In January 2013, I suffered a horrific tooth extraction which traumatised my body and
after a week I started to suffer with the following:-

• Neuralgia
  
• It felt that my head was split in half – as the left side felt different to the right
• Weakness/numbness and pins and needles in my left leg/arm/mouth
• Headaches
• Distorted vision
• Muscle stiffness
• Chronic muscle aches
• Chronicjoint pain
• Flu like symptoms (but I didn’t have the flu)
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Difficulty with walking – listing to the right
• Pain in my left leg whilst walking up hills
• Heart Palpitations
• Becoming lethargic
• Exhaustion from the pit of my stomach

Suddenly,I became disabled, I was unable to do the things a normal working full-time mum can do – preparing meals for the family, washing and ironing clothes, food shopping, washing my hair, showering, walking the dog, not able to sit for periods of a time at work, and many more, I just could not sustain a normal life and I thought life was very bleak for me.

 After many blood tests, MRI scans, neurological tests, Electromyogram test, and more blood tests, fasting tests, I was officially diagnosed with M.E./C.F.S. in September 2015.

 I was put on a programme with the M.E./C.F.S. Clinic at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital up until December 2015.

 With the techniques taught from the programme, I had to accept my illness and learn how to pace myself – so I started every evening going out walking 150 metres, which was so frustrating, as you want to do more, but that is all I could walk. I was determined; I am going to make my illness dormant. By December, I could see some light at the end of my tunnel, not so frequent pains/aches or any of my other symptoms.

 At that moment, I said to my husband, Rob, “I’m going to run the Bristol 10k in 2016”. He knew with my determination that I would.

 So feeling on top of the world I downloaded the app “Couch to 5k” and went back to basics – even though over the years of completing many Mud runs, Duathlons, Half Marathons, and 10k’s my love of running was creeping back into my life.

 Through the support of my wonderful husband, my children, Harrison and Amelia, Action for M.E. and M.E./C.F.S Clinic in Bristol, I feel ready for the challenge I have set “The Great Bristol 10k”. Even on my good days I will never be the person who I use to be.

I am very passionate about supporting Action for M.E. so they can continue their work to fund vital research and continue the Awareness of M.E. and to thank them for the support they have given me. As it’s so easy to take life for granted to until it happens to “YOU”.