Grace Pammant, 35, from Pudsey, West Yorkshire, thought her intense headaches were caused by eye strain from work – but was later diagnosed with a rare brain condition that could leave her blind
A seamstress attributed her severe headaches to eye strain from her job – only to learn her brain is being compressed due to a rare condition that could rob her of her sight.
Grace Pammant, 35, says she originally brushed off the discomfort as a consequence of lengthy shifts bent over a microscope stitching minuscule seams. However, within months, the mother-of-five from Pudsey, West Yorkshire, found herself doubled up in distress, whisked to hospital and diagnosed with a condition that can result in permanent vision loss.
She said: “I started having quite intense headaches, but I didn’t think much of it. At the time, my work involved looking down a microscope and sewing tiny stiches all day, so I thought it was probably just some eye strain. But it didn’t let up. It got worse and I was literally curled up in a ball on the sofa – I couldn’t move.”
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Grace received her diagnosis last May of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). The condition causes pressure to accumulate within the skull, prompting debilitating headaches and visual difficulties.
Without treatment, the pressure can harm the optic nerves and result in blindness. Grace was additionally informed she had Chiari malformation type 1, where a portion of the brain is forced into the spinal column.
She said: “I went for a test and the optician told me that my optical nerves were swollen. They said I needed to get to hospital within an hour. I started panicking because I didn’t know what it all meant.”
Medics ruled out a brain tumour before diagnosing dangerously elevated pressure within her skull. Despite powerful medication, Grace says her symptoms have deteriorated – and her eyesight has started to decline. She said: “The medication itself is quite nasty and gives you all sorts of side effects.
“It doesn’t always work either – and that has been the case for me. I was still having crazy headaches. Then, my vision started to go funny. That’s the biggest risk – you can go blind.”
The illness has compelled Grace to abandon the career she’s pursued since childhood – leaving her heartbroken and worried she may not witness her children growing up. She said: “It’s had a huge knock on my confidence because now I can’t work. I was quite depressed because sewing is what I’ve done all my life. It’s what I enjoy. But I can’t see what I’m doing now.”
She added: “I’ve been asking myself, how bad is this going to get? I’ve got five kids. I don’t want it to stop me from seeing my children. It’s devastating.”
Grace is now largely confined to bed and finds basic everyday activities challenging. She says she frequently feels dizzy and unsteady, and no longer considers it safe to venture outside unaccompanied.
Grace said: “Now, I have reached a stone wall with the neurologists and doctors, because I’m on all the medication they can throw at me, but it’s not working.” She is desperately attempting to raise £20,000 for private surgery to ease the pressure on her brain – something she fears she cannot wait years for on the NHS.
Grace said: “I’m out of work, so the cost seemed unattainable. I didn’t want to ask for help, but I thought it was worth trying.”
Her fundraiser can be found here.
