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The Sun
13-07-2025
- Health
- The Sun
I lost all feeling in my legs, peed myself, smashed my face and felt suicidal after doing £150 of laughing gas every day
JORDAN Micu first tried laughing gas as a university student aged 21. Almost a decade later, she was left battling petrifying seizures and was forced to relearn to walk after losing control of both her legs. The financial worker, now 30, tells Sun Health: 'I was absolutely terrified. 'I felt like I was trapped in my own brain, like my mind had turned on me and I couldn't do anything about it. 'It was really scary.' Jordan was studying maths at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, United States, when she was first offered nitrous oxide - usually sold to aerate whipped cream but widely abused. She thought it was simply something she would do 'recreationally' with friends, but by 2023, she was hooked. 'At that time I didn't immediately form an addiction or anything like that,' she says. 'It was just very casual use over the next couple of years until it became an everyday thing.' Jordan, who blames loneliness and boredom from working a remote job for her addiction, was soon going through three to four canisters a day and forking out more than $200 (£147) for them. Shocking footage shows her inhaling the gas straight from the tanks, which she claims were easily accessible to purchase at smoke shops. And things soon took a turn. Jordan, who is training to be an actuary, had her first seizure in November 2023, during which she smashed her face on her bathroom floor. Although she describes the moment as 'scary', it wasn't enough to deter her from continuing the habit. Jordan had another handful of seizures, and in September 2024 after a five-day EEG to measure her brains' electrical activity, doctors diagnosed her with epilepsy. She was prescribed medication and sent home. But just weeks later, Jordan collapsed while getting out of bed, having lost control of both her legs. She was forced to use a walker for two weeks while she relearned how to put one foot in front of the other. Once recovered physically, Jordan checked herself into rehab in Los Angeles, California, on February 11, 2025. It has been more than four months since she last inhaled laughing gas, and she is now sharing her story to raise awareness of the dangers of the substance. Jordan, from Chicago, Illinois, says: 'I was very lonely. 'I was working remotely and didn't have any friends, and that absolutely contributed to everything. 'I think the main reason I started using laughing gas was because I didn't know anybody to buy other drugs from and I knew I could legally buy canisters in shops. 'I would do it all night. I would wake up, inhale it and go back to sleep. 'I woke up one day and tried to get out of bed to use the bathroom and I immediately fell. I couldn't feel my legs anymore. 16 16 16 'A very common symptom is loss of bladder control. 'I was actually at that point where I was using the bathroom in bed sometimes. 'That awful day, I was rushing out of bed and trying to run to the bathroom when I completely slid on the floor and couldn't feel my legs. 'I felt a lot of numbness and tingling. I could feel my toes but they felt like pins and needles because of the damage I had done to my nerves. 'Despite all of this, it didn't really register that I had a severe problem at the time.' SERIOUS HEALTH RISKS Nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, is a colourless gas. It's a Class C drug and it's illegal to possess it in the UK and US unless for legitimate use in medical, dental, veterinary and culinary settings. Those caught with nitrous oxide for unlawful use face a caution, community service or an unlimited fine. Repeat offenders could serve up to two years in prison, and the maximum sentence for the production or supply of the drug for unlawful purposes is 14 years. It also carries some serious health risks. Heavy use can cause headaches, dizziness, anxiety, neurological damage, paralysis and even death. NITROUS oxide - also known as laughing gas or hippy crack - was recently made a Class C due to the dangers associated with the drug. It can cause a range of health issues and in some cases can even be fatal. Some common side effects from inhaling the gas are dizziness, nausea, disorientation, loss of balance and weakness in legs, according to a study on its risks published to the National Library of Medicine. Nitrous oxide can impair memory and thinking, the research mentioned. Some users might also feel anxious or paranoid. According to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation (ADF), the gas from nitrous oxide bulbs is intensely cold, sometimes as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius. Inhaling directly from the canister or crackers - handheld devices used to 'crack' open canister - can cause frostbite on the nose, lips and throat, even the vocal cords. The icy chill of the gas canisters can also cause cold burns to the hands. Long term, heavy use of laughing gas can cause a lack of vitamin B12. Severe deficiency can lead to serious nerve damage, causing tingling and numbness in the fingers and toes. Lack of B12 can also cause damage to the spinal cord. In some cases, frequent and prolonged use of nitrous oxide has been linked to thromboembolic events - this means a blood clot has gotten stuck and caused an obstruction. The so-called laughing gas has also resulted in deaths. Jordan says the gas affected her ability to absorb vitamin B12 and she will need injections for the rest of her life to correct this. It also impacted her mental health, leaving her feeling more alone than ever. 'I was very depressed, lying in my bed a lot, sleeping. I was a shell of a person,' Jordan says. 'There were so many times that I was using it where I was like, 'Please just let this be the one that does it, that ends my life'. 'It's really sad and scary to look back now. 16 16 16 16 'I started feeling like a failure to my family because they noticed I was using something. 'My brother told me if I didn't go to rehab he wouldn't talk to me again. So that's what made me ultimately go. 'I have a lot of memory loss from that period as it really did affect my brain. 'I have been working very hard to train my brain to focus on things again, but it isn't back to normal.' She adds: 'This is not a game. It doesn't feel serious while you're using it, but the longer you do it, the more seriously it affects you. 'It is absolutely too easy to buy. The smoke shop that I would go to is three minutes away. I could walk there.' 16 16 16 16 16 16
The Herald
29-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald
UP student graduates with degree in actuarial science at 17
'Many students treated me like the little sister they never had. There were a lot of expectations of me, and it got difficult to meet those expectations. I always reminded myself of why I'd started and made sure that my 'why' was strong enough. Having multiple vision boards kept me on track and, of course, prayer.' Ntuli is pursuing her honours degree and plans to qualify as an actuary and enter the business world in the future. 'After this, I'm planning to both work and further my studies. I've always wanted an MBA.' She advised young people to have a teachable spirit to succeed. 'You don't know everything. Learn how to fail forward. Take your losses, mix them up with perseverance and grit. Be like a baby when taking on a challenge — ready to receive all the knowledge and wisdom you can.' Higher education and training minister Nobuhle Nkabane congratulated Ntuli on her achievement and urged young people to draw inspiration from her. 'This extraordinary milestone makes Ntuli one of the youngest graduates in the university's history, and a shining example of academic excellence, resilience and the transformative power of education,' Nkabane said. 'She is not only breaking boundaries in the academic space; she is breaking intergenerational barriers, becoming the first graduate in her family and lighting the way for others.' TimesLIVE
