Latest news with #chronicFatigue
The Sun
07-07-2025
- Health
- The Sun
My dad is covered in a rash that's extremely itchy, crusts over and oozes white liquid! Help!
I'VE recently had several emails from readers concerned about rabies following confirmation last month that a British woman had died after contracting the disease on holiday abroad. It can be transmitted to humans through the saliva of infected creatures. 4 Don't touch animals in high-risk countries, which you can find at If bitten, scratched or licked – especially on broken skin or mucous membranes (such as the mouth or nostrils) – seek medical help immediately for injections, which prevent the infection spreading to the central nervous system and save lives. Rabies can be fatal if not dealt with quickly, and once symptoms start, it is too late to treat. So make sure to get help before coming home – but notify your GP as soon as you are back or contact the local health protection agency. Thankfully, rabies is extremely rare in the UK. Here's what readers have been asking this week . . . PLATELETS PROBLEM Q: I'M a 45-year-old woman and, for a few years, my platelet count has been going slightly up and down. Unfortunately, my GP hasn't found the cause for this happening. All my blood tests have come back as normal, so I don't know why this keeps happening and what the cause could be. I've recently been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and sleep apnoea. I'm also asthmatic. Could this all be the reason my platelets keep rising and should I be concerned? A: Thank you for sharing this – it's understandable to feel concerned when blood test results fluctuate. Platelets are the blood cells that are responsible for your blood clotting. A normal range is roughly 150 to 450 but minor fluctuations within or just outside this range can be common and are not always concerning. Platelet counts in asthma usually stay within normal limits, but may trend slightly high during flare-ups or in chronic cases. Any chest infections could cause platelet counts to mildly rise in response to systemic inflammation. Untreated or poorly managed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can cause chronic low oxygen levels, which can stimulate the bone marrow – sometimes increasing platelet count as part of a broader rise in blood cell production. There is some evidence linking OSA with low-grade inflammation and cardiovascular risk, which again can nudge platelet levels. Most concerning conditions (for example, blood cancers, bone marrow disorders) cause persistently high platelets without fluctuation and often with other blood count abnormalities or symptoms. If your platelet count is mostly in the 150-450 range, you have no symptoms (such as bleeding, bruising) and other blood results are normal, it's unlikely to be a serious condition. But do check in with your own GP, who can access the record, and ask them to talk you through your results and reassure you. You are right to ask for answers, especially given the overlap of conditions. My dull ear ache is a pain in the neck Q: I'M a 58-year-old man and enjoy generally good health. Over the past three or four months I've been experiencing a dull ache in my left ear, which sometimes also causes pain and discomfort to the back of my head and left side of my neck, near my collarbone. 4 The pain isn't excruciating or constant and paracetamol eases it. I did have surgery eight years ago for heart failure and mentioned the symptoms to my cardiologist at my annual check-up. He didn't think it was heart-related. A: As the symptoms are in the same area, I assume they may be related in some way. I would greatly appreciate your thoughts? Thank you for the detailed description – that helps build a clear picture. It is important, though, to be assessed by a doctor as this will also help figure out the cause of your symptoms. The symptoms you're describing could have multiple causes. The pain could originate from a nerve or a muscle and the fact that you describe it as dull makes muscle a bit more likely, but further investigations would help me explore further. Your GP will want to look in your ear, but sometimes ear pain comes from other structures that share the same nerve supply – we call this referred ear pain. The ear shares a nerve supply with many structures, including the throat and teeth. The sternocleidomastoid muscles are on either side of the neck, and can refer pain to the ear, throat and collarbone. Cervical spondylosis or disc degeneration in the neck can cause referred pain to the ear, back of the head and shoulder/collarbone. Irritation of the occipital nerve can also radiate from the base of the skull to the ear. An issue with the temporomandibular, which is the jaw joint in front of the ear, can cause referred pain to the ear, head, jaw, neck, upper back or collarbone. Paracetamol easing it is reassuring, but seek urgent medical advice if there's swelling, enlarged glands, weight loss or changes in swallowing or voice – or if the pain worsens. Q: MY father, 90, has a rash covering his body that is extremely itchy, and breaks through the skin to crust over. He says they produce a white fluid and he's had it for several years now. 4 He has seen his doctor numerous times and hospital specialists who give him creams that do nothing. This is getting him down and I worry about his mental state. We feel that they're not taking him seriously because of his age. He can't sleep properly because of the constant need to scratch. We asked to see a skin specialist in London and were refused point-blank. A: I'm really sorry your father is going through this. Based on what you've shared, this condition sounds complex and may not have been properly diagnosed. It sounds as though he would benefit from