Natalie Kunicki was left paralysed after stretching her neck and triggering a stroke. Picture: Kennedy News and MediaSource:Supplied
An Australian paramedic was paralysed in her sleep after cracking her neck triggered a stroke at just 23.
Chapter 1: The First Crack. Disclaimer: Harry Potter and its characters aren't mine (tragic, I know) but this plot is. Written for the Apples & Quills 'Happy Birthday Draco' fest. Some people regularly crack their neck on purpose—either due to a nervous habit or perhaps to bring some therapeutic relief from neck tightness. As such, it is common for people to wonder whether repeatedly cracking the neck can wear down the joints and cause arthritis. Parallyzed Android latest 2.0.8 APK Download and Install. A frantic adventure platformer! A 23-year-old paramedic is speaking out after a neck crack caused a major artery in her spine to rupture, resulting in a stroke. Natalie Kunicki, who works for the London Ambulance Service, was.
Natalie Kunicki was watching a movie in bed after a night out when she stretched her neck and heard a loud 'crack'.
She thought little of it and went to sleep, but woke up just 15 minutes later unable to move her left leg, The Sun reports.
When she tried to get up to go to the toilet at her flat in West Hampstead, London, she collapsed to the floor.
She called an ambulance and a CT scan confirmed she had suffered a stroke.
Natalie Kunicki, from Canberra, was left paralysed after stretching her neck and triggering a stroke. Picture: Kennedy News and MediaSource:Supplied
The 23-year-old was watching a movie in bed after a night out when she cracked her neck. Picture: Kennedy News and MediaSource:Supplied
Medics said when she cracked her neck, her vertebral artery — a major artery in the spine — had burst, causing a blood clot to form in her brain and triggering a stroke.
Natalie's left side was almost completely paralysed and she spent almost a month in hospital as she tried to regain movement in her leg, arm and hand.
She said: 'I wasn't even trying to crack my neck. I just moved and it happened.
'I'm a paramedic and I didn't ring emergency services for 10 minutes because I thought it was too unlikely it would be a stroke, when I should have known much better.
Natalie gives a thumbs up from her bed after having emergency surgery in London. Picture: Kennedy News and MediaSource:Supplied
'Every minute, more of your brain cells are dying, so don't ever discount a stroke just because someone is young.'
Natalie, who moved from Canberra to join the London Ambulance Service in December 2017, said: 'I was in bed watching stuff with a friend when it happened.
'I stretched my neck and I could just hear this ‘crack, crack, crack'.
'My friend asked ‘was that your neck?' but all my joints crack quite a bit so I didn't think anything of it. I just laughed.
'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 in 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'.
She was flooded with flowers, cards and support while in hospital. Picture: Kennedy News and MediaSource:Supplied
'I got up and tried to walk to the bathroom and I was swaying everywhere. I looked down and realised I wasn't moving my left leg at all then I fell to the floor.
'My friend had to come and pick me up. He thought I was drunk but I knew something else was wrong. I thought I had been drugged.'
Natalie admits she was hesitant to call emergency services as she didn't want a crew she knew to turn up and find her 'tipsy' — so she tried to just go back to sleep.
After struggling to fall back asleep, Natalie finally put aside her embarrassment and called for help.
Natalie works as a paramedic for the London Ambulance Service. Picture: Kennedy News and MediaSource:Supplied
Natalie said: 'I was dithering about it. There was a high chance the crew who turned up would be my friends and I didn't want them to see me tipsy.
'They took my blood pressure and heart rate and they were both sky high. Then they did this test where they hold their finger in the air and you have to touch your nose then their finger.
'My hand went all over the place and I was thinking ‘oh no'. I knew something was going down.'
Natalie taking her first steps after suffering a stroke at just 23. Picture: Kennedy News and MediaSource:Supplied
The ambulance crew rushed Natalie to University College London Hospital, where tests confirmed she had suffered a stroke and would need emergency surgery. While surgeons were able to repair Natalie's artery with a stent, they couldn't clear the clot in her brain, but they believe it will dissolve in time.
'When the consultant told me I'd had a stroke I was in shock,' she said. 'The doctors told me later that just that stretching of my neck had caused my vertebral artery to rupture.
She trained to be a paramedic in Canberra before moving to London. Picture: Kennedy News and MediaSource:Supplied
Natalie's flatmate Emily taking her outside for the first time after her stroke. Tomb raider angel of darkness cheats. Picture: Kennedy News and MediaSource:Supplied
Paralyzed Cracking Neck
'It was just spontaneous and there's a one in a million chance of it happening.
'I don't smoke, I don't really drink, I don't have any family history of strokes so it's quite strange it happened to me when I was just moving in bed.'
Doctors cannot give an exact timescale for a full recovery but Natalie is hoping to be back to work for 'light duty' in six to 12 months. Transformers 2 revenge of the fallen pc game crack patch.
'I've recovered movement in my left side. I can walk but not for more than five minutes.
