Laughing gas left me in a wheelchair for life – don’t make my mistake
A WOMAN has been left in a wheelchair thanks to a 600-canister a week “laughing gas” addiction.
Kerry-Anne Donaldson, 26, from London, started doing nitrous oxide (NOS) at parties when she was 18 and became addicted to the high.
By the age of 21, her legs and feet were going numb, and she was in a wheelchair.
And recently — after pushing herself to walk with crutches — she says some symptoms are worse than ever before, with the numbness now spreading to her hands.
Describing her addiction, she said: “As soon as I woke up I would get straight on the balloons.
“I kept chasing the original high I felt, but because my head was already rushing, I couldn’t find it.
“I now can’t move my legs and have to take a lot of pain medication while living out of a wheelchair.
“When taking the balloons I would barely eat so I am now anaemic and the shortness of breath has affected my asthma.
“My dad is my primary carer, and I’m so lucky to have so much support around me, from him, my mum and my sisters. I don’t know what I would do without them.”
Heavy regular use of nitrous oxide can lead to a deficiency of vitamin B12 and to a form of anaemia, according to anti-drugs advisory service FRANK.
Severe B12 deficiency can lead to serious nerve damage, causing tingling and numbness in the fingers and toes, the service says.
Kerry-Anne first started doing NOS at parties when she was 18, and by the age of 21, she started to notice the effect it was having on her health.
But after the drug started to take its toll on her body while she gradually increased her usage, she had to go and see a doctor.
She said: “The doctor asked if I had taken anything so I was honest and told him I had been using canisters and balloons.
“That’s when he informed me what was in them — nitrous oxide — and told me about the effects.
“He said the reason I’m in pain and unable to walk is because of the damage it causes.
“It blocks oxygen from going around your body and to your brain and destroys your vitamin B12 levels.”
Kerry-Anne was eventually hospitalised and put in a wheelchair — and swore off the substance.
But as she began to recover she started to abuse the drug again, inhaling the gas from “morning to night”.
Kerry-Anne’s legs began to feel numb again in early 2021 so she decided to quit the substance for a second time.
She was also told then she had a vitamin B12 deficiency, which she began receiving injections for, three times a week for three months, because of how bad it was.
Even after an entire year off the high, Kerry-Anne completely lost feeling in her legs in January 2022.
She was bedbound for months, relying on assistance from family and friends to do even the simplest of tasks, such as showering and getting dressed.
She finally got a wheelchair in July 2022, which has been using ever since.
Recently, after pushing herself to start walking with crutches, she says her symptoms have worsened, with the numbness spreading from her legs and feet, to her hands and fingers.
“About a month ago I started to struggle using my hands, having to use both to drink from a glass,” she said.
“The doctor said my folic acid and iron is low, but they haven’t been very helpful over the past few years other than prescribing pain medicine and they’ve recently referred me to the pain clinic.”
Nitrous oxide will be illegal from November 8 as part of a government crackdown on anti-social behaviour, making it a class C drug.
The former receptionist, from Newham, supports the move — but says she doubts it will stop kids from taking it.
She said: “I don’t think the law will get it off the streets. If someone wants it, there will always be a way to buy it.
“Kids have always found a way to get illegal drugs, so I’m not sure it will actually stop them, but it should at least push up the prices and prevent overuse.”
She is pleased that the new laws will hopefully get the previously accessible drug off the streets as she feels strongly about saving other teenagers from the same fate.
Kelly-Anne said: “I started my Tiktok @_theydontloveyou and posted videos about my story, and some went viral.
“I feel like maybe this was my calling — to help others, and it’s really improved my mental health, which was never great even before the balloons.”