A 21-YEAR-OLD continues to suffer from an undiagnosed disease which makes her skin “feel like acid” is being poured on her face when she laughs.
Beth Tsangarides has attended hundreds of medical appointments but doctors continue to be baffled six years on.
Even laughing can cause her skin to feel like she has had acid poured over her[/caption]
She has taken to social media to share her story with the hope of creating a community for others left in a similar position[/caption]
She also suffers from mobility issues, fainting, seizures and many life-threatening allergies[/caption]
After experiencing weeping and scabbing skin from the age of 15, Beth from Thanet has been left exhausted.
She also suffers from mobility issues, fainting, seizures and many life-threatening allergies.
The sudden onset of her skin reacting has led her to film a time lapse revealing how quickly her face begins to “weep”.
Describing it as an open burn, Beth finds her tears can trigger the onset.
Beth told KentOnline: “I can go from being happy and doing something like colouring to screaming in pain.
“It doesn’t seem to rest. When I was 15, it went all over my body in tiny little patches and now it covers my whole cheeks like it’s taken over my face.
“I have no care plan. When I have a flare-up, I’m just left to suffer in pain. If I have anaphylaxis, I’m just left to deal with it because they don’t understand the full extent of why I’m reacting.”
The young woman has described how she cannot go on dates or for family meals as there are too many risks.
When the problem first arose, Beth was simply sent away by medics, with some cream.
Yet, after continued suffering she began to spend time in hospital as medics were left puzzled by her condition.
In 2020, Beth was finally given a diagnosis however the condition that causes too little blood to return to the heart when standing seems to be unrelated to her skin issues.
Postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) can present itself through dizziness, loss of consciousness and blood pooling.
Despite Beth receiving some answers relating to the chronic condition, the keen footballer and dancer has been left housebound as a result of her illness.
Being robbed of the chance to continue her teenage hobbies, Beth has revealed she struggles to do many things with her fiance Sasha.
After numerous appointments, the 21-year-old has been left with her hopes resting on an immunologist appointment.
With no promise of an official diagnosis, Beth has spoken out about wanting help to treat her pain and other symptoms that come with the “mystery” condition.
Her mum Melanie also spoke of the difficulty seeing her daughter’s suffering in the prime years of her life.
She refuses to believe that Beth can be the only one who has the illness and wonders if they are just being fobbed off.
Beth has begun spreading the word via social media in the hope of raising awareness and bringing a community together of those in a similar position.
She added that she hopes to be able to live a normal, sociable life with her friends and family.
Beth explained how the mystery illness continues to impact her entire world.
What is Postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS)
POSTURAL tachycardia syndrome causes an individual’s heart rate to increase quickly when getting up from sitting or lying down
Symptoms often present themselves through dizziness.
Currently there is no cure for the condition but it can be managed through lifestyle changes and some medicines.
PoTS can present itself differently for each individual but often people experience:
- dizziness or lightheadedness
- noticeable heartbeats (palpitations)
- chest pain
- shortness of breath
- shaking and sweating
- fainting or nearly fainting
- problems with your stomach or digestion
- headaches and sight issues
- purple-looking hands and feet
- weakness and extreme tiredness
- problems with thinking, memory and concentration
Symptoms will often be worse in the morning and may change day to day.
Source: NHS
It comes after Beth spoke exclusively to the Sun in 2023 to share horrifying photos of her scorched, weeping skin.
She revealed how her partner, Sasha Hay, had to act as a full-time carer.
Beth said: “At 15 I woke up one morning with a rash on my face and from there, everything just went downhill.
“My bowels, kidneys, everything just kind of stopped working.
“Everything I do affects my skin or my body in some way. Whether I’m laughing too much or crying or emotional, my skin can start flaring.
“The way I describe it is like someone being burnt in a fire or an acid attack. For some people that’s what it looks like as well.
“Medical professionals say I’m a medical mystery and that this is something they have never seen before.
“They don’t understand how a body can do something like this.”Her whole family and Sasha joke that she is “allergic to herself”.
“No matter what I do, even if someone else with PoTS can do something, my body reacts differently to it,” Beth added.
“My biggest thing is food. I pretty much live in a bubble because they’re airborne allergies.
“If I’m around the smells of certain spices and herbs or something very strong smelling, it can cause me to stop breathing and have a severe reaction on my face.”I’m very limited to what I can eat and it’s scary.”
Beth’s mystery condition continues to baffle doctors[/caption]
The 21-year-old has revealed her chronic condition has impacted all aspects of her life[/caption]
