his blood clot.
“I was told that, according to the tests, I had no genetic predisposition to blood clots. There was no known family history either and I was a healthy 20-year-old, ”she told Wales Online.
“I was told that doctors could never explain 100% for sure why I had a blood clot, but the most likely cause was my birth control pill,” she said.
“I took the (combined) Rigevidon pill in 2017 at the age of 18 and I never had any problems before. He did not suffer from migraines or headaches “, he added.
Phillips said he didn’t realize the pill posed small risks and wished all teens and young women could be fully informed before choosing their contraceptive.
Rigevidon, one of the most popular types of contraceptives, is safe for most women, according to the NHS website, which says there is a “very low risk of serious side effects” such as blood clots. .
He says women should be okay if they suffer from them or have a close family history of certain medical conditions.
Due to the amount of time he spent outside of school, Phillips postponed his career for a year and re-enrolled for third at Cardiff University to be closer to home.
“I’m lucky to have really supportive friends that I can relax with when I see and really enjoy, but when I come home after socializing, I can feel that it has really taken me away, but I’ve never had it before. I’m really sociable, “he said.