The 45-year-old mum was told she needed caffeine to beat the crippling effects

A mum who experienced severe headaches that progressed to vomiting and being “housebound for nine weeks” was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition affecting five in every 100,000 people annually that forced her to consume three coffees, a caffeine tablet and a Coke Zero every day to manage her symptoms.

Sapna Bidwall, 45, an accountant living in Milton Keynes, was diagnosed in January 2024 with Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension (SIH), a type of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak, where there is a small hole in the outer membrane that causes the brain to sag downwards, according to The Brain Charity.

As a result, Sapna started experiencing headaches from the age of 42 in July 2023 that her doctor prescribed physiotherapy for, but her symptoms escalated to migraines, as well as frequent vomiting, nausea, and loss of appetite that led to hospitalisation on December 29. Sapna underwent a series of scans and she was diagnosed with SIH before she was told she could manage her symptoms by consuming caffeine. This can help constrict blood vessels and increase CSF production, according to complex spinal surgeon Gordan Grahovac.

In March 2025, aged 44, Sapna decided to have a thoracic laminoplasty procedure to seal the leak, which is when she found out the hole was 10mm wide. In the aftermath of this three-hour surgery, Sapna said she is 98% recovered and has returned to normal life, including no longer being “caffeine dependent”.

Sapna told PA Real Life: “People really don’t understand what a CSF leak is and patients are ignored. “I know so many people who have been told they’ve just got migraines, when it goes deeper. I feel really sad about that because it’s a condition that people are just so unaware about,” she added.

Sapna said her symptoms came on without warning in July 2023 while on a family holiday in Croatia with her husband, Palvinder, and her daughter, Diya, 13. She said she assumed it was “just dehydration”, but she felt “really sick” the next day with nausea and ended up vomiting.

Trying to persist with the holiday, Sapna attempted a 45-minute hike that she “really struggled” with so she “went to lie down” and that is when she noticed her symptoms were much better. She didn’t realise it at the time, but CSF leak symptoms are usually “remarkably worse when standing or sitting upright and lessen or disappear when lying flat”, according to The Brain Charity.

The headaches persisted after Sapna returned to the UK so she went to her GP, who referred her to a physiotherapist. The sessions “weren’t really helping” and at this stage, Sapna believed her condition might be menopausal or from using her phone before bed.

Sapna went on two more holidays – Tanzania in October 2023 and the Turks and Caicos Islands in December – where she noticed her symptoms would worsen. During the latter, she said: “I think it was day two when I went on the water slides there and then I woke up the next day and I felt my head was blasting.

“It was really quite bad and intense and that’s when I thought there must be something seriously wrong. Luckily, because I was lying down a lot, I managed to get back to the UK, but I wasn’t feeling right.”

By December 29 – just days after returning from holiday – she was still “really struggling” so she went to her GP and said: “My head is bursting and there’s definitely something wrong. I feel there’s a tumor.”

Sapna’s GP advised her to go to A&E, where she said she was admitted and had a CT scan and two MRIs over the course of a week. On January 2, 2024, Sapna was told that she had “brain sag” and received her diagnosis of spontaneous intracranial hypotension, which she was advised could be helped with rest and caffeine.

Sapna thought to herself at the time: “What sort of condition encourages you to have Coke?” She added that she “never used to drink a lot of coffee” then, so she decided to take that up.

“I started realising, if I’m having caffeine towards the end of the day, around six o’clock, I’m not waking up with a headache,” Sapna said. “So I started making all these adjustments to make myself better.” Sapna was also encouraged to stay at home for at least nine weeks to see if her condition improved, which she described as “like being in prison”.

During this time, Sapna looked up her SIH diagnosis online and found a Facebook group for people with CSF leaks, where she began “asking so many questions” for support. It was through this group that she decided to see a private consultant neuroradiologist named Lalani Carlton Jones in March 2024.

After two myelograms – an imaging test that uses contrast dye to identify where in the spine the leak originates from – Dr Carlton Jones referred Sapna to consultant neurosurgeon Dr Grahovac. In June 2024, Dr Grahovac looked at Sapna’s tests and said her leak was “really small” and that it “might self-heal” so he recommended just monitoring it.

Three months later, a follow-up MRI revealed it was still leaking, so Sapna had to decide if she wanted to go through with spinal surgery. Sapna said: “It was now a year after my headaches started and I was still suffering.

“If I didn’t have caffeine, my life was just not possible. I was caffeine-dependent.”

