A man who suffered a stroke at 33 says he still feels anger, years later, over an ambulance service failure which delayed vital emergency treatment.
James Gilmour dialled 999 from the floor of his home after he blacked out after suffering excruciating head pain, blurred vision and pins and needles on the right side of his body.
He told the call handler that he had been experiencing weeks of severe headaches and disturbed vision.
The operator passed the details onto a clinical adviser, who is required to carry out a more detailed interview, but an ambulance was not sent to his home in Glasgow, despite “red flag” symptoms.
It later emerged that Mr Gilmour had suffered a tear in the vertebral artery in the neck, which supplies blood to the brain and a stroke. Around 20 per cent of strokes in young people are caused by this kind of dissection.
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Strokes are a medical emergency and urgent treatment with blood thinning drugs can minimize the long-term effects and even prevent death
The Scottish Ambulance Service was heavily criticised in an investigation by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.
It said the clinical adviser who spoke to Mr Gilmour after the initial 999 call had failed to recognise a number of red flag symptoms which merited an emergency response. They included the new onset of pins and needles, unconsciousness, a persistent headache and visual disturbance.
Mr Gilmour, who lives in Maryhill in Glasgow, was asked how much pain he was in and rated it eight out of 10, which should have raised concern, according to the report.
He managed to text his sister, who found him lying on the floor.
The investigation was critical that she called 999 expressing concern that she might struggle to manoeuvre her six-foot brother into her car.
The report said: “Her ability to assist you had you had another collapse/blackout would have been limited.”
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Now, 37, Mr Gilmour says he was in good health until he began suffering headaches in November 2017. His GP suspected migraines and he was prescribed medication but it didn’t provide any relief, and he started experiencing visual disturbances and exhaustion.
He says he called NHS 24 a number of times and was advised to see his own doctor.
“I had started to worry I might have a brain tumour – my twin brother died of cancer. Everything was saying something was wrong but I was trying not to panic.
“Then I was out one night with a friend and I suddenly was unable to talk. He was looking at me and I was trying to tell him but I couldn’t get the words out.”
Mr Gilmour says he believed his drink might have been spiked because he had taken one sip before he felt unwell.
“Stupidly I got a taxi home - my friend called one - and by that time my symptoms had pretty much resolved. If I could go back and change this, I would.”
Three days later he had the stroke.
“The best way I could describe the headache is that it felt as if someone was drilling on the side of my head,” said Mr Gilmour who works for an organisation that helps people find jobs.
“Everything in my gut was saying something is seriously wrong.”
READ MORE: Quarter of stroke survivors lost their job after illness
Scans carried out at Glasgow Royal Infirmary showed that he had multiple abnormalities on his brain. Doctors believe he suffered a number of smaller strokes in the preceding weeks.
He said his recovery had been a “very bumpy road” – although he praised the support he had received from the Stroke Association.
“I couldn’t walk for few days but it did come back. My deficits are invisible. I suffer very badly from fatigue and vertigo. Basically, I’m always dizzy, I feel as if I’m on a boat.
"The psychological impact didn’t hit me for six months and I’d say that’s been the toughest part.
“I am quite bitter about the fact that if my symptoms had been identified quicker then there would have been no reason for me to go on and suffer a stroke because a dissection can be treated. I believe they used my case for training [ambulance] staff.”
The investigation found the clinical advisor had referenced the Face Arm Speech Time (FAST) assessment in the report, which is used to help identify stroke.
Although the report said the outcome for Mr Gilmour might have been the same if an ambulance had been sent, it said that healthcare professionals are advised to err on the side of caution because the assessment “is not 100% sensitive” – which risks some stroke cases being missed.
For advice and support see: www.stroke.org.uk
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