Mother’s strange symptoms after the diagnosis of “Alice in Wonderland syndrome”.

Meet the mom with Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, who lets her believe her body is growing and time is ‘standing still’. Layla Chester, 46, first experienced the bizarre symptoms after going to bed with a migraine during the pandemic.

When she awoke, her depth perception was distorted, which she described as “looking through a telescope backwards”. Her family doctor referred her to a neurologist and after extensive testing, she was diagnosed with the rare condition in July 2020.

Alice in Wonderland syndrome – or Todd syndrome – is a neurological condition that causes disturbances in the perception of sight, touch and time. Layla has been living with the syndrome – named after the experiences of Lewis Carroll’s famous protagonist – for four years.

She claims the episodes can last up to several hours and are triggered by migraines and fatigue. Layla, from Hereford, said she could “literally feel” her body expanding and was forced to sell her dream car after it happened while driving.

She takes three tablets a day to manage her condition. But the mother-of-two admits she still “lives in fear” of an attack, which can leave her feeling “sad, confused and embarrassed”.

Laya, who works in a supermarket, said: “It’s really hard to explain, but when an attack happens it’s terrible. I can literally feel my body growing and there is nothing I can do to stop it.

“I have no sense of distance, so I can’t walk. I had to sell my dream car because I can’t drive anymore if it happens while I’m behind the wheel.

“My perception of time is also affected. I can be having a conversation and then all of a sudden it’s like time has slowed down or stopped and I can’t keep up with what’s being said.

“It’s like there’s a delay on the phone and I’ll answer questions behind time. I dissociate sometimes – I look off into space and it’s like I’m completely gone. It’s really scary and bizarre.”

Layla, who is mum to Lewis, 23, and Ax, 18, said her life was “turned upside down” when she woke up one morning in July 2020 with distorted vision. Fearing she had a brain tumour, Layla consulted her GP, who was left “puzzled” by her peculiar symptoms.

“I was convinced it was a tumor,” Layla said. “It was during covid so I had an appointment over the phone and my GP had no idea what was wrong with me. I was referred to a neurologist and after a brain scan and a lot of back and forth I was finally diagnosed. with Alice in Wonderland syndrome.”

Layla’s Alice in Wonderland syndrome had a huge impact on her life. She can no longer drive and her confidence and mental health have been severely affected. Layla has no idea when an attack will happen, so she is constantly “on edge” just in case.

She said: “It’s really embarrassing when it happens while I’m at work – I have to stop what I’m doing and sit somewhere quiet and wait for it to pass. Sometimes when I walk down the aisles of the supermarket, I’m working, I feel like the shelves are closing in on me.

“It feels so real. I once had an attack at my mother’s house where I thought I was growing and everything around me was shrinking, and to help me calm down, my mother gave me a cup of tea in an Alice in Wonderland mug.

“That really scared me! Sometimes I have olfactory hallucinations, which means I can smell something that’s not there. I’ve woken up in the night thinking it’s a fire, but there’s nothing there.”

Since then, Layla has created a TikTok account and created an online community for other people who also suffer from the syndrome.

Layla said: “I set up a TikTok and talking to other people with Alice in Wonderland has really helped. I’m not going crazy, it’s very real and it’s not just happening to me.”