So Sapna took some time to weigh up the risks of the thoracic laminoplasty surgery and decided to go ahead with it in March 2025. Sapna said she “wasn’t nervous on the day” because she felt “110% confident” in Dr Grahovac.

After the three-hour successful surgery, Sapna said she found out her leak was 10mm but that she was a “functional leaker”, meaning she was “still able to do so much” compared to other people she has spoken to via her Facebook support group.

The next day after her surgery, Sapna woke up and was surprised to not have a headache, especially because she had not had any caffeine. My whole journey after surgery has been brilliant,” Sapna said. “I have never, ever woken up with a headache.”

As for her caffeine intake, she said: “I’m not caffeine dependent anymore, but I’ve now got a taste of coffee, so I do like having one every now and then.”

Sapna added: “I can say all the positive words in the dictionary to express my gratitude to Dr Carlton Jones and Dr Grahovac. I know I’ve got life because of them and I have a second chance. It’s like I’ve won a lottery.”

Charlie Appleyard, a highly talented tattoo artist in London, has rented all her life — at huge costs — and, though she is desperate to own a home, she faces challenges

A late millenial has lifted the lid on the bleak choice her generation faces — cheaper rent or “a safer area to walk home alone at night”.

Charlie Appleyard, 32, is desperate to own a property but, though she has had a meteoric career as a tattoo artist, she is struggling to be able to find enough money for a mortgage. Charlie has rented all her life and, although she budgets and is wise with her money, the young woman feels it is likely she will “live like a nomad” forever.

The self-employed tattoo artist said: “These days, my generation has to choose between cheaper rent and a safer area to walk home alone at night. Of course, I want to own my own home. I dream of owning my own home, making it lovely, having a garden and surrounding myself with my own beautiful things.

“But it is impossible. The main reason is cost – in the 1990s, a small flat around here would have cost £70,000 to £150,000 – now, it is over £500,000. Wages have simply not increased proportionately.”

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With elections this week, young people have stated housing remains a big issue likely to influence their vote. A recent survey of adults aged 28 to 43 revealed 26% have yet to become homeowners — despite previously assuming they would have by this stage — with 68% of those currently renting and 23% still residing with relatives.

Many of this 26%, such as Charlie, live in the Southeast of London where property prices are significantly greater than elsewhere in the UK. Charlie also commutes from Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, into central London, adding another large expense on her outgoings.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Charlie said: “I am feeling distinctly left behind. The only consolation is looking around and realising it definitely isn’t just me. But nor does it feel like a ‘phase’ or a ‘current crisis’. This is the way things are, and if anything, it is going to get more and more difficult. I think we may well be the generation of eternal renters.

“When I mention buying a home to all my friends, I get the same response — an eye-roll and a hollow laugh. I feel a bit as if I am living like a nomad — flitting from one insecure perch to another.”

The Home Builders Federation (HBF) reports Gen Z may never own a home. Young people today would have to pay six times more for their first home than their parents. Indeed, Charlie’s mother Diana bought her irst one-bedroom flat in Bowdon, south Manchester, when she was 25 for £29,000 and, at Charlie’s age, Diana and her husband Ross were owners of a four-bedroomed farm conversion in Alcester, Warwickshire.

But today’s first-time buyer has to find a deposit which is, on average, twice their yearly salary — £60,000. This is on top of the fact that the average salary — while rising, obviously — has barely doubled since the 1990s, from £15,034 to £37,430.

This is compounded by new research which shows only one in 10 newly built homes reaches the open sales market. Figures from estate agent CRM providers Alto, combined with ONS statistics, revealed the vast majority of new build properties don’t reach the open market for Brits to purchase.

A man who regularly walks his dog in the woodland has said it is ‘disgusting’

Part of a woodland next to a recycling centre has become a “dumping ground” for scrap metal and other rubbish. Andy Jones, who lives in Arbury, enjoys walking his dog in the woodlands next to Milton Recycling Centre.

However, Andy says part of the woodland is “disgusting” as it is a hotspot for fly-tipping. Every time he goes past this part of the woodland, there are hauls of scrap metal dumped, as well as fridges in ditches and other electrical items.

“I love the woods but it’s so bad – it’s getting worse,” said Andy. “I think it’s always been like that. I think it’s known as a dumping ground. There is all kinds of stuff there. There are ditches filled with stagnant water because the fridges in them are blocking the flow of water.”

Andy finds it “sad” that the area has been left like this. He added: “It’s a nice area, but all of this illegal dumping is ruining the environment. I don’t think many people go there now because of all of the stuff there.”

