- In April 2017, Frankie woke up in the middle of the night experiencing a severe hangover, then the next day her left leg turned numb.
- After being diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, she decided to give up carbs to help with the symptoms and it worked.
- A test later confirmed that Nicole had a rare neurological condition which causes her to feel drunk after consuming carbs.
Here Frankie Hurley-Peet, 39, tells her own story in her own words.
Stretching my arms out wide, I let out a yawn as I opened my eyes. But as I rolled over, I realised I was lying on the bathroom floor.
Didn’t I only have a few drinks last night? I fretted.
It was April 2017 and I’d gone out for dinner and a few drinks with my wife and in-laws.
I’d woken in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom… After that my mind was blank.
The drinks must’ve been stronger than I realised, I thought, feeling hungover.
That whole day I felt a little off, but when I woke the next day, my left leg felt numb.
‘It’s probably just bad circulation,’ I commented to my wife.
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But as the numbness spread throughout the day, I decided to see my GP, who sent me to hospital.
There, they ruled out a stroke but wanted to keep me in overnight for tests.
When the results came back clear, I was discharged the next morning, despite still feeling unstable on my feet. No-one could explain the numbness.
Over the next few days I tried to ignore the numb feeling and went to work. But no matter how easy I took things, it still felt like I was under the influence, despite not having had a drop.
I can’t move my left leg at all, I realised by the end of the week, dragging it along the floor as I walked.
I’d also lost my sense of balance and coordination, and my tongue felt like it had doubled in size.
When I tried to speak, it felt like my brain wasn’t connected to my mouth as I’d forget words mid-conversation.
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At first it was funny. But when I was unable to finish a sentence, I became worried.
Every day my body grew a little more numb, and I was so fatigued I could barely function.
And then the pain started in my joints – they felt like they were on fire.
Debilitated, I’d stopped playing tennis and softball and cancelled almost every social event.
But I never stopped fighting for an answer, continuing to see various specialists, including a neurologist.
After months of testing, I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome.
Then the pain started in my joints – they felt like they were on fire.
I was relieved to finally have an answer, but devastatingly learned there was no cure.
Researching the condition online, I discovered others who’d relieved their symptoms by reducing their carbs.
Though I loved eating fried chicken, bread and pasta, I knew I had to give this a go. I even gave up my favourite treat, Maltesers, which also made me feel sloshed.
Incredibly, within a few weeks, the numbness had faded, my speech returned to normal and I no longer felt tired.
It felt so great to be back living my life and playing softball again.
In 2019, after following a strict no-carb diet for over a year, I decided to start reintroducing some of my favourite foods to see if it made a difference.
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Tucking into a delicious salad sandwich, I was in carb heaven.
Instantly, I started to feel a little funny, but I put it down to not having had any carbs for so long.
The next week I had a small bowl of pasta, followed by pizza a few days later. It was going so well, I decided to treat myself to some chicken nuggets. But almost instantly after swallowing the delicious breaded bite, I felt like I’d downed a bottle of wine. My legs turned to jelly and my words became slurred.
Not again, I thought, frustrated.
Over the next few months, my symptoms kept creeping back.
Then one night in 2020, my wife was researching my symptoms online when she learned about gluten ataxia – a rare neurological condition where your immune system attacks the nervous system when gluten enters the body.
It can cause problems with your balance, coordination, speech and movement.
I felt like I’d downed a bottle of wine
That’s it! I thought convinced.
In December I had an appointment with a gluten ataxia specialist.
Before I went, to test if I had the condition, I needed to fuel my body with gluten.
So I gobbled down a big, delicious doughnut on the train there.
Within just minutes I was woozy on my feet, like I’d just had 10 glasses of wine.
The specialist sat across from me as I unravelled the years of hell.
‘Everything you are describing points to gluten ataxia,’ he said.
Finally I felt heard.
I wasn’t crazy!
All the foods I loved, including pasta, pizza and chicken nuggets were making me ‘drunk’!
My wife was also so happy that we’d finally found the answer.
Back at home I cleaned out my pantry, binning everything that contained gluten.
Shockingly I even discovered some skincare products contain gluten, so ditched those as well.
Overhauling my life, I’ve even learned how to make bread and pizza bases out of cauliflower.
And I know I have to be careful when eating out.
It’s just not worth the hangover!
