23-year-old paramedic, Natalie Kunicki was left partially paralyzed because she suffered from a stroke after rupturing a neck artery while stretching.
What Happened Prior to The Stroke?
Kunicki was watching a movie with a friend when she stretched her neck and heard a loud crack as per usual so she dismissed that and fell asleep.
When she woke up 15 minutes later, Kunicki was unable to feel her left leg. Thinking not too much of it as she was tipsy, she climbed out of the bed to use the washroom.
This is when she fell to the floor, and realized she was unable to walk.
What the Doctors said:
At the hospital, a CT scan confirmed that she had suffered a stroke, which was a result of her stretching her neck.
Her vertebral artery – a major neck artery – burst and resulted in a blood clot that traveled all the way to her brain and eventually caused the partial paralysis of her left side.
Kunicki was left dumbfounded as the chances of suffering through a stroke this way were one-in-million, as confirmed by the doctor.
Though her artery was fixed in surgery by a stent, the doctors said that the brain clot would only dissolve over time.
Post-surgery, she also had trouble moving her thumb, forefingers and arm.
Her left side was mostly numb:
“The doctors would do tests, I had to close my eyes, and they would touch my left side, but I couldn’t tell where they were touching.
“It was like when you have really bad sunburn and your skin is sizzling. I felt that all down my left side.
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Details Regarding the Night and Why Kunicki was Hesitant to Call 999 Initially:
Kunicki recalled that after stretching her neck she fell asleep and when she woke up again, she initially thought her friend’s leg was on her and asked him to remove it.
“I fell asleep, and when I woke up about 15 minutes later. I wanted to go to the bathroom, but I could feel this leg on the bed, and I was asking my friend if he could move his leg.
“He told me it was my leg, but I was a bit tipsy, so I wasn’t taking anything seriously and just thought ‘That’s a bit weird.”
As she tried to make her way to the restroom, Kunicki collapsed.
“I got up and tried to walk to the bathroom, and I was swaying everywhere. I looked down and realized I wasn’t moving my left leg at all, then I fell to the floor,” she said.
Her friend then assisted her off the ground, and at this moment she realized something was wrong.
Kunicki initially feared she was drugged, as the r*** drug also causes paralysis.
Kunicki, who was also a paramedic working for London Ambulance Service, was initially hesitant to call 999 as she was embarrassed that a crew she knew would show up and see her “tipsy”.
Therefore, she tried to go back to sleep, but after struggling to do so, she dialed 999 for help.
Upon arriving, the emergency services were not someone Kunicki knew.
“I think they did look at me at first like they thought I was just a classic drunk 23-year-old, but I told them I was a paramedic and I knew something was wrong,” she said.
Kunicki’s Reaction After Learning What Happened:
As someone who does not smoke or drink and neither has a history of strokes, this diagnosis came as a shock to Kunicki.
She also said that after awaking from surgery, Kunicki expected an instant fix to her partial paralysis however her mobility only got worse, increasing her dependency on others.
This left her depressed and barely showing any emotions.
“I had to have a nurse help me shower in a wheelchair. What 23-year-old needs someone to help them shower and wash their hair? It was just a bit surreal.”
However, fortunately for her, Kunicki’s friends were by her side and motivated her.
“You have a week from the day of your stroke to snap out of this or we will snap you out of it,” her friends said.
They told her, “What’s done is done now, just work and do all the exercises.”
“They were fantastic, and they would come in and do all the exercises with me.
“I think if I didn’t have them, I would have been in my pity party quite a bit longer, but instead I smashed through all the therapy goals.”
After recovering some movement and sensation, Kunicki began feeling “much better.”
Doctor’s Advice Regarding Safe Stretching:
A physical therapy expert in Rhode Island, Dr. Michelle Collie, was also left surprised as she had never heard of such an incident before.
“Usually an exceptional amount of trauma is involved” with rupturing a neck artery, she told InsideEdition.com.
She said that while stretching one’s neck on their own is usually ok, getting someone apart from trained professionals to so can be dangerous for your spine or neck.
Since neck and spine injuries are quite debilitating one should always be mindful while stretching and sitting, Dr. Collie said.
She advised against sitting for long periods of times as lack of movement can have “detrimental affects.”
An activity for some movement is to hold your chin horizontal to the floor and imagine a piece of string being pulled from the top of your head, lifting your spine into alignment.
