04-08-2025
"My work stress headache was actually rare brain disease which left me paralysed"
A 'fit and healthy' woman was left paralysed after headaches she thought were 'work stress' turned out to be signs of an ultra-rare brain disease. Alicja Faryniarz, 44, said she knew something 'wasn't right' but her symptoms were constantly dismissed by doctors as migraines or sinus problems. The accountant began suffering from severe headaches during her 20s which led to fainting episodes and extreme fatigue. However each time she went to her GP, she says they "brushed it aside" and prescribed her with painkillers despite her suffering "intense pain". It wasn't until September last year that her brain disease was picked up when she suffered a stroke while playing a tennis match. Alicja collapsed on the court and was taken to hospital where she was diagnosed with brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM). AVM affects less than 1 per cent of Brits and is caused by tangled blood vessels that create irregular connections between arteries and veins in the brain. They are usually congenital, but they can form later in life, and people with the disease rarely show symptoms, according to the NHS. Alicja had a three inch AVM which ruptured and paralysed the right side of her body and also left her in a coma for three days. She is now warning of the "hidden" dangers of the rare condition which she had no idea she was born with.
