A young Scots mum has been given a life-changing MS diagnosis after believing she had just trapped a nerve.
Shannon Turnball, 25, began experiencing bizarre symptoms - including tingling and changes to her eyesight - around the beginning of January.
She knew something was wrong when the left side of her body went numb but it wasn't until she was rushed to A&E on Monday, January 24, that the true cause was established.
An MRI and multiple tests revealed she had Multiple Sclerosis (MS) - a condition that can affect the brain and spinal cord and cause issues with vision, arm or leg movements, sensation and balance.
The mum, from Edinburgh, was left shocked after initially putting her symptoms down to a trapped nerve, reports Edinburgh Live.
She said: "Around three and a bit weeks now I started to develop what I could only describe as sensitivity on my skin on my back on the lower left side.
"To touch it hurt, to even have my clothes on it would hurt, even the temperature affected this. I thought maybe I’d pulled a muscle, I’m sure it’ll sort itself out.
"As the days went on it got worse, it was rapidly spreading to my tummy. I still didn’t think much of it and was waiting for it to just disappear. I started to develop extreme numbness on the affected areas and as more days went by it was spreading down my leg."
Shannon spent 72 hours in hospital after losing all function in her left leg before she was given her diagnosis.
She is now coming to terms with living with the condition - which has no cure.
Shannon continued: "By Monday just gone, my lower left back, tummy and thigh were completely numb. I felt as if I’d had an epidural!
"I visited my doctor and got some blood tests and referred to a neurologist for an appointment in a couple of weeks. She said to contact them if symptoms got any worse.
"Tuesday morning I woke up and my leg was extremely weak, the numbness had covered my full leg and I wasn’t able to walk as well.
"The doctor sent me straight up to A&E, where I underwent multiple MRI and brain scans. After spending 72 hours staying in hospital and almost complete loss of my left leg function I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
"MS is a lifelong condition that affects the brain and nervous system. It is caused by your immune system mistakenly attacking your brain and nerves. Multiple Sclerosis cannot be cured.
"The moment I was made aware of my diagnosis I knew instantly my life would be changed forever."
The mum-of-two has been recovering in hospital and learning to walk again.
She will learn how long she has had the condition following a further MRI scan but doctors have already confirmed she has been suffering with the condition 'for a while'.
The 25-year-old explains how her life has been turned upside down within just days since the diagnosis.
Shannon said: "Last Saturday I was running around in the soft play with my boys and this Saturday I can't even walk. Why is life so unfair?"
"The hardest thing to deal with has definitely been the loss of my left leg function. I've been walking since I was one and at the age of 25 I'm now having to reteach my leg how to walk again, which is very frustrating and tiring."
The young family is having to overhaul their life to adjust to Shannon's new condition, which includes moving to a more accessible home as Shannon can no longer manage her stairs.
The brave mum is now sharing her story on social media in a bid to raise awareness of the condition.
She said: "I was honestly so nervous to share my story but I genuinely came to A&E thinking I had a pinched nerve.
"Scotland holds the highest MS rates, I can't understand why there is such little awareness around this condition."
According to the MS Society, there are over 15,000 people with MS in Scotland. This makes the condition more common in Scotland than most other countries in the world.
You can follow Shannon's story here and find out more information about the condition here.
