UK Mum Goes To Bed With A Cold And Wakes Up 45 Days Later

A UK mum has told how a simple cold left her asleep for six weeks, without her family calling a doctor.

Jan Rothney, now 65, from Devon, thought she was just run down from her hectic schedule as a lecturer and mum of two. She had been battling sniffles for weeks, so on September 11, 2003, after a night in the pub with friends, she decided an early night would cure her.

She didn’t wake up until November 26, 2003.

The 45-Day Sleep

When she finally woke, she was in a daze and felt even worse. She tried to call her two daughters for help — only to be told she had been asleep for a month and a half.

Speaking to creatorzine.com, she said: “My girls had to keep telling me that I had been asleep the whole time, as I didn’t believe them. Their faces looked so worried, though. Everything felt like a dream as I swayed between consciousness and confusion.”

Why Her Family Didn’t Call A Doctor

Seeing she wouldn’t wake, her daughters called their grandmother and a next-door neighbour. Because Jan was still breathing, they didn’t alert medics. Instead, the family worked together to give her fluids to keep her hydrated.

Because she couldn’t eat, Jan lost over 7lbs while she was asleep. Even after waking, she would collapse on the bathroom floor and fall asleep again for hours.

The Diagnosis

When she finally got to her GP, blood and urine tests revealed her cold was actually Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Jan believes her ME was triggered because she had been severely run down from living an unsustainable lifestyle, holding down two jobs and accommodating everyone.

“It was absolutely terrifying to suddenly go from being super active to completely incapacitated. I clung to the fact I could recover by focusing on small milestones, like getting out of bed each day,” she said.

It took five months to be able to drive to the shops. Three years later her symptoms returned and she was referred to a chronic fatigue clinic.

She has since quit her job, retrained as a health coach, and written a book — Breaking Free — about her recovery.

“If I had carried on living an unsustainable lifestyle, I could’ve become far more ill. In a weird way, this illness saved my life.”

Quick Answers:

1. What illness was Jan diagnosed with?
ME — Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

2. How much weight did she lose?
Over 7lbs during the 45-day sleep because she couldn’t eat.

3. Why did her ME symptoms develop?
She says she had been severely run down from a hectic, unsustainable lifestyle which triggered it.

For weeks, her family worked around the clock to keep her hydrated with fluids. Unable to eat, Jan lost over 7lbs in her sleep.

When she finally woke up, the exhaustion was overwhelming. She would collapse on the bathroom floor and fall asleep for hours just trying to get to the toilet.

Eventually she went to her GP, where blood and urine tests revealed the truth — her “cold” was actually Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

According to the NHS, the long-term illness causes extreme fatigue and can affect memory and thinking.

“It was absolutely terrifying to go from being super active to completely incapacitated, mentally and physically. I’d been severely run down, which triggered it,” Jan said.

“I clung to recovery by focusing on small milestones, like just getting out of bed each day. Some mornings I had to slide down the stairs on my bum because I was too exhausted to walk. One day I fell asleep in the hallway — when I woke up I had no idea if I’d been out for hours or all day.”

It took five months after her diagnosis before she could even drive to the shops. Three years later, her symptoms returned and she spent days asleep again before being referred to a chronic fatigue clinic.

Determined to change, Jan quit her lecturing job, retrained as a health coach, and wrote a book about her journey. She learned to stay calm when symptoms flared and to track every small sign that her body was improving.

Twenty years on from that last episode, Jan said:

“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 get a wake-up call to change how we live — and this was definitely mine. If I had carried on living an unsustainable lifestyle and accommodating everyone, I could have become far more ill. In a weird way, this illness saved my life.”