Olympic sprinter Beth Dobbin says ME leaves her in bed for 22 hours a day

Beth Dobbin, who represented Great Britain at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, says myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) has left her spending more than 22 hours a day in bed and able to leave home only rarely. The 32-year-old has spoken publicly about her illness to raise awareness, despite fearing the interview could worsen her symptoms. [1]

Dobbin told BBC Sport that even a blood test had previously been followed by months in bed. She said a 30-minute interview could also affect her health, potentially much later, but felt it was important to speak out.

She was diagnosed with ME after her health deteriorated following Covid and glandular fever infections in the winter of 2021-22. Dobbin said she had not realised she had contracted either at the time. During the following season, she competed at the World Championships, Commonwealth Games and European Championships, but described worsening symptoms, including dizziness while running and losing feeling in her legs before a false start at the European Championships.

ME can involve severe, persistent fatigue that is not relieved by rest, as well as pain, sleep problems and difficulties with thinking and memory. Dobbin said conversation, bright light or loud sounds could trigger a deterioration, or “crash”, lasting from a day or two to months. She said she now gets out of bed only to eat and use the bathroom, and had left home five times this year.

There is no known cure or specific treatment for ME, according to the BBC report. Dobbin said she had seen several specialists before they identified the condition, and waited 22 months for an in-person appointment with a private specialist after her British Athletics funding ended. She also said she had found herself explaining ME to GPs.

Her family described the strain of caring for her and their uncertainty about the future. Her sister Faye plans to run the Yorkshire Marathon on Sunday to raise money for ME Research UK.

The BBC reports that more than 400,000 people in the UK are thought to have ME, though the true number could be higher. Dobbin said she hoped increased attention and research since the Covid pandemic would lead to progress. She also said people with ME had told her they were not believed, and that her profile as an athlete gave her a platform to speak about the illness. [1]