Jonathan Ross’ daughter Betty Ross has shared a new update about living using a wheelchair.
The 31-year-old is open about how she copes with having a chronic condition, which causes pain and fatigue after her dad revealed his daughter’s diagnosis on Good Morning Britain back in October 2021.
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Betty has been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, and the cause of the condition is unknown but the NHS says it is thought to be related to ‘abnormal levels of certain chemicals in the brain and changes in the way the central nervous system (the brain, spinal cord and nerves) processes pain messages carried around the body’.
Last month she took to Instagram to share a number of pictures of herself spending time by the sea in Swanage with her talk show host dad and her mum Jane Goldman.
One follower asked whether she gets ‘embarrassed’ when using a wheelchair while sharing some of her own concerns when using one.
They asked: "Do you ever get embarrassed using your wheelchair? I don’t really go out much because i get really embarrassed and worry I will run out of battery or get stuck trying to get up a kerb. I love your photos x.”
Betty wrote a lengthy and empowering reply, sharing how she paces herself when using her wheelchair as well as the recent coping mechanisms she uses.
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“It definitely does sometimes, but I think I'm getting better at pacing myself which helps me avoid post-exertional malaise on at least minimise it,” she wrote.
"I was given the great advice by the Perrin specialists I'm seeing that however much I feel like I can do in a day, don't do more than half of that. So if I feel like I think I could manage a 30 minute trip to the park I won't actually do more than a 15 minute trip out, and I just apply that to like everything.
"Playing it safe like that has really meant that I'm not getting that PEM blowback as frequently or as badly, and also that because I'm getting it less the amount I can do has increased a great deal so even though I'm still doing half of what I think I can manage, the amount I think I can manage has been increasing."
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Betty continued: "I don't always judge it right, but it's definitely helped immensely! I'm sorry you're struggling so much with your fatigue, I've got my fingers crossed for you that things improve for you soon!"
The follower was delighted with the response and replied to share their gratitude. “Thank you so much, that's really helped me, hope you get lots and lots of lovely days,” they shared.
Gregory Robinson