Marathon-loving nurse told she'll never run again as doctors notice she can't walk in straight line

A nurse who has completed the London Marathon multiple times was told she would never run again after doctors realised she could not walk in a straight line.

Sian Fern, a senior sister at the Royal Stoke University Hospital's Critical Care Unit, was concerned when she found she kept falling over when she went on runs. She initially put the incidents down to the poor conditions of the roads but kept experiencing other symptoms, including dizziness and light-headedness.

She made two visits to her GP who dismissed it as anything serious, but when it continued she was referred to hospital. Whilst there it was discovered she had multiple sclerosis (MS) - and had done for some time.

She told StokeonTrentLive : “My whole world at the time fell apart. I was also told no strenuous exercise and no stress, so no work. I began to experience dizziness, regularly tripped over my own feet, and light-headedness. I wasn't aware I couldn't walk in a straight line or put one foot directly in front of the other without falling to one side.

“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.”

Sian was prescribed a high dose of steroids as a 'disease modifying' treatment. As a result Sian, who has worked in Critical Care for 16 years, was able to complete the London Marathon last weekend. Alternating between walking and running and with the help of a walking stick and ankle brace, she completed the distance in a time of five hours and 35 minutes.

She added: “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 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."