A woman who went to bed with a common cold has described how she woke up six weeks later to learn she had been diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome.
Jan Rothney, 65, from Devon, initially attributed her sniffles to being constantly on the go. But when the cold persisted for several weeks, she decided an early night was needed to shake it off. Upon waking, she felt worse than before and, in confusion, tried to get help from her two daughters. While checking the calendar, she realised she had been unconscious for six weeks.
45 Days Unconscious
Jan had been at the pub with friends, drinking wine, when the cold-like symptoms became unbearable. She left early and climbed into bed on September 11, 2003. She did not regain consciousness until November 26, 2003.
Her daughters, upon discovering she would not wake up, summoned their grandmother and next-door neighbour for help. Since she was still breathing, nobody called 999 to notify paramedics or have her taken to hospital. Instead, over the following weeks, they worked to provide Jan with fluids to prevent dehydration. As she could not consume food, she lost more than 7lbs.
Diagnosis and Recovery
In the days that followed, overwhelming exhaustion would take over when she woke. When attempting to use the toilet, she would crumple onto the bathroom floor and drift off again for several hours. Showing no improvement, she was brought to her local GP surgery, where blood and urine samples were taken. It emerged her seemingly harmless cold was actually ME.
Jan said: "It was absolutely terrifying to suddenly go from being super active to completely incapacitated, mentally and physically. I'd been severely run down, which had triggered the symptoms. I clung to the fact I could recover by focusing on small milestones, like getting out of bed each day. Some mornings, I'd slide my bum down the stairs because it was just too exhausting to walk. One day, I fell asleep in the hallway. When I woke up, I never knew how long I'd been sleeping for – it was either a few hours or all day."
Lifestyle Overhaul
Gradually, Jan regained the strength to drive to the shops five months after her diagnosis. Unfortunately, her symptoms returned three years later, leaving her asleep for days once again. She was referred to a chronic fatigue clinic, where it became apparent she needed to completely transform her lifestyle. Leaving her job, she retrained as a health coach and wrote a book about her journey.
Jan created a step-by-step recovery plan – including the importance of remaining calm when symptoms appeared and noting any small evidence that her body was improving – to enhance her physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. Today, she prioritises exercise and maintains a balanced and healthy diet.
It has now been 20 years since her last sleeping episode. Jan added: "It's been a hard road, but I have more energy than ever before now. I've taught my body to thrive again. Many of us are given a wake-up call to change the way we are living – and this was definitely that. If I had carried on living an unsustainable lifestyle and accommodating everyone, I could've become far more ill. I absolutely feel that, in a weird way, this illness saved my life."
