"It Feels Like I'm Burning": US Woman Describes Her Chronic Illness

A 20-year-old woman recently shared her painful experience of dealing with skin flare-ups and anaphylaxis shock. Beth Tsangarides said that her body reacts to "everything" and it feels like she's being "burned alive" after laughing, crying or smelling spices. Ms Tsangarides revealed she has suffered from the chronic illness since the age of 15 and says that doctors still consider her a "medical mystery."

Ms Tsangarides faces challenges like mobility issues, fainting, and seizures, rendering her unable to work. Her partner, 20-year-old Sasha Hay, fulfils the role of her full-time caregiver, according to Mirror. Medical professionals have labelled her a 'medical mystery,' expressing their bewilderment at the unique nature of her condition. She humorously acknowledges family jokes about being "allergic to herself" due to her body's unusual reactions.

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The challenging journey began five years ago when she noticed a rash on her face. Subsequently, her overall health declined, with issues in her bowels and kidneys. Ms Tsangarides shares that a range of emotions, from laughter to tears, can trigger skin flare-ups, describing the sensation as akin to feeling "burned alive" with excruciating pain. At the age of 18, she received a diagnosis of postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS), characterized by an abnormal increase in heart rate upon standing. Currently, she is undergoing testing to identify the specific cause of her skin-related challenges. According to the NHS, common PoTS symptoms include dizziness, fainting, palpitations, and chest pain.

"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," she continued. "No matter what I do, even if someone else with PoTS can do something, my body reacts differently to it." Beth is most sensitive to food and says she lives "in a bubble" because of airborne allergies.

"If I'm around the smells of certain spices and herbs or something very strong smell, it can cause me to stop breathing and have a severe reaction on my face. I'm very limited in what I can eat and it's scary," she said. "Pasta is my best friend because it's the only thing I've never reacted to. I try to stick to plain things like plain chicken nuggets. I don't go out to eat. If I do it has to be pre-planned and after speaking to the chef."

She shared that while growing up she felt lonely and "didn't make many friends" at school. "I was isolated in a room because we didn't know what I would react to, so I would be in the first aid room and constantly being checked on by teachers," she explained. "People would look at me through the window and rumours were going around about what was wrong with me."

She continued, "It did affect my confidence at an early age. I didn't want to go out... I would get comments from people at school saying 'pizza face' and 'tomato face'. They used to affect me but now I just laugh." Beth said her condition has changed her mentally. "I'll never know who I would've been without all of this. That's something I think about every day, 'What would I be doing right now if I hadn't gotten ill?'" she explained.

She shared that she has now started using make-up and feels more confident, "I wore make-up as a teenager a lot. I had really bad acne and I used to love doing make-up looks," she said. "When my skin first flared I knew I would never be able to put make-up on it again. My doctors just told me to avoid it completely because there's a risk of infection.

"I was just brave enough to try it again and I think that's all to do with the confidence I've gained over the last year. I did so much research into it and looked at every ingredient in everything. I was so happy when I realised it wasn't hurting and I wasn't flaring. It was crazy. It was so weird seeing my skin so smooth and without any imperfections or scarring."

She told Mirror, "It brought tears to my eyes because it wasn't even the fact I wanted to cover my skin, just the feeling of make-up on my skin felt so refreshing and like I was a new person. My partner was in shock. She's never seen me in make-up and she doesn't see make-up as a big thing or wear it herself. She did look at me and then looked away because she thought I was a different person. She couldn't believe how different I looked."