When ex-Royal Marine Commando Steve O’Connell caught salmonella on holiday, he never foresaw it ruining his life.

Trapped in a world of constantly being tired, he turned to medics for help.

Lisa Hutchinson of Chronicle Live writes following the initial trauma from the salmonella, he was diagnosed with ME or chronic fatigue syndrome.

And while Steve struggled with keeping up with the running of his successful business, he would have done virtually anything to get his old life back.

Now, after teaming up with specialist body-worker Adam Foster who put Steve through his paces with his own created recovery model, Steve is now fighting fit again and is back to gruelling circuit training and five mile runs after years of pain and fatigue.

Steve, 47, who owns Advantex Network Solutions Ltd in Gateshead with brother Dave, said: “In 2008 I contracted salmonella on holiday in Turkey and shortly after my recovery I started experiencing excruciating pains all over my body that were not associated with any sort of injury. 

“I would get arthritic pains, my eye balls felt like they were been squeezed, my muscles felt like I had just finished a 10-mile run and I even had pains in my teeth, not tooth ache but pains in my actual teeth.

“I also became very lethargic and tired – I thought I’d become lazy as I couldn’t motivate myself to do anything beyond basic tasks and if I did it would knock me on my back for days.

 “The worst thing though was the brain fog, imagine not been able to hold a sensible or coherent conversation for more than a couple of minutes. 

“I would sit in meetings disengaged and dazed trying so hard to not appear disinterested, giving all my energy to meetings with clients leaving little or no ability to hold meetings with colleagues or talk with my wife and three children when I got home.

“I think it’s safe to say for 10 years they didn’t have the husband or dad I wanted them to have.