A Bournemouth mother has told of the horror of watching her daughter’s “stomach flu” turn into a life-threatening illness that ultimately left her disabled.
Two-year-old Iyla-Mae returned home from daycare one July afternoon with what appeared to be a vomiting virus, which was not uncommon for the toddler.
But, unlike previous occasions, the vomiting persisted and four days later Iyla-Mae woke up crying hysterically, unable to move.
Her mother, Paige Coneley, 27, called the NHS 111 helpline, who advised her to take the girl straight to A&E.
Doctors took CT scans of his brain and detected signs that he was having seizures.
Iyla-Mae was sent to a specialist unit at Southampton General Hospital, where doctors confirmed she had suffered cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), a rare form of stroke that affects around one in 100,000 people a year and It is especially common in children.
The condition, CVST, causes a blood clot to form in the network of channels in the brain that are responsible for draining fluid.
The blockage had caused damage to delicate blood vessels, causing swelling and bleeding in the brain.
Paige Coneley, 27, a full-time mum from Poole, thought her daughter Iyla-Mae (pictured before she became ill on the right and then on the left) was simply having regular vomiting. But just four days later, on July 14, the little girl woke up unable to move, speak or drink: she had lost the ability to do anything except cry.
After the successful operation, Iyla-Mae was put on blood thinners and anti-seizure medications for six months and began intense rehabilitation, but she still has a long way to go.
This chain of events is part of a stroke, in which the supply of oxygenated blood to the brain is obstructed, causing significant neurological damage.
Doctors are unclear whether Iyla Mae’s vomiting was a precursor or cause of the stroke.
However, studies show that prolonged and projectile vomiting can cause extreme increases in blood pressure, which contributes to the formation of blood clots.
It is also known that vomiting, as well as drowsiness, seizures, and problems walking can be early warning signs of a stroke.
Coneley said the extent of her daughter’s brain damage was such that she had to “learn to do everything again, from scratch.”
In mid-July, the little girl underwent an operation to reduce the fluid in her brain and remained in intensive care for four days before being transferred to the neurosurgery ward at Southampton Children’s Hospital, where she remained for 17 weeks.
Doctors warned Ms Coneley there was a possibility of a second stroke and more bleeding on the brain. The news was devastating: Mrs Coneley “collapsed on the floor next to her bed” and “cried”.
She told MailOnline: “I grabbed a chair and sat next to her bed, held her hand and whispered in her ear: ‘Mum needs you more than you need me, come on girl.’
“I closed my eyes and the only thing I could imagine was me planning his funeral,” he added.
After the successful operation, Iyla-Mae was put on blood thinners and anti-seizure medications for six months and began undergoing intense rehabilitation.
“They have helped him regain some control of his head, but sometimes it falls off,” Mrs. Coneley said.
Iyla-Mae was sent to a specialist unit at Southampton General Hospital, where doctors confirmed she had suffered cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), a rare form of stroke that affects around one in 100,000 people a year and It is especially common in children.
Mrs Coneley hopes to raise £2,500 to fund her physiotherapist and new adaptations such as a new pram (pictured before she fell ill)
The therapy was aimed at helping her sit and stand, but she needed support at all times.
Other rehabilitation tasks included teaching Iyla-Mae how to “push buttons” on her toys.
Speech and language experts also checked how well he could swallow. In September he was able to swallow yogurt, which marked some improvement.
But Coneley said his sucking reflex hasn’t returned, meaning he still can’t drink water from a bottle.
Coneley said: “She can’t walk still, she can’t sit or stand on her own, she can’t feed herself, she can’t talk and she has to be in a chair at all times.”
‘If you are sitting on the floor, you should sit behind her to prevent her from falling.
“I have to do everything for her.”
Iyla-Mae was discharged from Southampton Children’s Hospital on November 7, where she was greeted with applause from the staff who have helped her over the past five months.
Despite months of intense rehabilitation, Iyla-Mae still has a lot to relearn and Ms. Coneley has created a Go to the Fund Me page to help fund a private physiotherapist to give your daughter the extra help she needs.
NHS physiotherapists have reduced Iyla-Mae’s sessions from twice a day to just once a week.
‘He needs intensive physiotherapy to try to achieve at least some independence. For example, being able to sit on it and play with toys; you can’t do that right now,” Ms. Coneley said.
“I want to do everything I can to get my crazy little girl back.”