Nurse told she 'could not walk in a straight line because of Covid' given devastating diagnosis

A nurse who was told she 'could not walk in a straight line' because of Covid has been given a devastating diagnosis. Sian Fern started falling over while running marathons and believed she was tripping up due to the condition of the roads.

But she soon started to suffer with dizziness and light-headedness so went to see her GP, who suspected she was still dealing with inflammation from the earlier bout of Coronavirus. The nurse continued to run but her symptoms started to worsen.

She struggled to put keys in doors, had problems writing and was extremely tired. There was also one worrying moment when she was unable to find the brake in the car.

READ MORE: DWP to hand out £5,000 in backpayments – see if you're owed money

Sign up to the BirminghamLive newsletter here to get the latest updates on the biggest and breaking stories.

Now, she has been told she has been living with multiple sclerosis (MS) for a 'long time', StokeonTrentLive reports. According to the NHS, MS is a condition which can affect the brain and spinal cord.

Symptoms include difficulties with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance. Ms Fern, a senior sister at the Royal Stoke University Hospital's critical care unit, previously completed five marathons.

She booked an appointment to see her GP after symptoms started, including regularly tripping over her own feet. The nurse said: "Until this point, I wasn't aware that I couldn't walk in a straight line or put one foot directly in front of the other without falling to one side.

"My GP agreed with me it was probably inflammation from an earlier bout of Covid and should settle down soon. So I continued trying to run and continued working.

"At this point I was struggling with the stairs and was finding myself walking a lot slower than my friends which was unusual. I then had an episode where I couldn't find the brake in the car with my right leg and fell again whilst out running, and knew it was yet again time to go back to the GP."

Ms Fern's symptoms worsened and she started to struggle to concentrate. Hospital tests later confirmed she had MS.

She added: "At this point, I was struggling to walk and it felt like I was dragging something separate to my body around with me." The nurse was prescribed a high dose of steroids as a 'disease modifying' treatment.

She said: "I was also told no strenuous exercise and no stress, so no work. My whole world at the time fell apart."

Ms Fern managed to complete the London Marathon earlier this month in a time of five hours and 35 minutes, alternating between walking and running and with the help of a walking stick and ankle brace. She said: "Over the last two years I have managed to gradually get back to running, but not as it was before.

"I now must run using a stick and have a brace on my right ankle. I also can’t run for longer than a mile before I have to walk for a period of time, due to my leg dragging and my body temperature rising which exacerbates my symptoms of the leg dragging and dizziness.

"After being told I probably wouldn't run a marathon again, never did I think that I would be doing the London Marathon which has always been a dream of mine. The day was up there with the best days in my life. It wouldn’t have been possible without the neurology and MS teams at the Royal Stoke.

"They were brilliant and fantastic as always and I cannot fault the care provided. Although things look a bit different now, I truly do owe them my life, as running is my life."