I was left in a wheelchair and developed terrifying symptoms from using my PHONE too much – it could happen to anyone
A MODEL was left with terrifying symptoms and in need of a wheelchair from using her phone too much.
Fenella Fox said that scrolling through her iPhone and iPad for up to 14 hours a day while running her OnlyFans account left her bed bound and unable to walk.
Fenella, 29, from Worcester, Worcestershire, told The Mirror that she developed severe vertigo from over-using her devices.
After some initial aches in her head and neck, which often forced her to lie down to ease the pain, her condition declined after moving to Portugal, before peaking in November 2021.
She said: “I started to get dizzy. I remember walking back after getting my groceries one time and I just thought it was sunstroke or something, I just didn’t feel okay.
“I had to sit down on the side of the road on this tiny patch of shade thinking I’ve got to push through this.
“It just felt like I really couldn’t walk properly, I felt really unwell. Dizzy, and kind of distorted. I can visualise it but it’s not easy to explain.”
Fenella even had to rush home while seeing a friend because he symptoms came on so suddenly.
However, she was baffled as to what was causing the issue.
She explained: “I’m in bed, I’m scrolling from wake until sleep. What I don’t know is at that point I’m making myself worse.
“I didn’t know it was my phone causing it, I thought I’d picked up a bug – was it Covid?”
The young model had to move back to the UK and live with her parents because she was unable to look after herself.
She recalled that she was unable to shower or cook for herself and even had to use a wheelchair during the six-month ordeal.
A doctor in Portugal had performed some tests and discovered that she had severe issues with her balance, but could not find a reason why.
Visits to half a dozen other doctors could not reveal the problem.
It was only when her dad found an article about cyber motion sickness, also known as digital vertigo, that all became clear.
Fenella said: “I turned off my phone and threw it into the back of the cupboard or gave it to my parents and was like ‘please do not let me on this’.
“Then I was able to walk again.
“Now I know the answer is get up and go for a walk, turn off your phone, throw it away and try and readjust your mind.”
However, that’s easier said than done, given that she relies on her OnlyFans account, which rakes in about £15,000 a month, for her income.
This involves regular promotion and networking across social media, which is becoming nearly impossible for her.
She added: “It is unreal. That is our life, our world. If we want to make money, we’ve got to be on [our phone] wake until sleep. There’s so many hours to put in.
“I can’t do it anymore, I can’t do it myself. I try sometimes to put in the hours that I used to but I get sick all over again.”