A man has been left paralysed after he was rushed to hospital for what he thought was food poisoning.
Dad-of-four Asam Iqbal was diagnosed with a rare condition when he fell ill 11 months ago. His family thought he was recovering from food poisoning when he had a fever and was so weak he fell out of bed and couldn't get up.
However only when he went to the hospital was his family told he had Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), a serious condition which affects the nerves and often starts with symptoms in people’s feet and hands.
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Speaking to YorkshireLive, his brother remembered how his brother Asif had eaten little with apparent food poisoning.
He said: "He had a fever. He was recovering from food poisoning. I went to see him and he didn’t look that well. When he fell off the bed he couldn’t get up. Me and his wife had to get him back up. We thought it was weakness because he hadn’t eaten."
As Asam became more ill, they phoned 111 and were told they had an eight hour wait to speak to a nurse. Asif spoke to a cousin who was a doctor and told them to go straight to hospital.
"We thought it was too long so we called a cousin who is a doctor who came and said we had to call 999. We had to get him to the hospital. At this point, he could only move his upper body. It was a nightmare. When we got there later he couldn’t move his arms at all," said Asif.
It was at hospital that Asam's family was shocked to hear he had the rare Guillain-Barré Syndrome.
"He has an overactive thyroid. It made it worse. A decision was made to put him in a coma," Asi explained.
Asam is still in hospital 11 months since he fell ill.
Asam said: "I was in a coma for six weeks. It was only around two months that I realised what was going on and what had happened.
"And at the time I could not talk and I had lost the use of my neck. Being in a coma is a weird experience, it is like living in a different world altogether. It’s one hell of an experience."
Still paralysed, he says he misses the simple things in life. "It’s been a long time. Am trying to just get on it. It’s hard to describe everything, especially when it has been this long. The illness is getting better slowly. No quick fix," he said.
"Of course, you miss everything. Driving the car. Walking the shop. Going to the barbers. You miss everything."
However, Asam is adamant to keep positive and not to dwell on what happened. Proving his willpower and big heart, to raise money for NHS, has been cycling while on his wheelchair and has raised £3,000.
Asam added: "You can’t sit and think about everything. "You just learn to adapt, don’t you? You can’t let your mind take control. You can’t latch onto that.
Now out of the coma, the father-of-four needs physiotherapy to fully recover his body functions which he cannot get at the moment on the NHS as appointments are fully booked up. His family have launched a GoFundMe page to help raise money for it.
Asif, the brother, said: "The ICU staff were amazing. He was there for 5 months. He couldn’t move when he woke up. He could not speak. We couldn’t hear what he was saying. It was difficult for us when we visited.
"The hospital got a speech therapist and after 5 months he started getting improving. He started getting his voice back. He has got some movements here and there.
"He is recovering but he needs therapy. The hospital is full at the moment. They are understaffed. We can’t get him booked in for sessions."
But, regardless of what happens, Asam maintains a positive outlook on life which is infectious. He said: "I wake up with a smile every day. People out there can’t even do that.
He quipped to Asif: "Take it easy brother!"
To help Asam get the physiotherapy he needs click here
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