The woodlands are located next to Milton Recycling Centre, which is used for household waste.

Andy added: “All of this stuff looks like it’s for business use. Maybe people are dumping it there because they don’t want to pay the cost of getting rid of it?”

South Cambridgeshire Council oversees waste collection and fly tipping for the area. However, a council spokesperson said the woodland was privately owned.

A council spokesperson said: “While we understand how upsetting dumped waste can be for residents, the land in question is privately owned and not within our control. Under national government guidance, responsibility for clearing waste on private land rests with the landowner, regardless of the type of waste or how it came to be there.

“We would encourage the landowner to seek advice from the Environment Agency or get in touch with us on the appropriate next steps.”

CambridgeshireLive was unable to contact the private landowner.

United Airlines Flight 169 was landing when it struck a light pole on the adjacent turnpike and footage has emerged which shows the plane also struck a bakery truck

Terrifying footage has captured the moment a passenger jet hit a truck while coming in to land and a major US airport.

United Airlines Flight 169 was landing at Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday, May 3, when it struck a light pole on the adjacent New Jersey Turnpike, as previously reported by the Mirror. New footage has emerged which shows the plane also struck a bakery truck.

The flight, which was arriving from Venice, Italy, was approaching Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey to land. The United Airlines Boeing 767 was travelling more than 257km per hour when it crossed over the turnpike, just outside of the airport, according to flight tracking site Flightradar24.

A preliminary investigation found that a tyre from the plane’s landing gear and the underside of the plane “collided with a pole and a tractor-trailer. The pole then struck a Jeep,” New Jersey State Police spokesman SFC Charles Marchan said in a statement.

“The driver of the tractor-trailer sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to an area hospital.”

Dashcam footage from within the bakery truck showed the driver travelling. The truck was travelling north on the turnpike to deliver bread products to a Newark airport depot when the incident occurred.

The plane’s landing gear tires suddenly strike the truck, shaking the vehicle and shattering glass.

Driver Warren Boardley was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and was later released.

Nobody on the flight was injured.

The pilots and air traffic control did not appear to be aware of the incident, an Australian news site reported.

The aircraft was instructed to taxi to the gate while other aircrafts continued to land on the runway.

Air traffic controllers reported a “hole in the side of the aeroplane” to an operations vehicle preparing to inspect the runway about half an hour after the landing.

A spokesperson for United Airlines said its maintenance team was evaluating damage to the aircraft and promised “a rigorous flight safety investigation into the incident”.

The plane’s crew has been removed from service as part of the investigation.

The victim also received a photo and a video of a male masturbating

A Co Down man who used his girlfriend’s Facebook profile to send explicit images and messages to one of her friends has been handed a four-month prison sentence.

On Friday at Newtownards Magistrates’ Court, a prosecuting lawyer outlined that the victim received multiple messages, a photo, and a video, purportedly from her friend, on 16 July 2024.

She described how the messages included asking the woman “if she shaved,” how many times she has had intercourse and “what’s the biggest she’s had.”

After the victim also received a photo and a video of a male masturbating, she contacted police and their enquiries led them to 33-year-old Liam Faloon.

At an earlier hearing Faloon, with an address on the Ballyrainey Road in Ards, admitted two charges including sending an unwanted sexual image and sending material which was “grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing nature.”

The charges disclose that Faloon sent images to the complainant without any reasonable belief she was consenting, while either intending to cause her “humiliation, alarm or distress” or intending to gain sexual gratification for himself.

Faloon was due to be dealt with last Tuesday, but defence counsel Sean O’Hare revealed that at that time, the 33-year-old was appearing in Dungannon Court for breaching his Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

In that case, the court heard that Faloon moved from Ards to live with relatives in Tempo, but he failed to alert his Designated Risk Manager and failed to seek permission for the move.

He also failed to get permission to have the mobile phone he was found in possession of.

On Tuesday, Faloon was handed a two-month prison sentence after he admitted the SOPO breaches.

The SOPO was put in place in August 2023 when Faloon was sentenced for offences of sexual communication and sexual assault of child.

When he was sentenced at Belfast Crown Court in August 2023, the court heard how Faloon and the 16-year-old victim had been at a Christening and that he had made “inappropriate jokes” in the chapel.

At a function after the event, Faloon hugged the girl and French kissed her but when she tried to push him away, he held her tight for a few seconds before letting her go.

