By . Emily Payne . A woman who suffered seizures every five minutes has undergone surgery to have part of her brain removed in a bid to get her condition under control. Iona Davies, 21, from Ulverston, Cumbria, started having seizures when she was just 14. She was finally diagnosed with epilepsy when she was 17, but by then she was having seizures up to 20 times a day. Misery: Iona Davies, pictured left post-surgery in hospital, and right now, was unable to lead a normal life . She was so unwell that she couldn't even shower alone. But following the radical surgery, she has just one or two seizures a week and is finally living a normal life. The surgery can take up to two years to recover from so it is hoped the frequency of Iona’s seizures will continue to decrease. She said: 'My friends were very supportive, but I couldn’t go out alone, even just to walk the dog. 'I felt like I’d been robbed of growing up because of my epilepsy. 'They had to run a tests to find out if I’d be eligible for the surgery, and I don’t think anyone has ever been so pleased to hear they can have brain surgery. 'It’s such a relief to get my life back since the operation.' Iona had the operation in October last year, just after her 21st birthday. Iona, pictured with her mother and at the Walton Centre is Liverpool, right, had a section of her brain removed . Doctors at the Walton Centre in Liverpool removed a thumb-sized section from the left side of her brain, and another smaller piece from the part of the brain controlling her memory. Iona said: 'Going into brain surgery was scary, but I was more focused on how it could change my life afterwards. 'They didn’t know until I woke up how it would have affected my memory, or even if I’d still be able to speak. 'My mum said she’s never been happier to hear me ask for a blanket.' Iona’s seizures began as complex partial seizures, where she would lose consciousness for a few seconds, but as time went on she also suffered grand mal seizures, with muscle convulsions. She said: 'It just felt like I was asleep for a few seconds, I just went completely blank - and then I would come straight back into the conversation. Recovery: Doctors are hoping that Iona, pictured with her mother Patty, will suffer from far fewer seizures in future . 'When the seizures first started I would say "what" all the time, but that changed to "I feel sick". I didn’t know I was saying it. 'It affected my memor,y too. If I was reading, I would start a paragraph, then read a completely different paragraph because I’d forgotten where I was up to. 'Every aspect of my life was affected. I would have done anything to get it sorted. 'I was only 20, I didn’t want it to go on for another 50 years.' She now has a part-time job as a housekeeper and is able to live life more, going out with her friends and taking her dog on walks. She has also applied to Lancaster University to study ecology and conservation in September. Her mother, Patty, said: 'I’m really proud of the way she’s handled everything. 'Iona has a great personality and a great sense of humour. I was worried some of it would be lost but she’s the same just without the epilepsy.'
Iona Davies, from Cumbria, started having seizures when she was 14 .
The part-time housekeeper was diagnosed with epilepsy when she was 17 .
Following the operation, she now has just one or two seizures a week .
Surgeons removed a thumb-sized section from the left side of her brain, and another smaller piece from the part of the brain controlling her memory .
By . Emily Payne . A woman who suffered seizures every five minutes has undergone surgery to have part of her brain removed in a bid to get her condition under control. Iona Davies, 21, from Ulverston, Cumbria, started having seizures when she was just 14. She was finally diagnosed with epilepsy when she was 17, but by then she was having seizures up to 20 times a day. Misery: Iona Davies, pictured left post-surgery in hospital, and right now, was unable to lead a normal life . She was so unwell that she couldn't even shower alone. But following the radical surgery, she has just one or two seizures a week and is finally living a normal life. The surgery can take up to two years to recover from so it is hoped the frequency of Iona’s seizures will continue to decrease. She said: 'My friends were very supportive, but I couldn’t go out alone, even just to walk the dog. 'I felt like I’d been robbed of growing up because of my epilepsy. 'They had to run a tests to find out if I’d be eligible for the surgery, and I don’t think anyone has ever been so pleased to hear they can have brain surgery. 'It’s such a relief to get my life back since the operation.' Iona had the operation in October last year, just after her 21st birthday. Iona, pictured with her mother and at the Walton Centre is Liverpool, right, had a section of her brain removed . Doctors at the Walton Centre in Liverpool removed a thumb-sized section from the left side of her brain, and another smaller piece from the part of the brain controlling her memory. Iona said: 'Going into brain surgery was scary, but I was more focused on how it could change my life afterwards. 'They didn’t know until I woke up how it would have affected my memory, or even if I’d still be able to speak. 'My mum said she’s never been happier to hear me ask for a blanket.' Iona’s seizures began as complex partial seizures, where she would lose consciousness for a few seconds, but as time went on she also suffered grand mal seizures, with muscle convulsions. She said: 'It just felt like I was asleep for a few seconds, I just went completely blank - and then I would come straight back into the conversation. Recovery: Doctors are hoping that Iona, pictured with her mother Patty, will suffer from far fewer seizures in future . 'When the seizures first started I would say "what" all the time, but that changed to "I feel sick". I didn’t know I was saying it. 'It affected my memor,y too. If I was reading, I would start a paragraph, then read a completely different paragraph because I’d forgotten where I was up to. 'Every aspect of my life was affected. I would have done anything to get it sorted. 'I was only 20, I didn’t want it to go on for another 50 years.' She now has a part-time job as a housekeeper and is able to live life more, going out with her friends and taking her dog on walks. She has also applied to Lancaster University to study ecology and conservation in September. Her mother, Patty, said: 'I’m really proud of the way she’s handled everything. 'Iona has a great personality and a great sense of humour. I was worried some of it would be lost but she’s the same just without the epilepsy.'
Ulverston, Cumbria, started having seizures when she was just 14. She was finally diagnosed with epilepsy when she was 17, but by then she was surgery, she has just one or two seizures a week section from the left side of her brain, and another smaller piece from the part of the brain controlling her memory. Iona said: 'Going into