PILL RISK
Woman suffers stroke and is left paralysed at the age of 24 after ‘contraceptive pill caused blood clot’
WHEN Bobbie Jarvis suddenly lost all sensation in her left arm she had no idea what was happening.
The 24-year-old later collapsed in the garden and was found unconscious by her boyfriend who desperately called for an ambulance.
7
Medics told the shop worker, from Worcester Park, south west London, she had suffered a stroke - likely caused by her contraceptive pill.
She is now having to learn how to walk again after repeated seizures caused the entire left side of her body to be paralysed.
Bobbie had been prescribed the pill on a repeat prescription when she was 17, but claims she had never been called in for a check-up since.
She claims that doctors confirmed the pill had thickened her blood and a clot caused a stroke on the right side of her brain.
7
7
Bobbie first went to hospital on February 12 with a constant headache but was discharged four days later when she claims doctors found nothing wrong with her.
When she woke up on February 20 with no headache for the first time, she decided to drive to her boyfriend Christian Henry-May's house.
But while she waited for him to return home, she suddenly lost sensation in her arm.
She said: "When it first happened, I couldn't get control of my arm. My arm was going up and down and around my head.
"It was mad because it was just going round and round like a cat's tail I couldn't control.
My arm was going up and down and around my head... like a cat's tail
Bobbie Jarvis
"My hand went numb. I panicked a bit, so I just sat down on the end of the bed and I didn't know what to think.
"Next thing I knew, I woke up and I had fallen back and I was trying to hear myself breathe. I knew I needed help but I was trying to find my phone and couldn't find it.
"I managed to drag myself off the bed and out the door up the garden. I don't really remember much else except hearing myself trying to breathe.
"I'm not 100 per cent sure how long I was alone before my boyfriend found me - I don't know how long I was out for.
"At the hospital, they diagnosed that the contraceptive pill had done it. The coating on the pill I was on had caused the reaction."
7
7
Bobbie was allowed to go home after seven days, but she started having recurring seizures and was admitted to hospital again on March 5.
She said: "When I had the seizures it killed my arm so it is now completely paralysed.
"The whole of my left leg, left arm, a bit of my shoulder and chest were affected.
"The stroke was on the right side on the top of my brain. The swelling got too much [for my brain] which is why I kept fitting.
"There was a lot of swelling around the bleed. I went temporarily blind in one eye because of the swelling but that's come back now."
How can the Pill trigger a stroke?
THERE are two types of stroke - ischaemic and haemorrhagic - both stop oxygenated blood reaching the brain.
An ischaemic stroke is caused by a blockage, like a clot, which stops the blood flow.
Meanwhile, a haemorrhagic stroke is bleed on the brain, which causes damage.
Issy suffered an ischaemic stroke, where the blood supply was blocked by a clot in her artery.
The risk of this type of stroke is increased in people who take the combined contraceptive pill, according to the NHS.
The oestrogen pill can cause the blood to clot more easily.
If a blood clot does develop that can increase the risk of stroke, as well as:
- deep vein thrombosis (DVT) - a clot in the leg
- pulmonary embolism - a clot in the lung
- heart attack
The risk of developing a clot is small, and doctors will check your risk factors before prescribing the Pill.
To find out more, visit the NHS info page.
Bobbie has now been in hospital for six weeks while she waits for rehabilitation to get mobility back in her arms and legs.
She said: "I can walk a bit on my leg if someone helps to hold me up.
"You have good and bad days. I'm feeling a bit better about it but some days you do just feel like you can't do it anymore. You just want your independence back.
7
7
"Doctors say I will make a 100% recovery but it will take a long time - they don't know how long. As long as I get my legs back I will be fine because then I can walk places."
"I'm getting there, slowly but surely. I can't wait for that point. It's been so long now already."
She added: "I can't go on any pill or contraception now. I wish now that I knew more than I did when I went on it.
"You don't think of the side effects when you take a pill and someone is telling you it's fine to take. I was sure that nothing was wrong with it."
MORE ON THE PILL
Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust said they were unable to comment.
A spokesperson for NHS Sutton CCG said: "We take patient’s care seriously and if a patient has concerns, we will work closely with them and our healthcare providers to look into the issues raised."
A St George’s spokesperson said: “While we cannot comment on individual patient cases for confidentiality reasons, we urge any patient – including Ms Jarvis – with concerns about their care to contact us directly so we can investigate and answer any queries.”
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.