Man Was Playfully Slapped on Wedding Day by Coworker. He Had Prolonged ‘Tingling' and Then Got a Shocking Diagnosis

Richard Plowman encourages others not to take their "health for granted"

NEED TO KNOW

• Richard Plowman experienced unusual muscle spasms after a coworker playfully slapped his arm at his wedding reception
• Weeks later, worsening symptoms, including headaches and vomiting, led to a brain tumor diagnosis requiring surgery
• Richard urges others to prioritize their health and seek medical attention for any unusual or persistent symptoms

A groom's "playful slap" on his big day led to a troubling medical discovery.

Richard Plowman and his wife, Victoria Plowman, got married in Croydon, London, on July 12, 2025. During the couple's wedding reception, Richard, 44, was slapped on his right arm by a coworker. However, the joke slap left the man with a "tingling" sensation.

"We were having the reception and I was talking to some friends," he explained, according to Kennedy News & Media. "I got a playful slap on the arm, which set my arm off into a muscle spasm."

"My arm started twitching and I thought 'that hurt,' and it kept going, but then it stopped," he added. Because the tingling stopped, Richard didn't think there was cause for concern.

"It was a really hot day and we were wondering if it was because I was dehydrated. It didn't last too long," he explained.

Richard and Victoria, 49, carried on with their "perfect" wedding and had "the best day of our lives."

A few weeks passed when Richard encountered another muscle spasm at work. He decided to go to the doctor, and his blood test came back clear. Yet, his spasms didn't stop.

"The spams would come and go. It was really weird. Some would last a couple of minutes and some would last seconds," he explained.

He was eventually referred to a physiotherapist as his symptoms started to include headaches and vomiting, which he described as "absolutely debilitating" and "really horrible." He went to a private neurologist appointment that changed everything.

A CT scan revealed that Richard had a brain tumor. He is now waiting to have surgery.

"I went private to get looked at because I couldn't wait any longer; the headaches were debilitating. I wasn't eating or drinking properly. Anytime I did manage to eat something, it came back up," Richard said.

"It's a bit of a shock obviously, because you don't expect these things," he added. "They're going to open my head up and take out as much as they can of the tumor that they found and test it to see if it's malignant or not."

Richard is using a walking stick and a wheelchair because of his right arm's weakness. He has also had to quit his job.

"It's not the start to married life we anticipated," he said about Victoria. "We're quite pragmatic, so we had a little moment and now this is the hand we've been dealt. We need to get on with it."

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He now urges others to go to a doctor if they have any concerns at all or experience uncommon symptoms.

Richard said, "Anything you're not sure about, anything at all, always get checked and don't take no for an answer. Never take your health for granted, ever."

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