'I'm really clumsy. I can't do up buttons, I find it too difficult. I can feel hot and cold now but I still feel a bit numb.
Natalie with her mum Anne Kunicki celebrating her 62nd birthday. Picture: Kennedy News and MediaSource:Supplied
'The doctors just say things like ‘we're hoping for a full recovery' and won't give an exact time because they don't want to get my hopes up.
Natalie Kunicki was watching a movie in bed after a night out when she stretched her neck and heard a loud 'crack'.
She thought little of it and went to sleep, but woke up just 15 minutes later unable to move her left leg, The Sun reports.
When she tried to get up to go to the toilet at her flat in West Hampstead, London, she collapsed to the floor.
She called an ambulance and a CT scan confirmed she had suffered a stroke.
Natalie Kunicki, from Canberra, was left paralysed after stretching her neck and triggering a stroke. Picture: Kennedy News and MediaSource:Supplied
The 23-year-old was watching a movie in bed after a night out when she cracked her neck. Picture: Kennedy News and MediaSource:Supplied
Medics said when she cracked her neck, her vertebral artery — a major artery in the spine — had burst, causing a blood clot to form in her brain and triggering a stroke.
Natalie's left side was almost completely paralysed and she spent almost a month in hospital as she tried to regain movement in her leg, arm and hand.
She said: 'I wasn't even trying to crack my neck. I just moved and it happened.
'I'm a paramedic and I didn't ring emergency services for 10 minutes because I thought it was too unlikely it would be a stroke, when I should have known much better.
Natalie gives a thumbs up from her bed after having emergency surgery in London. Picture: Kennedy News and MediaSource:Supplied
'Every minute, more of your brain cells are dying, so don't ever discount a stroke just because someone is young.'
Natalie, who moved from Canberra to join the London Ambulance Service in December 2017, said: 'I was in bed watching stuff with a friend when it happened.
'I stretched my neck and I could just hear this ‘crack, crack, crack'.
'My friend asked ‘was that your neck?' but all my joints crack quite a bit so I didn't think anything of it. I just laughed.
'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 in 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'.
She was flooded with flowers, cards and support while in hospital. Picture: Kennedy News and MediaSource:Supplied
'I got up and tried to walk to the bathroom and I was swaying everywhere. I looked down and realised I wasn't moving my left leg at all then I fell to the floor.
'My friend had to come and pick me up. He thought I was drunk but I knew something else was wrong. I thought I had been drugged.'
Natalie admits she was hesitant to call emergency services as she didn't want a crew she knew to turn up and find her 'tipsy' — so she tried to just go back to sleep.
After struggling to fall back asleep, Natalie finally put aside her embarrassment and called for help.
Natalie works as a paramedic for the London Ambulance Service. Picture: Kennedy News and MediaSource:Supplied
Natalie said: 'I was dithering about it. There was a high chance the crew who turned up would be my friends and I didn't want them to see me tipsy.
'They took my blood pressure and heart rate and they were both sky high. Then they did this test where they hold their finger in the air and you have to touch your nose then their finger.
'My hand went all over the place and I was thinking ‘oh no'. I knew something was going down.'
Natalie taking her first steps after suffering a stroke at just 23. Picture: Kennedy News and MediaSource:Supplied
The ambulance crew rushed Natalie to University College London Hospital, where tests confirmed she had suffered a stroke and would need emergency surgery. While surgeons were able to repair Natalie's artery with a stent, they couldn't clear the clot in her brain, but they believe it will dissolve in time.
'When the consultant told me I'd had a stroke I was in shock,' she said. 'The doctors told me later that just that stretching of my neck had caused my vertebral artery to rupture.
She trained to be a paramedic in Canberra before moving to London. Picture: Kennedy News and MediaSource:Supplied
Natalie's flatmate Emily taking her outside for the first time after her stroke. Tomb raider angel of darkness cheats. Picture: Kennedy News and MediaSource:Supplied
Paralyzed Cracking Neck
'It was just spontaneous and there's a one in a million chance of it happening.
'I don't smoke, I don't really drink, I don't have any family history of strokes so it's quite strange it happened to me when I was just moving in bed.'
Doctors cannot give an exact timescale for a full recovery but Natalie is hoping to be back to work for 'light duty' in six to 12 months. Transformers 2 revenge of the fallen pc game crack patch.
'I've recovered movement in my left side. I can walk but not for more than five minutes.
'I'm really clumsy. I can't do up buttons, I find it too difficult. I can feel hot and cold now but I still feel a bit numb.
Natalie with her mum Anne Kunicki celebrating her 62nd birthday. Picture: Kennedy News and MediaSource:Supplied
'The doctors just say things like ‘we're hoping for a full recovery' and won't give an exact time because they don't want to get my hopes up.
'But I'm determined to get back to work as soon as I can. I just love it.
'It has been strange being on the other side but the ambulance crew who came out to me were amazing. They did a perfect job.'
Paramedic Paralyzed Cracking Neck
This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission
