A 36-year-old mother, from St Albans, Hertfordshire, was a kickboxer before she was diagnosed with ME in 2017 when she was pregnant with her second child.
Nicola Magdalinis’ condition affects 17million people across the world and leaves them house-bound.
Nicola, who is a mother-of-two, says sometimes she can’t even perform basic tasks and she feels she is missing out on doing things with her children and family.
While speaking about her condition, Ms. Magdalinis told MailOnline: “I can’t take a tablet or drink something that makes me feel better. Nothing anyone says helps and it is difficult for some people to understand.”
“It’s very claustrophobic and lonely. I feel trapped both within my body and in my own home.”
Nicola feels we need the research into treatments for ME so she and people like her can live their lives normally.
She feels there’s a lack of acknowledgment about this devastating condition as people don’t understand the effects of this condition.
She said: “People tell me all the time that I “look fine” or that “it’s mind over matter”.”
She says she has to prove to everyone that she is suffering. People call it an invisible illness but Nicola believes there’s just a lack of knowledge and acceptance about the disease.
Ms. Magdalinis admits initially she also thought she was suffering from anxiety and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Medics told her that the symptoms were due to being thin and having low blood pressure.
She said: “I think I had another few appointments resulting in the same outcome until I met with a visiting doctor who asked me if I had ever been screened for ME.”
The doctor referred her to an endocrinologist who she met within a few months.
She was then diagnosed with ME immediately.
She said: “I do feel like if I hadn’t have met with that visiting doctor, that I still would be none the wiser about my condition.”
Dr. Charles Shepherd, the medical adviser to the ME Association, also believes we need more funding for research into treatments for ME so people like Nicola can live a normal life.
Despite thousands of people in the UK suffering from ME, people are still unaware of the condition.
Dr. Charles Shepherd said: “The nature of the illness means they are hidden away behind closed curtains and desperate not to be forgotten about.”
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