A Bournemouth mother has told of the horror of watching her daughter's 'stomach flu' spiral into a life-threatening illness that has ultimately left her disabled.
Two year-old Iyla-Mae returned home from nursery one afternoon in July with what appeared to be a vomiting bug — which was not uncommon for the young child.
But, unlike previous occasions, the vomiting persisted and four days later Iyla-Mae woke up in hysterical tears, unable to move.
Her mother, 27 year-old Paige Coneley, called the NHS 111 helpline, who advised her to take the little girl straight to A&E.
Doctors took CT scans of her brain and spotted signs she was suffering seizures.
Iyla-Mae was blue-lighted 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 about one in 100,000 people a year and is especially prevalent in children.
The condition, CVST, causes a blood clot to form in the network of channels in the brain that are responsible for draining liquid.
The blockage had caused damage to the delicate blood vessels, leading to 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 right and after left) just had a regular vomiting bug. But just four days later on July 14, the tot woke up unable to move, talk or drink — she had lost the ability to do anything but cry
Following the successful operation Iyla-Mae was put on blood thinners and anti-seizure medication for six months and started undergoing intense rehabilitation, but she still has a long way to go
This chain of events is part of a stroke, where the supply of oxygenated blood to the brain is obstructed, causing significant neurological damage.
Doctors are unclear as to whether Iyla Mae's vomiting bug was a pre-cursor or cause of the stroke.
However studies show that prolonged and projectile vomiting can cause extreme hikes in blood pressure, contributing to the formation of blood clots.
It is also known that vomiting, as well as drowsiness, seizures and problems with walking can be initial warning signs of a stroke.
Ms Coneley said the extent of her daughter's brain damage was such that she had to 'learn how to do everything again, from scratch'.
In mid-July, the toddler underwent an operation to reduce the fluid on her brain and remained in intensive care for four days before being moved to the neurosurgical ward at Southampton Children's Hospital where she stayed for 17 weeks.
Doctors warned Ms Coneley that there was a possibility of a second stroke and more bleeding on the brain. The news was devastating: Ms Coneley 'collapsed on the floor by her bed' and 'cried'.
She told MailOnline: 'I got a chair and sat by her bed, held her hand and whispered in her ear "mummy needs you more than you need me come on baby girl".'
'I closed my eyes and all I could picture was me planning her funeral,' she added.
Following the successful operation Iyla-Mae was put on blood thinners and anti-seizure medication for six months and started undergoing intense rehabilitation.
'They've helped her to gain some control of her head, but sometimes it flops down,' said Ms Coneley.
Iyla-Mae was blue-lighted 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 about one in 100,000 people a year and is especially prevalent in children
Ms Coneley is hoping to raise £2,500 to fund her physio and for new adaptations, such as a new pushchair (pictured here before she became ill)
Therapy aimed to help her sit and stand, but she needed to be supported at all times.
Other rehabilitation tasks included teaching Iyla-Mae how to 'push buttons' on her toys.
Speech and language experts also checked to see how well she could swallow. In September she became able to swallow yoghurt, which was some improvement.
But Ms Coneley said her sucking reflex hasn't come back, meaning she is not yet able to drink water from a bottle.
Ms 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 need to be sat behind her to stop 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 met with rounds of applause from staff that have helped her over the last five months.
Despite months of intense rehabilitation Iyla-Mae still has a lot to relearn and Ms Coneley has set up a Go Fund Me page to help fund a private physiotherapist to give her daughter the extra help she needs.
NHS physiotherapists have reduced Iyla-Mae's sessions down from two times a day to just once a week.
'She needs intensive physio to try and get her at least some independence. For example being able to sit on her and play with toys — she can't do that at the moment,' Ms Coneley said.
'I want to do everything I can do get my crazy little girl back.'