The court also heard that before that incident, Faloon had sent the child sexualised social media messages.

For those offences, Faloon was handed a 30-month prison sentence but he walked out of court when Judge Paul Ramsey KC suspended it for two years.

In Ards Court on Friday, Mr O’Hare conceded that Faloon is in breach of that suspended sentence, which will now be referred back to the Crown Court for review.

Imposing a four-month prison sentence for sending the explicit material, District Judge Peter Magill told Faloon “this was revolting behaviour.”

“This must’ve been very offensive to this lady,” said the judge, also imposing a three-year restraining order.

The 33-year-old remains on the police Sex Offenders Register for an indefinite period.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter .

YORK readers have been split down the middle after a letter called for traditional butcher’s shops to return to Shambles – the city’s most famous historic street, now synonymous with Harry Potter-inspired stores, ghost merchandise and wizarding window displays.

While some mourn the loss of food traders and everyday shops for locals, others argue that nostalgia alone cannot reverse economic reality – and that the street’s modern success should be celebrated, not dismantled.

One reader recalled a time when specialist food shops still had a foothold on the Shambles. “Dewhurst’s was still there until about twenty years back,” wrote one commenter. “They couldn’t compete with supermarket butchers. More is the shame.”

Others were far less sentimental. One bluntly dismissed the idea altogether, arguing that “people are eating less meat and go to supermarkets”, suggesting the call to bring back butchers was out of touch with how people shop today.

But for many, the issue runs far deeper than sausages and steaks.

Subscriber John Henderson launched a stinging attack on what he described as the hollowing out of York city centre, blaming decision‑makers for prioritising tourism over residents.

“Yes, we need quirky commercially proven shops,” he wrote, “but this is still York city centre and should be there to provide for the people of York.” He argued that traditional businesses such as butchers and bakeries have been “priced out”, replaced by student accommodation, hotels and novelty shops aimed squarely at visitors.

Several readers agreed that locals are being sidelined – but disagreed on who is to blame.

Shambles in York. Image: Dylan Connell

One pointed out that no single body decides what opens on Shambles. “The market chooses,” they said, adding that once planning consent is in place, it comes down to who can afford the rent.

Another commenter was more scathing about calls for a return to the past. “You want old‑fashioned butchers and bakeries? Get off your backside and open them,” they wrote – a sentiment repeated more than once.

Others argued that Shambles’ transformation should be seen as a success story. One reader said the street had been losing its traditional identity decades ago, long before wizard shops arrived, citing poor parking and “soulless out‑of‑town shopping” as the real culprits.

Read more:

“We shouldn’t dismiss the modern recreation of the Shambles,” they wrote. “It is now highly successful and those that have brought this about deserve much praise.” In contrast, they criticised City of York Council for wider decline elsewhere in the city centre.

The debate also reignited strong feelings about the so‑called Harry Potter shops themselves. One reader defended the original wizard‑themed store, describing it as a clever and legally savvy idea that became an instant hit when it opened in 2017.

Under a free‑market system, they argued, the shop has every right to be there.

“This isn’t a political issue,” the commenter added. “It’s pure economics.”

Others injected a dose of historical reality into the discussion, questioning whether people really want Shambles to return to its original form. One asked whether today’s shoppers would tolerate carcasses hanging outside shopfronts, or animals being slaughtered on site – practices that were once commonplace on the medieval street.

Several readers also noted that traditional food traders haven’t disappeared entirely. “There is a perfectly good butcher stall… in Newgate Market within 50 yards of the Shambles,” one pointed out.

In the end, the comments reveal a city wrestling with a familiar question: should York’s most famous street serve daily life for locals, or capitalise on the tourism that keeps it thriving?

For now, Shambles remains what the market has made it – and York’s readers remain anything but united on whether that should change.

What do you think?

Feel strongly about an issue? Write us a letter. Please write no more than 250 words and you must provide your full name, address and mobile number. Send your views by email to: letters@thepress.co.uk

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Too often, women are told to ‘sit like a lady’, which usually results in one knee being crossed over the other.

If I had to bet on it, I’d guess you’re sitting in this exact position now, while reading this. Am I right?

For some, sitting this way is just comfortable, but for others, it’s about modesty. And a few will have had it drilled into them that it’s the most ‘lady-like’ way to sit. Sigh.

Some celebs, such as Billie Eilish and Lady Gaga have rebelled against this notion, being praised for adopting more ‘masculine’ seating positions during interviews.

