Mum went to bed with simple cold and woke up six weeks later with life-changing ME diagnosis

Mum went to bed with simple cold and woke up six weeks later with life-changing ME diagnosis Jan Rothney thought she just had a simple cold – but the Devon woman woke up 45 days later to discover she had been diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome A woman who went to bed with a common cold has shared how she woke up six weeks later – and the only remedy was to transform her life entirely. When Jan Rothney began experiencing the sniffles, she merely attributed it to being constantly on the go. However, when the cold persisted after several weeks, she determined an early night was needed to shake it off once and for all. Upon waking, though, Jan felt even worse than before – and in complete confusion, attempted to get help from her two daughters. It was at that point, while checking the calendar, that the absolute horror dawned on her, as she had been unconscious for six weeks. "My girls had to keep telling me that I had been asleep the whole time, as I didn't believe them," the former lecturer, from Devon, said. "Their faces looked so worried, though. Everything felt like a dream as I swayed between consciousness and confusion. In a state of shock, I worked out that I had been asleep for 45 days. Nothing, in that moment, felt real." Jan, aged 65, had been at the pub with some friends, drinking wine, when the cold-like symptoms had become unbearable. She left early and climbed into bed on September 11 2003. But she didn't regain consciousness until November 26 2003. Her daughters, upon discovering she wouldn't wake up, summoned their grandmother – Jan's mum – and their next-door neighbour for help. Since she was still breathing, nobody dialled 999 to notify paramedics or have her taken to hospital. Instead, over the following weeks, they collaborated tirelessly to provide Jan with fluids to prevent dehydration. However, as she couldn't consume food, the mum dropped more than 7lbs. In days that followed, when waking up, overwhelming exhaustion would take over. When attempting to use the toilet, she'd 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 myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME); also referred to as chronic fatigue syndrome. The long-term condition manifests as severe fatigue and can affect cognitive abilities, including memory. 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." 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's 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."