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An ambulance attendant reported having suffered a stroke when she stretched her neck and pierced a large artery.
Natalie Kunicki, who works for London's ambulance service, even confused her own symptoms with the state of intoxication and was too embarrassed to call 999.
She was watching movies in bed with a friend after a party last month, when she stretched out her neck and heard a loud "crunch", but she did not think much about it.
When Ms. Kunicki, 23, got up to go to the bathroom, 15 minutes later, she collapsed to the floor, unable to move her left leg.
She was taken to the hospital where she was told that her vertebral artery – a major artery of the neck – had burst. This caused the formation of a blood clot in his brain and triggered a stroke.
Ms. Kunicki, who lived in West Hampstead at the time, was so shocked that she was left "emotionless" for days.
She is rebuilding her life and slowly regains her mobility. But doctors do not know when and if she can one day recover fully.
Natalie Kunicki, who works for the London Ambulance Service, confused her own symptoms of a stroke with the fact that she was drunk on March 4 and that she was initially too embarrassed to phone. at 999
Ms. Kunicki, photographed during her nurse training in Australia, was watching movies in bed with a friend after an evening out when she stretched her neck and heard a "crunch" strong.
The doctors confirmed that Ms. Kunicki's spinal artery – a major artery of the neck – had burst, causing the formation of a blood clot in her brain and the onset of a cerebrovascular accident. On the picture at the hospital
Ms. Kunicki said, "People should know that even if you are young, something so simple can cause a stroke.
"I did not even try to break my neck. I just moved in and it happened. I stretched my neck and just heard "crack, crack, crack".
& # 39; My friend asked "was this your neck?" but all my joints are cracking enough so I did not think about it at all. I just laugh.
"I got up and tried to go to the bathroom and I was swinging everywhere. I looked down and realized that I was not moving my left leg at all and then I fell to the ground. & # 39;
She added, "My friend had to come and get me. He thought I was drunk but I knew something was wrong.
"I thought I was drugged. The drug of rape can cause paralysis.
Ms. Kunicki, who left Canberra, Australia, to join the League in December 2017, admitted that she initially hesitated to call 999 because she did not want her colleagues to show up and find her drunk.
She said, "I am a paramedic and I did not call 999 for ten minutes because I thought it was too unlikely that it was a stroke while I should have to know me much better. "
After striving to go back to sleep, Ms. Kunicki finally put aside her embarrassment and called the emergency services.
As soon as the ambulance team started performing tests, Ms. Kunicki realized that something was not going at all, her coordination having deteriorated, his heart rate and blood pressure are on the rise.
She said, "I was trying to call 999, but I was barking about it.
Ms. Kunicki is rebuilding her life, but doctors do not know when and if she will regain full mobility. She said that she can not walk more than 15 minutes. In the picture, walk to the hospital
As soon as the ambulance team started performing tests, Ms. Kunicki realized that something was not going at all, her coordination having deteriorated, his heart rate and blood pressure are on the rise. On the picture at the hospital
Ms. Kunicki, who left Canberra, Australia, to join the League in December 2017, confessed that she had initially hesitated to call 999 because she did not want a team of her entourage presents herself and finds her drunk. On the photo, outside the hospital, with his roommate, Emily Nawiesniak, and his father, Peter Kunicki
"I think that at first I looked like they thought I was only a 23-year-old classic drunk man, but I told them that I was a paramedic and that I knew something was wrong. "
After testing, the ambulance crew took Ms. Kunicki to University College London Hospital, where she was confirmed to have had a stroke and would need urgent surgery.
After being enlightened at the National Hospital of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Ms. Kunicki underwent a three-hour surgery during which the doctors discovered her artery exploded.
Although the surgeons were able to repair Ms. Kunicki's artery with a stent, they could not clean the clot in her brain, but they believe it will dissolve in time.
Ms. Kunicki, whose left side was almost completely paralyzed by stroke, said the diagnosis had been such a shock that she became "emotionless" for days.
