Woman, 22, left paralysed and ‘only able to blink’ moments after getting ‘pounding headache’
A young woman has urged people to 'listen to their body' after she became paralysed moments after she began to complain of a pounding headache.
Saskia Bishop, 22, explained she 'couldn't really move' and was 'only able to blink' by way of communication shortly after she began to experience a sharp pain in her head.
The fit and healthy business owner, from Gloucestershire, was visiting her grandma on 21 April when she suddenly felt unwell shortly after she arrived.
"I got a blistering pain in my head," Saskia said. "It hit me like a sharp pain, and then I could almost hear a flat line beeping in my head.
Advert
"It was so consuming, I couldn't think about anything else. My dad told me to go lie down and I immediately threw up. I could basically only blink.
"I couldn't really move. If I stood up, I would've just collapsed."
Despite being hyper-aware that 'something wasn't right', as her ability to speak began to falter, the self-described 'chatterbox' said she 'couldn't communicate' this with anyone.
Thankfully, Saskia's family realised that she needed swift medical attention and her dad rushed her to Gloucester Royal Hospital's A&E department.
Doctors then discovered she had a large blood clot on her brain, which had caused her to suffer a stroke.
The 22-year-old was promptly transferred to Southmead Hospital's intensive care unit in Bristol, where further tests found she had a rare brain condition known as an arteriovenous malformation (AVM).
According to the NHS, an AVM is a tangle of blood vessels in the brain or on the brain surface, which causes blood to bypass the usual network of vessels, instead flowing directly from arteries to veins.
The condition can lead to a number of complications, including haemorrhages, hydrocephalus and strokes.
Explaining why an AVM can trigger this, the NHS states: "Blood rushes quickly through the altered path because it isn't slowed down by channels of smaller blood vessels. Surrounding brain tissues can't easily absorb oxygen from the fast-flowing blood. Without enough oxygen, brain tissues may weaken or die off completely."
Saskia underwent a seven-hour surgery to remove both the AVM and the surrounding blood clot in her brain in a procedure known as a craniotomy.
Although the operation was a success, she remained in hospital for two weeks, during which time she was still unable to regain her ability to speak.
But since then, her verbal communication skills have gradually returned - however, she isn't completely out of the woods yet.
"I'm such a chatterbox, I thought, 'Nothing is going to stop me from speaking'," Saskia joked. "When I got my speech back it was gradual.
"It was frustrating that I couldn't get my point across and sometimes it takes me a while to answer. It's still coming back.
"I've made a strong recovery but if I go long distance, I need a wheelchair. A load of my head is numb now.
"I get shooting pains where my scar is and my whole head aches, but other than that, I'm very lucky I don't have any other defects.
"Everyone kept saying I was lucky and I feel grateful I survived and I can walk and talk. It could've been fatal."
Saskia has since discovered that she was born with an AVM, although a lot of people 'go their whole life without knowing' that they have it.
"I'm kind of lucky I had it when I did because the recovery is so much easier when you're younger," she said. "I would say to other people, your age doesn't protect you from anything - so listen to your body.
"I had absolutely no symptoms or changes in my health. There was literally nothing to suggest it was going to happen until the day that it happened.
"You know if something is severely wrong."
Olivia Burke