Alicia Wright, 34, Narangba, Qld
Pictured left, with colleague Nelia
Shimmying in to my sparkly silver top, I could hear my colleagues laughing outside. It was December 4, 2008 and we were taking turns in the office bathroom to get changed into our party gear.
As production officer at a jewellery company, I was used to multi-tasking and making sure everything ran smoothly. And our office Christmas party was no exception. I'd organised the venue, food, music and drinks, and after a hectic year, my workmates and I were looking forward to our celebration.
'A vodka lemonade thanks,' I smiled to the waitress when we arrived. Knowing my husband Steven, 30, was at home looking after our boys, Brendan, 12, and Sean, four, I was able to fully relax.
'You've done an amazing job,' said my colleague Jonathan.
'Thanks,' I beamed, sipping my drink.
Playing pool with my colleague Nella, it was great to unwind.
'Can I grab another vodka lemonade?' I asked the bartender after winning a game.
Six hours later, and with a few more drinks under my belt, the party was winding up.
'Here you go, love,' I said, helping a colleague into a cab.
Even though I'd drunk quite a bit, I was still in control and able to walk and talk normally. 'Shall we head home?' I asked my colleague John.
We lived in the same suburb and arranged to catch the train home together for safety. But 10 minutes into our walk to the station, a strange feeling came over me. My head started spinning and I was staggering from side to side.
'Stop,' I puffed breathlessly to John. 'I need to sit down.'
John helped me to a nearby bench. 'Are you okay?' he asked. 'You don't look well.'
Drenched in sweat, I put my head between my legs. I didn't drink that much. Why is this happening? I panicked.
Leaning to the side of the bench, I felt wretched as I vomited everywhere. My body began to shake violently and I knew I was in serious trouble.
I'm going to die, I thought, scared. And then everything went black.
Opening my eyes, what felt like hours later, bright lights burned my senses.
I'm in hospital, I realised as a nurse came over.
'Do you know where you are?' she asked, checking my eyes.
Seeing a sign in the hallway, I had an answer. 'The Royal Brisbane Hospital,' I said.
'Do you know what happened?' she continued.
'Not really,' I answered, confused. 'I was drinking at my Christmas party and then I started to feel really sick.'
'You've had several seizures,' the nurse told me.
'What?' I gasped. 'Why?'
'You'll need to talk to the doctor about that,' she said.
How did drinking at the Christmas party get me here? I thought, embarrassed. I had never had a problem with alcohol before and this seemed so drastic.
Noticing the clock on the wall, I realised it was 4am and Steven would be out of his mind with worry.
'Where are you?' he asked frantically when I rang.
'Don't panic,' I said, 'but I'm in the hospital. I've been having seizures.'
Steven woke the boys and arrived half an hour later.
'Did you drink too much?' he asked, walking into the room.
'This wasn't alcohol,' the nurse cut in. 'Her blood-alcohol level wasn't that high.'
Hearing her words, I was stunned. If my drinking hadn't caused this, what had?
I was taken for a CT scan. By then, I was feeling funny again. My speech was slurred and I could barely keep my eyes open.
At 8am a doctor came and asked a barrage of questions. He tested my reflexes and checked my ears.
'The CT scan didn't show any abnormalities, so we'll send you for an MRI,' he said.
'What caused all this?' I asked.
'It may have been from extreme fatigue, or it could be something else,' he frowned.
Discharged an hour later, I still had no answers. So I spoke to a private specialist who arranged for an MRI.
Over the next two days I felt as though I'd been hit by a truck.
I could barely move and my speech was still slurred and slow. And to make matters worse, the headaches and migraines I'd been having over the past year were now with me constantly.
Pulling myself together, I made it to work on Monday.
As I walked in, it was obvious everyone had heard about my episode on Friday night.
'How are you feeling?' Jonathan asked. 'I'm feeling... a bit... better,' I said slowly, struggling to form the words.
All the staff in the office were giving each other looks.
Oh God, I hope they don't think I'm still drunk, I thought, embarrassed.
'Do you know where you put that job on Friday?' a colleague asked. Trying to remember, it was like my brain was frozen.
'Maybe I sent it upstairs to the... have the castings come in?' I asked.
My colleague stared at me, bewildered. My brain had jumped from one topic to another and I was making no sense.
'I'm sorry,' I said, shaking my head.
I went home half an hour later. I was told to take as much time off as I needed.
When my MRI came back clear, I was shattered.
'I just want to know what's wrong with me,' I sobbed to my sister Catherine, 35. 'I know, sweetie,' she said sadly.
Even my sons were worried.
'Mummy, why are you talking funny?' Sean would ask when I couldn't get a sentence out.
Lying in bed, my head was throbbing and I could feel another one of my migraines coming on. I have to find an answer, I thought, desperate for my old self.
Over the next six months my speech slowly improved, but I was still tired all the time and my migraines were worse than ever.
I had no option but to leave my job. Full days in the office were just too much for me.
Visiting my GP for a check-up in June, I told him about the migraines. He became very interested. 'Where do you get the pain?' he asked.
'It's a burning sensation behind my eye,' I told him. 'Then a stabbing pain at the back of my head.'
'And when do you usually get them?' he asked.
'They come and go,' I told him. 'Sometimes I'll have them daily for two weeks and then they'll disappear for a day or two.'
'It appears you suffer from cluster migraines,' he told me. 'They could be the cause of your seizures.'
I stared at him, shocked.
'Cluster migraines can affect the chemicals in your brain,' he explained. 'The stress of organising your Christmas party, along with the alcohol you consumed, was too much for your brain. So you ended up having a seizure.'
Listening to him, it all began to make sense.
'Since then your body's been trying to recover, which is possibly why your speech has been delayed and slurred,' he continued. 'But thankfully we can treat your cluster migraines with medication.'
Smiling for what felt like the first time in months, I was ecstatic to hear I'd be getting the old Alicia back.
I started taking the tablets immediately, and within two weeks my migraines had disappeared.
It's now been six months since I was diagnosed, and my speech and movement is almost 100 per cent.
In a way, I'm glad that my office Christmas party put me in hospital. If it wasn't for that night, I may never have found a cure for the pain that was plaguing me.
SEASONAL STRESS
This includes being able to afford presents and food, getting along with relatives/in-laws, doing the big supermarket shop, preparing Christmas dinner and organising and attending social events are all huge contributors.
For tips on how to survive the office party, CLICK HERE. |
