{"id":518710,"date":"2026-04-08T02:15:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T02:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/518710\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T02:15:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T02:15:16","slug":"cardiff-woman-uses-chat-gpt-to-uncover-rare-condition-doctor-thought-was-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/518710\/","title":{"rendered":"Cardiff woman uses Chat GPT to uncover rare condition doctor thought was anxiety"},"content":{"rendered":"

Phoebe Tesoriere lost her hair and ended up in a coma. After putting her symptoms into Chat GPT, the bot threw up a likely cause which actually turned out to be correct\"An<\/p>\n

Phoebe Tesoriere, 23, from Cardiff, ended up badly ill in hospital and entered a coma before she discovered her diagnosis herself(Image: SWNS)<\/p>\n

A woman turned to Chat GPT to help identify her rare condition by entering her symptoms after her stiff legs were attributed to anxiety.<\/p>\n

Phoebe Tesoriere, 23, from Cardiff<\/a>, had always experienced difficulties with her walking, which was initially attributed to the absence of her left hip socket, a condition she has since undergone bone grafts to address.<\/p>\n

She continued to experience an abnormal gait and spent four years being incorrectly diagnosed with numerous conditions \u2013 amongst them anxiety and Todd’s Paralysis \u2013 where the legs can become rigid and stiff following seizures.<\/p>\n

Despite a seizure in 2025 leaving her in a coma for 48 hours and unable to walk properly, she was discharged and received a letter from her doctor stating that should she return to hospital, she was to be treated as a mental health<\/a> patient.<\/p>\n

A “frustrated” Phoebe turned to Chat GPT and entered all her existing symptoms \u2013 being doubly incontinent, loss of sensation below her belly button and elbows, locked ankles, no reflexes or hyper reflexes, epilepsy, hair loss, and an inability to walk.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

Phoebe said she was glad to have got to the bottom of what her condition is but it’s been hard to come to terms with(Image: SWNS)<\/p>\n

The tool indicated Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia \u2013 a broad term encompassing a group of rare inherited disorders that cause weakness and stiffness in the leg muscles, with symptoms gradually worsening over time.<\/p>\n

After presenting her findings to her GP, Phoebe underwent genetic testing which confirmed in August 2025 that she had the complex quadriplegic type of the condition \u2013 meaning it affects all four limbs. It was confirmed that following a diagnosis of MRSA as a three-day-old baby, Phoebe’s gene mutated and triggered her condition.<\/p>\n

She is now fundraising to afford a specialist wheelchair to help her adapt to her diagnosis.<\/p>\n

Phoebe, a former SEN teacher, said: “It was such a bittersweet moment to be diagnosed after being told it was anxiety. To go from that to a matter of weeks later being told actually you’ve got this condition which will change your whole life.<\/p>\n

“It’s one of those things where I’m happy to have my diagnosis because it made sense but I’d rather it be anything else but this. People think ‘oh she just can’t walk’. Or ‘it’s a massive thing she’s had but at least it’s not a spinal cord injury’. It is, and it’s progressive.<\/p>\n

“At night I have to wear splints on my arms to keep them functioning as long as possible. There is no treatment but my doctors hope they can slow the progression, but there’s nothing they can do to stop it.”<\/p>\n

Throughout her childhood Phoebe had persistently struggled with “odd symptoms” such as an abnormal gait and hypermobility, which led to physiotherapy and assessments for conditions including dyspraxia.<\/p>\n

She received an epilepsy diagnosis in February 2022 after collapsing at work, and was subsequently admitted to hospital with suspected appendicitis, during which she was unable to feel her legs \u2014 though following a clear MRI, she recalls being told she had “probably just got anxiety”. Following difficulties walking, doctors informed her she had Todd’s Paralysis in December 2024.<\/p>\n

Phoebe tumbled down the stairs at home after suffering a seizure and found herself unable to walk in January 2025, requiring an emergency hospital visit where a presumed spinal cord injury was identified \u2013 which was subsequently confirmed to be abnormalities caused by HSP.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

Following her diagnosis things are starting to improve slowly for Phoebe(Image: SWNS)<\/p>\n

Two months of physiotherapy in hospital enabled her to walk once more, however Phoebe’s hair began falling out in June 2025, prompting her to shave her head.<\/p>\n

“When I was in physio and I started walking everyone was like ‘this is unheard of’ and ‘it’s a miracle’ kind of thing,” she said.<\/p>\n

“In June 2025 my hair just fell out. It was falling out in clumps. I kept going to the doctors but they were putting it down to stress but clumps were coming out.<\/p>\n

“Then they started saying my epilepsy medication was causing my hair to fall out. Around June 8 I decided to shave it off \u2013 I literally had no hair left.”<\/p>\n

During a further episode in which she experienced a seizure while asleep and her partner Georgia, 24, was unable to rouse her, Phoebe was readmitted to hospital where she remained in a coma for 48 hours.<\/p>\n

She recalled a neurologist telling her upon waking that she had neither a spinal cord injury nor epilepsy, attributing her condition to anxiety and trauma.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

Phoebe is now starting to look more like herself(Image: SWNS)<\/p>\n

Following her discharge Phoebe turned to Chat GPT to investigate her symptoms \u2013 and Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia emerged as a possibility. She recalled: “I thought: ‘I have all the symptoms, surely I should be tested for this.’ I thought I’d just go to the doctors – the worst thing they could say is no.<\/p>\n

“We did genetic testing and it came back I had the condition which explained everything. It turns out I had MRSA as a baby and when I spoke to a specialist in it he said basically there was an MRI when I was 15 on my hip that showed signs of my nerves deteriorating in that, but doctors would not have known to pick it up.<\/p>\n

“There are loads of side effects like speech issues and early dementia. It’s such a rare disease nobody knows about it and mine is one of the rarest you can have.”<\/p>\n

Phoebe is now solely reliant on her partner Georgia to navigate the stairs in their rented two-bedroom home. As a result of being incontinent, she must catheterise herself six times daily and has been unable to return to employment.<\/p>\n

She attends physiotherapy once a week and is exploring the possibility of Botox injections that could potentially improve her mobility. Her sister Yasmin, 32, has launched a fundraiser to assist in purchasing a specialist wheelchair for Phoebe.<\/p>\n

Phoebe added: “I need a specific back on my wheelchair to support my spine and stop it deteriorating. I want to stay as independent as I can and obviously the type the NHS<\/a> give you, you can’t push yourself.” You can donate to the fundraiser here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said: “We are sorry to hear about Phoebe’s experience while in our care and recognise how difficult the process of obtaining a diagnosis has been for her and her family.<\/p>\n

“As it would be inappropriate to comment on an individual patient case, we are unable to comment further. Phoebe is welcome to contact our concerns team should she wish to discuss any aspect of the care she received at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.”<\/p>\n

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