She said: "When the consultant announced me that I had a stroke, I was shocked.
"The doctors later told me that the only stretching of my neck had caused the rupture of my vertebral artery. It was just spontaneous and there was a one in a million chance that it would happen.
"I do not smoke, I do not really drink and I do not have a family history of stroke; so it's pretty strange that it happened when I moved to bed.
"I was completely cut off, trying to calculate what had happened. People said that I was a bit like a robot and that I did not emit a lot of emotion. & # 39;
Ms. Kunicki felt so weak that she told her consultant that they "should have killed her".
Ms. Kunicki said: "I was expecting this miraculous operation to wake up and everything would be settled, but my mobility was worse and they could not clean the clot.
"At first, I could not move my thumb and my index finger. I could somehow move my wrist up and down. I could not lift my arm. I could bend my left leg but I could not wiggle my toes.
Natalie underwent a three-hour operation during which the doctors discovered her artery exploded. Surgeons were able to repair Natalie's artery with a stent, but they could not clean the clot in her brain, but they believe it will dissolve in time. On the picture at the hospital after
Ms. Kunicki was so shocked that she was left "emotionless" for days and she is now rebuilding her life, but doctors do not know when and if she will regain full mobility. On the picture at the convalescent hospital
Ms. Kunicki was so shocked by her diagnosis of a stroke so young that she was left "emotionless" for days and even told a nurse that she "should have killed her" ". On the picture before her stroke – she liked to stay in shape and go to the gym
"I think I scared my consultant because after I woke she came to ask how I was going but I told her" you should have killed me ".
"Depression is very common after a stroke because you lose so much independence and dignity.
Now that she has regained movement and sensations, Ms. Kunicki feels much better.
Doing daily exercises helped her find enough movement in her leg, arm, and hand.
Doctors can not give a specific deadline for a full recovery, but Ms. Kunicki hopes to be back to work for "light chores" in six to twelve months.
She said, "I've recovered the movement on the left side. I can walk but not more than five minutes.
"I'm really clumsy. I can not create buttons, I find it too difficult. I can get hot and cold now but I still feel a little numb.
"Doctors just say things like" we hope for a full recovery "and will not give the exact time because they do not want to make me hope.
"But I'm determined to go back to work as soon as I can. J & # 39; & # 39 love.
In addition to her determination to return to work, Ms. Kunicki is also committed to increasing youth awareness of stroke.
Even as a health professional, Ms. Kunicki was shocked to find out how common stroke can be in young people and children.
Ms. Kunicki stated that she regularly cracked her joints, so she did not think much about it when her neck was cracking. Pictured, healthy and active before stroke
Doctors can not give a specific deadline for a full recovery, but Ms. Kunicki hopes to be back to work for "light chores" in six to twelve months. She was overwhelmed with support by her friends and family (photographed with gifts at the hospital)
Mrs. Kennedy was forced to abandon her apartment because she could not pay the rent and was anxious to return to work, which she said she loved. On the picture before
She said, "We have called so many people with stroke and they are still between 70 and 80 years old. I have never been to a young victim of a stroke.
Mine was one in a million, but a vertebral artery rupture is actually a fairly common cause of stroke in young people.
"They go to the gym or do something pretty physical and it happens. Strokes are also quite common in children.
After her stroke, Ms. Kunicki was forced to abandon her apartment in West Hampstead because she could not pay rent while taking so much time off.
Since her release, Ms. Kunicki has lived with her parents, Peter Kunicki, 65, and Anne Kunicki, 62, in Harrow, London. But they have to return to Australia in July.
Kunicki's brother, Michael Kunicki, 33, has set up a fundraising page for her while she gets up.
Ms. Kunicki said, "Eighty percent of the donations come from people I work with, which means a lot. I really want to go back to my own apartment and I really do not want to go back to Australia. I love my job too much and I do not want to leave them. & # 39;
To donate to Ms. Kunicki's gofundme page, click here.
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