"I thought I had a cold but mystery illness left my face paralysed"
- 4 months ago
Credit: SWNS / Caoimhe Reddy
A woman who thought she had a head cold was rushed to hospital after she woke up to find half her face had become paralysed in the night.
Caoimhe Reddy, 26, thought her cheek was just numb from 'sleeping funny' until she couldn't sip her morning coffee.
When she looked in the mirror she realised the left half of her face was slumped - and 111 operators told her she might be having a stroke.
But seven weeks of tests came back clear and doctors are still uncertain exactly that caused her paralysis.
Their best guess is she is suffering inflamed facial nerves caused by an infection - and she just has to wait it out.
Meanwhile she is struggling to eat, drink and talk - and has lost the use of the taste buds in half her tongue.
A woman who thought she had a head cold was rushed to hospital after she woke up to find half her face had become paralysed in the night.
Caoimhe Reddy, 26, thought her cheek was just numb from 'sleeping funny' until she couldn't sip her morning coffee.
When she looked in the mirror she realised the left half of her face was slumped - and 111 operators told her she might be having a stroke.
But seven weeks of tests came back clear and doctors are still uncertain exactly that caused her paralysis.
Their best guess is she is suffering inflamed facial nerves caused by an infection - and she just has to wait it out.
Meanwhile she is struggling to eat, drink and talk - and has lost the use of the taste buds in half her tongue.