Robin Langton

In 2008, I was a very fit, healthy 39 year male, married with 2 young children. I had been looking for a challenge and decided to represent Citi, playing Badminton, in the London Corporate Games in October. In the 6 weeks leading up to the games I stepped up my training, shifted the last few unwanted couple of pounds, and felt in good shape. On the Saturday of the games, I qualified for the knockout stages of the Men's singles and doubles. On Sunday, I won the quarter and semi finals of the singles, before preparing for the doubles semi final.

It was while I warmed up for that match that I experienced, what I now know were, the first symptoms of my dissected Carotid Artery. Suddenly, the middle two fingers, on my right hand, stopped working and wouldn't let go of the racket. After a few seconds my fingers released and I carried on, only for it to happen again about 6 times in the next 5 minutes. I thought it must be a spasm in my tendon and carried on playing. I was also aware, during that game, that my sense of direction while smashing the shuttle was well off normal; never mind, I thought, as my partner and I went on to win the match. When I came off court I had the strongest urge to eat chocolate that I've ever had (I don't eat it often) but the café had sold out! It transpires an urge for sugar is also a common symptom.

Somehow I managed to win the singles and doubles finals and headed off home via the M25 feeling somewhat exhausted. I felt lethargic and had no sense of urgency and was happy to drive home slowly which was unusual for me. Sunday evening I went to bed early and on Monday lunchtime I headed to the office gym as usual. Nothing. I had no energy or motivation to do anything, after 10 minutes I got changed and went back to my desk; I'd never felt like that before. Tuesday, exactly the same experience and I began to feel frustrated. Things were going to change on Wednesday, I told myself, so I joined a spin class in the afternoon, in the hope that would motivate me, which it did.

I now realise my body was telling me to slow down as it tried to heal the artery I had dissected - I should have listened. During the warm down session, at the end of the class, my middle two right fingers started to tingle, like pins and needles, and then my left eyeball started throbbing. This was immediately followed by an acute stabbing pain, that felt like someone repeatedly jabbing a red hot poker in my ear. I dismounted the bike and felt a little wobbly, however, managed to get to the changing room and get showered. Across the busy changing room, I tried to tell the instructor what had happened to me, however, the words I wanted to say wouldn't come out of my mouth properly - odd. I tried again but I could seem to speak properly. I headed back to my desk, sat down and logged on to my computer. I clicked to open an e-mail. On the screen in front of me was a normal e-mail; the only difference was that I couldn't understand it - any of it. I knew that there were words, I knew it was a sentence and I knew I should be able to read it, but I couldn't. I turned to tell a colleague; again I was unable to get the words out of my mouth, even though I knew exactly what I wanted to say. At that point, I started to lose vision in my left eye, everything went pixelated with bright white spots.

I met my wife at the station and she took me immediately to the doctor. I was admitted to the Medical Emergency Ward of the local hospital that afternoon, where I stayed for nearly 2 weeks. In total I experience 7 Transient Ischemic Attacks (TIAs) also know as mini strokes in a 4 week period, each had slightly different symptoms, including paralysis, loss of speech, drooping face, vision loss and many more! An MRI scan, in hospital, identified Carotid Artery Dissection as the cause of my TIAs and it has taken 6 months to heal naturally.

I returned to work full time in June 2009 and have slowly started exercising again.

Thanks to Robin for sending in his profile. Anyone else who would like to share their story can send it along with a photograph (if you're not shy!)

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