A female bodybuilder has said becoming “the boss” of her body has helped manage her chronic illness.
Rosie Bailey began experiencing chronic fatigue at the age of 14 and struggled to get out of bed and climb the stairs.
The 21-year-old had her third bowel operation last year after her bowel wall collapsed.
She said: “Chronic illness is a part of me and it would be very easy to let it take over my life, but to me that’s not a life worth living.”
Miss Bailey, from Bristol, was diagnosed with postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) in 2016 then later Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS).
As a result, she experiences extreme dizziness, hypermobility, joint pain, physical discomfort and irregular periods.
She said the combination of symptoms was “tough [as] when I’m in a flare-up everything flares – they’re very linked”.
Reluctant to follow medical advice “to do less”, she started seeing a personal trainer once a week for a gentle session.
