Phoebe was just 21 when she suffered a stoke which left her having to learn to walk and talk again
A young woman had to relearn how to walk and talk after what she initially believed was a severe headache turned out to be a stroke – potentially linked to both her condition and the pill. At just 21 years old, Phoebe O’Shaughnessy, now 22, began experiencing excruciating headaches so intense that she was unable to eat.
When she started having absent seizures, she was admitted to hospital where she lost her ability to speak. A CT scan confirmed she had suffered a stroke, leaving her bedridden and dependent on tube feeding for four days.
Tests later revealed the stroke had been caused by her autoimmune condition – ulcerative colitis. Phoebe, an administrative assistant, from Sevenoaks, Kent, said: “I was admitted to Maidstone Hospital, Kent.
“I was completely non-verbal, and experiencing absent seizures. When I woke up, I was unable to speak or walk, and the right side of my face had fallen.”
Reflecting on how it all began, Phoebe shared that she started experiencing headaches four days before her stroke in April 2024. She recalled, “The headaches came on suddenly, and no medication was easing the pain.”
“By the fourth day I couldn’t keep any medicine down due to the pain, and asked my mum to take me to hospital. They took me in, carried out a cranial nerve exam and weren’t worried about the headache, but took me in to monitor my colitis flare. I do not remember anything past the cranial nerve exam.”
Eventually, she was diagnosed with cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), a rare type of stroke caused by a blood clot in the brain’s venous sinuses. Phoebe spent 21 in hospital and tests revealed the stroke had been caused by her ulcerative colitis.
She said: “I was in the hyper acute stroke unit at Maidstone originally, and then the acute stroke unit once I was able to walk and talk again.”
Phoebe was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes inflammation and ulcers in the gut, in September 2019. The condition led to frequent vomiting, and she had switched to a new medication just a week before her stroke.
Her combined oral contraceptive pill and corticosteroids were also considered as ‘contributing factors’ to her stroke.
Phoebe said: “There probably should be more conversations about inflammatory bowel disease and clotting, and whether you want to take the risk of taking additional medication with side effects of clotting.”
Phoebe remains positive despite her traumatic experience. And she advised those with inflammatory bowel diseases to “always advocate for yourself”.
She said: “Whilst doctors are very intelligent and educated people, they aren’t living in your body. If you think something is wrong, you need to be persistent.
“I cope with the pain and physical symptoms, not because I’m really strong or amazing or anything, but because I don’t have another choice. I think the worst part of IBD is how it can mess up your life plans.
“It’s hard to commit to anything because your situation can change at the drop of a hat.” After the traumatic event, Phoebe raised £1,385 for Crohn’s and Colitis UK, and Headway – a brain injury association.
Phoebe wants to see more research and resource for IBD. She said: “There is certainly room for improvement.”
CEO of Crohn’s and Colitis UK, Marianne Radcliffe, said: “We know many people with Crohn’s or Colitis still face unmet needs in care, support, and understanding from the broader community and healthcare system. IBD services are overstretched and under-resourced, which is having a damaging impact on the mental and physical health of those living with the conditions.
“We need everyone to do their bit to confront the urgent issues facing IBD care.” Dr Paul Ames of Queen Mary University of London said: “Inflammatory bowel disease is characterised by an increased risk in clotting, the causes of which are poorly understood.”
