Burgess Hill woman's face paralysed by Ramsay Hunt syndrome

Vicky Chadwick, from Burgess Hill, is recovering from Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a rare condition caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox and shingles. 

The virus had spread to her brain resulting in encephalitis, where the brain swells.

“I feel like a broken woman, I want my face back and to spread the word about the dangers of getting this infection,” Vicky said.

Vicky Chadwick wearing her eyepatch (Image: Vicky Chadwick / SWNS)

The 53-year-old’s ordeal began in November with severe headaches, which she initially brushed off.

To clear her head, she went for a bike ride but she fell off because of dizziness.

She went to A&E at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath where she had a CT scan but doctors found nothing wrong. She was sent home just hours later.

Two days later, Vicky’s face began drooping and she lost her ability to speak.

“It was absolutely terrifying, I thought I was having a stroke,” she said.

She returned to the hospital, where doctors initially diagnosed her with Bell’s palsy, a condition that causes facial paralysis.

She was given medication and sent home again.

But her symptoms continued to worsen, she became increasingly dizzy and confused and her facial paralysis grew more severe. 

At this point, doctors called her in again to have a lumbar puncture and suspected something more serious.

Vicky was then told she had Ramsay Hunt syndrome.

She was admitted to the infection ward at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, where doctors began treating her. 

"They said it’s very rare, but if they were able to diagnose me properly earlier, it would have helped my prognosis,” she said.

"People don’t understand the symptoms. Other doctors were called in to try and diagnose me. I just feel like there needs to be more awareness of this kind of illness.”

Vicky now faces a long road to recovery. The right side of her face remains paralysed and she has trouble eating and speaking. She has been told her facial paralysis could last for months. 

"I can’t close my eye properly and have to wear an eye patch when while I sleep,” she said.

Vicky said the condition has left her feeling depressed and anxious.

Vicky before her illness (Image: Vicky Chadwick / SWNS)

“Eating and drinking are difficult and I have lost a lot of confidence,” she said.

 "Especially if you’re a woman it’s awful. When I drink, I dribble, and I can’t speak properly."

Vicky remains grateful to the doctors who treated her and believes they did the best they could.

"I don’t want to diss the doctors—they were amazing – they just don’t know much about it but their care was first class," she said. 

“Hopefully I can make a full recovery and put this all behind me.”