A Cardiff man received a terrifying health diagnosis after his girlfriend initially thought his alarming symptoms were signs of drunkenness.
‘Bad Night’s Sleep’ Turns Into Medical Emergency
Adam Watkins, a 42-year-old civil servant from Cardiff, woke up one Sunday morning last summer with a numb left arm, which he dismissed as having slept awkwardly. Within hours, his condition deteriorated dramatically. He lost control of his left side and his speech became badly slurred.
His partner, Laura Milford, 36, first believed he was drunk. The reality became chillingly clear while they were in the garden. "I lost all control of my left arm, dropping my cigarette," Adam recalled. "Laura noticed the left side of my face started to droop, and that's when we decided that I should probably head to hospital."
Smoking and Blood Disorder Created ‘Perfect Storm’
Rushed to the University Hospital of Wales, Adam was diagnosed with a transient ischemic attack (TIA), commonly known as a mini-stroke. Doctors delivered a stark explanation: his 25-year smoking habit, costing over £200 a month, combined with an inherited blood disorder, had created a perfect storm.
Adam has polycythemia, a condition causing an overproduction of red blood cells. "Smoking is especially dangerous if you have polycythemia," he explained. "It thickens the blood and reduces oxygen delivery. Smoking increases carbon monoxide, causing your body to make even more red blood cells, which raises the risk of blood clots, stroke, and heart attack."
Medical staff emphasised he was remarkably young for such an event. "I just had this 'it'll never happen to me' attitude - but it did," Adam admitted.
A Life-Saving ‘Wake-Up Call’ and Quitting Together
The TIA served as the critical wake-up call Adam needed. He and Laura decided to quit smoking together, seeking support from Help Me Quit, a free NHS-funded cessation service based at his GP surgery.
"They had quite a difficult journey before they came to see me – and they have absolutely smashed it," said smoking cessation practitioner Cathy Fisher. "There's a 67 per cent higher chance of a successful quit as a couple than if you try to quit alone. That was really evident with Adam and Laura as they kept each other balanced."
The benefits were swift and profound. "A couple of weeks after stopping smoking, it felt like I had a third lung," Adam said. His polycythemia improved significantly, his smoker's cough vanished, and his senses of taste and smell returned. Financially, stopping felt like a pay rise.
Laura added: "We're getting out of the house more together and going for nice walks - something Adam couldn't do often because of the pain in his legs caused by the narrowed arteries and polycythemia."
Both now urge anyone considering quitting to explore the support available through Help Me Quit, proving that even a deeply embedded 30-a-day habit can be overcome.
