Woman’s Seizure ‘Saved My Life’ After Learning Her ‘Subtle’ Symptoms Were Signs of Rare Brain Disorder

After spending most of her life with symptoms she thought were “quirks,” a woman discovered she actually had a rare brain disorder.

Charlie Rolstone — a jewelry business owner from Hertfordshire, England — recalled dealing with “subtle” symptoms like motion sickness and migraines. She ignored them over the years and assumed she would grow out of it.

“I've suffered with migraines since I was a teen,” she told South West News Service, via The Daily Mail. “Whenever I cough, I get a very piercing pain in my head; covering the back of my skull. It only lasts for maybe 30 seconds, but it's enough to make me grab my head.”

“I can't even shout, or raise my voice without getting a headache,” she said. “These were symptoms I knew to be there, but I thought they were normal.”

However, in September 2021, Rolstone’s symptoms worsened and she suddenly collapsed at her home.

“No one saw me actually collapse,” she recalled. “I'd been up the entire night before, making a cake for my friend's son, and I was feeling tired. I locked my back door, went into the living room, and started feeling a way I've never felt before. I was very spaced out; like everything was moving in slow-motion. It was so different from the kind of fuzziness you feel from a lack of sleep.”

“I walked as far as my sofa and it intensified. Next thing I know, I'm in the back of an ambulance,” she told the outlet.

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Rolstone’s partner discovered her on the ground and immediately called for an ambulance. When she woke up, doctors explained that she had suffered a seizure.

Several tests and an MRI later revealed that Rolstone had epilepsy, and she was diagnosed with Chiari malformation, a rare condition in which brain tissue grows into the spinal canal and part of the skull presses on the brain and forces it downward, according to the Mayo Clinic.

The condition, which occurs due to a portion of the skull being misshapen or too small, can cause symptoms like headaches, dizziness and vertigo, weak muscles, difficulty with balance or coordination, neck pain, trouble swallowing or breathing, insomnia, seizures, slow heart rhythm and more.

Severe symptoms and certain types of Chiari malformation can be fatal, the Cleveland Clinic says.

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Following her diagnosis, Rolstone was referred to the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, where staff will monitor her symptoms “for the rest of my life.” She admitted that the condition has drastically impacted her life.

“I can't work a nine-to-five, and my partner has become my full-time carer,” she said. “I struggle to watch TV because I get motion sickness symptoms if the camera zooms too quickly.”

There is no cure for Chiari malformations, but symptoms can be managed. Rolstone regularly takes painkillers for her migraines and limits screen time to avoid motion sickness. She was also prescribed epilepsy medication and has been seizure-free for 21 months.

Despite the everyday challenges, Rolstone told the outlet that she’s grateful her condition was diagnosed and she was able to get on top of her health.

“I don't know the full extent of the damage the condition has done, but I'm glad we've caught it now,” she added. “That seizure saved my life.”

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