If you’re thinking of doing the same and spreading out on your seat, we’ve got even more reason for you to do so, as experts warn this ‘lady like’ position could actually be damaging your health.

Why is sitting with one knee over the other bad for you?

Anisha Joshi, an osteopath with two decades of clinical experience, tells Metro that the reason this particular position is considered harmful is because of one primary reason: ‘asymmetry.’

She explains: ‘Sitting cross-legged on a chair rotates one hip while the other stays relatively neutral, which means one side of your pelvis, hip, and lower back is working differently to the other.

‘Over time, that imbalance may contribute to tightness in the hip rotators, uneven load through the lower spine, and discomfort that people often can’t immediately trace back to how they’ve been sitting.’

Another thing to consider is blood flow.

When you cross your legs, particularly at the knee, it can temporarily increase blood pressure as the top leg exerts pressure on the veins of the bottom leg.

What is the best position to sit in?

If you’re going to be seated for a long stretch, there’s an alternative option for you.

Anisha says: ‘A good starting point is both feet flat on the floor, knees roughly at hip height or lower, and your lower back lightly supported.’

However, she adds that ‘movement is really what matters most.

Anisha continues: ‘More important than getting the ‘perfect’ position is changing it regularly. Even if that means shifting your weight, stretching your legs out, or standing up for a couple of minutes every 30 to 40 minutes.’

While Anisha recognises the specific impact the ‘ladylike position’ can have, she notes that when we when we hold any position for a long time, the muscles supporting that posture start to ‘fatigue, circulation slows in the areas under pressure, and the joints aren’t getting the fluid movement they need to stay healthy.’

‘That’s true whether you’re sitting upright, slouched, or cross-legged, the problem is the stillness, not just the shape.’

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

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It’s a big year for Manchester Airport. As well as emerging from a decade-long £1.3 billion makeover, it’s got a slate of new routes that bring more choice to passengers than ever before.

The UK’s global gateway in the north already offers a network unparalleled outside London, with more than 200 destinations served by 50 airlines.

But that network is expanding further in 2026, with several new services confirmed from the likes of easyJet, Jet2and Ryanair.

Of most interest to Metro readers is likely to be Jet2’s inaugural route to Samos, which left Manchester for the first time on Friday, May 1.

The Greek island, which lies just off the coast of Turkey in the Aegean Sea, is renowned for its golden beaches and lush, mountainous landscape.

Like every part of Greece, Samos is steeped in history. The Ancient Greeks considered it to be one of the most spiritual places in the Mediterranean.

Beyond its low-key resorts and the lively capital, Vathy, there are off-the-beaten-track beaches and quiet spots in the forested inland mountains where traditional life continues.

Jet2 will operate twice-weekly services on Tuesday and Friday until the end of October.

The Manchester flight will be followed by one to Samos from Birmingham Airport on May 4, and another from London Stansted on May 7.

Elsewhere, Manchester Airport has announced a first-ever route to North Africa that bosses say will ‘make a huge difference to thousands of people’.

Algeria will soon be added to the list of more than 60 countries the airport offers direct flights to.

Air Algérie has announced a new twice-weekly service to the Algerian capital Algiers starting this summer, with the inaugural flight pencilled in for Sunday, June 14.

The airport said it would be the first ever direct flight from Manchester to Africa’s largest country.

Manchester will become the only UK airport outside of London with a direct link to Algiers.

And there’s never been a better time to visit.

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Lonely Planet included Algiers as one of its top off-the-beaten-track Mediterranean destinations for 2026.

Home to grand Roman ruins, historic cities and otherworldly landscapes, Algeria has all the ingredients for a classic bucket list adventure.

It’s just a short hop from Europe, with snow-flecked mountains and stunning coastline in the north, and surreal sand seas in the south.

It’s one of the few places in the world where you can go skiing in the mountains in the morning and hiking in the desert at night.

Travellers have previously been deterred by its famously complex visa system, but now, the ‘sleeping beauty’ of African tourism is finally waking up.

In recent years, Morocco has become popular with British holidaymakers.

But just two hours east lies comparatively undiscovered Algiers, the coastal capital known for its fascinating history, richly textured architecture and labyrinthine streets that spill down into the Bay.

We recommend a twin-city break that takes in Constantine, which featured in Metro’s places to visit for 2026.

Dubbed the ‘City of Bridges’, it is built across a deep gorge (a bit like Ronda in Spain) and connected by a network of walkways that earned the UNESCO-listed ancient city its name.

Enjoy the lot with barely another tourist in sight.

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