'I dismissed tingling fingers as carpal tunnel - it ended up being much worse'

25 July 2023 , 12:49

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Nia was told her brain was slipping from her skull and down her spine after noticing her hands were tingling (Image: PA Real Life)

A woman recalls how she thought a "tingling" feeling in her finger was just carpal tunnel, but it was far more serious than that.

Nia Redman, 33, was diagnosed with Chiari malformation, which meant her brain was slipping out of her skull and pushing down into her spinal canal. She also had a cyst in her spine.

In December last year, Nia had an operation called posterior fossa decompression where surgeons removed a small section of bone in the back of the skull, relieving pressure by giving the brain more room. They also removed the blockage around the cyst in her spine and patched up the area where her brain was slipping to stabilise it.

Just six months after major surgery Nia Redman has taken part in a fundraiser and walked 600,000 to thank the doctors who treated her.

Nia has raised over £2000 for the hospital that treated her (Collect/PA Real Life)

Nia has walked over 600,000 steps to raise money for the Walton Centre (PA Real Life)

Initially, Nia thought she may have carpal tunnel when she experienced a tingling sensation in her fingers in 2019, reports the Liverpool Echo. After waiting several months for a doctor’s appointment due to Covid, Nia was sent for further tests at Walton Centre in Liverpool, where doctors diagnosed her.

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Nia, 33, says: "I was having tingly fingers. It was happening all the time so I went to the doctor, they thought it could be a carpal tunnel and I was referred to a specialist. It's something you never want in your life and it wasn't what I was expecting. I think it didn't really hit me until they started talking about what they were going to do and that I'd need surgery.

Nia underwent an operation where the surgeon removed a small section of bone in the back of the skull, relieving pressure by giving the brain more room (Collect/PA Real Life)

Nia’s diagnosis of Chiari malformation meant that her brain was slipping out of her skull (PA Real Life)

"Things moved quite quickly and by September, they were able to give me a formal diagnosis, although nothing could have prepared me for just how serious it was." Nia was discharged four days after the operation in December, but she then suffered a leak of spinal fluid from the scar at the back of her head and was readmitted.

She said: "The recovery was actually going OK at first and I was home within four days, but unfortunately I had a leak. I ended up spending a few weeks in hospital and was there over Christmas. I normally spend the day with my mum, dad, brother and extended family. It's a big deal and I'm a big Christmas person so I was gutted to miss out but my family came to visit me on the day."

Despite not being home for the holidays, Nia commented that the staff were "amazing" and made her "feel better with positivity" while she was there.

Nia left hospital in January this year, and will need to return for a scan in 12 months, but said the results of her surgery were looking "positive".

In May this year, Nia walked 600,000 steps after spotting a walking challenge poster in the hospital. Nia says it was her way to "give back" to the place that treated her.

She said: "It gave me something to work towards while I recovered and in May I wanted to raise money for the Walton Centre through the walking challenge. The idea was to raise £100 by walking 100,000 steps, but I got competitive and ended up walking around 600,000 by the time the month ended."

You can donate to Nia's fundraiser here.

Lottie Gibbons