A YOUNG and healthy dad nearly died after suffering a stroke when an artery ruptured in his neck – caused by a sneeze.
Ian Applegate was sitting in his car with his wife Jennifer and their four-year-old son Jon when he began sneezing hard.
On the third sneeze, the dad-of-one experienced a blinding headache and dizziness, followed by pins and needles on his left side.
Unbeknown to Ian, the “violent” sneeze had caused a tear in the inner lining of the vertebral artery – a condition known as a vertebral artery dissection (VAD) – that then led to a stroke.
The 35-year-old was blue-lighted to hospital where doctors gave him blood-thinning medication to prevent further blood clots.
Ian has remained in hospital since the stroke earlier this month [February 9th], undergoing rehabilitative therapy to help retrain the muscles on his left side.
The engineer is soon to become a dad-of-two and hopes to return home before the birth of his baby girl in April.
Ian, from Santa Cruz, California, US, said: “It was my first day back at work after being ill with the flu all week.
“After work, I went to go take care of our horses. I was in the truck and had just put our four-year-old into the car seat.
“I had just started the car and was getting ready to drive. I sneezed three times, then the third time it caused this blinding headache and made everything spin.
“That was when my whole body started getting pins and needles on my left side.
“The whole left side of my body had gone numb, I knew I was having a stroke. The pain was excruciating. I was very disoriented and throwing up.”
Ian was rushed to Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, California, where doctors discovered the force of his sneeze had sparked a vertebral artery dissection, causing a blockage in his artery and then a stroke at the base of his brain.
Ian, who remains in hospital, has been left unable to swallow and requires assistance walking due to weakness on his left side.
Ian said: “It was a pretty hard sneeze but I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life. I never thought this was possible.
“I’m scared to sneeze now. My wife is eight months pregnant and I want to be there for the delivery.
“I can tell I’m going to struggle to take care of myself and the baby.
“I just want to be home in time for the baby’s birth. I’m trying to stay positive and continue my exercises until I get better.”
Ian’s sister, Vanessa Applegate, launched a fundraiser to help pay for any medical costs outside of health insurance and time off work.
To donate, click here.
Vertebral artery dissection is considered a relatively rare condition, with an estimated incidence of around 1 per 100,000 people annually in the UK.
The condition doesn’t always lead to stroke. The risk of stroke depends on the location of the dissection, the degree of associated ischemic stroke, and other factors.
A stroke can happen to anyone, of any age, at any time, although the risk increases with certain factors like age, family history, and lifestyle choices like smoking or high blood pressure.
It’s vital to know how to spot the signs in yourself or someone else – it could be life-saving.
Find out the symptoms below…
The FAST method – which stands for Face, Arms, Speech, Time – is the easiest way to remember the most common symptoms of stroke:
F = Face drooping – if one side of a person’s face is dropped or numb then ask them to smile, if it’s uneven then you should seek help.
A = Arm weakness – if one arm is weak or numb then you should ask the person to raise both arms. If one arm drifts downwards then you might need to get help
S = Speech difficulty – if a person’s speech is slurred then this could be a sign of a stroke
T = Time to call 999 – if a person has the signs above then you need to call 999 in the UK or 911 in the US for emergency care.
Other symptoms include:
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