having a biopsy to aid a correct diagnosis. This would most likely be a punch biopsy and ideally from a newly crusted area. Before this, it's worth considering if this rash could be caused by scabies. Scabies is extremely itchy, especially at night and it can persist or recur if not fully treated. Older people can get crusted scabies, which can be misdiagnosed as eczema or psoriasis. Scabies can be treated with a cream or lotion and in severe cases oral treatment should be given too. Other conditions which could be causing the rash include eczema and older adults may develop a type called senile eczema. Oozing and crusting with eczema would suggest that it has become infected. Bullous pemphigoid is an autoimmune blistering disease that is common in the elderly. You can ask your GP to refer to a different hospital for a second opinion. You can book your appointment via the NHS e-Referral service. It can be done while you're at the GP surgery, or online, using the shortlist of hospitals or services provided in your appointment request letter. The shortlist is selected by your GP, so make sure you tell them about your preferences during the appointment. In the meantime use emollients on the skin several times a day, antihistamines may help reduce the itch, oatmeal baths can soothe inflamed skin and trim nails and consider mittens at night to prevent scratching. Keep a log of photographs which show how the rash progresses. PSYCHE OUT EXERCISE EXERCISE that suits your personality could help you stick to it, a study suggests. University College London found that 86 people on a cycling programme preferred working out depending on how they fit in the Big 5 personality traits. 4 These are extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism (which measures emotional stability and the tendency for anxiety or mood swings) and openness. Extroverts favoured the high-intensity cycles, while those with openness appeared not to. Those with strong neuroticism preferred bursts of activity over prolonged intensity. They also would rather not be monitored or record their heart rate, which suggests they prefer to exercise alone or with independence, and had a strong reduction in stress. Conscientious people tend to have a well-rounded fitness level, so may be fitter, but appear driven by positive health outcomes, rather than enjoyment of exercise. Agreeable people preferred easy long rides. Dr Flaminia Ronca, from UCL and the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health (ISEH), said: 'We know that the global population is becoming increasingly sedentary. 'You often hear about people trying to become more active, but struggling to make lasting changes. 'We found clear links between personality traits and the type of exercise the participants enjoyed most, which is important because we could potentially use this knowledge to tailor physical activity recommendations to the individual.' BOWEL CANCER ADVICE FIVE key causes of bowel cancer in young people have been flagged up by scientists. A paper published by Oxford University Press looked at the surge of young gastrointestinal cancers, which includes the stomach, liver, pancreas, intestine, colon and anus. The researchers said associated risk factors include obesity, a Western-style diet, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, smoking, and alcohol. In a 2019 study of 85,000 women in the US, those with a body mass index over 30 had close to double the risk of developing early-onset colorectal cancer compared to women with lower BMIs. 'The incidence of GI cancers in adults younger than age 50 is rising globally,' said the paper's lead author, Professor Sara Char, of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston. 'Ongoing research efforts investigating the biology of early-onset GI cancers are critical to developing more effective screening, prevention, and treatment strategies.' In Europe, the worst increase is among people in their 20s, with a 7.9 per cent increase over 12 years, according to a study of 20 nations. Early-onset colorectal cancer has become the leading cause of cancer- related death in the US for men under 50 and the second-leading cause for women under 50 in the country. In the UK, bowel cancer cases are still the highest in people aged 85 to 89, and three cases a year are diagnosed in under-30s, according to Cancer Research UK.
The Sun
03-06-2025
- Health
- The Sun
I fled the UK for sunny Dubai – life back home is miserable & no-one has any cash, I was wasting my life away there
A YOUNG woman has revealed how her health improved after she moved from the UK to Dubai – saying life at home was 'making her sick'. Ela Reeves was struggling with a series of health conditions prior to the move, including chronic fatigue, sore joints and acne. 5 5 5 With her body 'crying out for change', she decided to try life in sunnier climes – and jetted off to Dubai for a new life in January. Working remotely there for her job at a luxury travel company, Ela says her quality of life improved immediately – and she feels healthier than ever. ' Leaving the UK has been the best decision I've ever made for my health,' Ela, originally from Essex, told What's The Jam. 'The UK was quite literally making me sick. 'I thought that I had all of these autoimmune diseases because I was constantly tired and fatigued, I was constantly getting ill and I constantly had anxiety. 'I just didn't feel my best self despite being somebody who is always health conscious, always eating the right things, going to the gym, and getting eight hours of sleep. 'It was so draining to the point that I was focusing on my health so much and wasn't really getting the results that I should have been. 'I was like 'What the hell is wrong with me?'' Prior to moving to Dubai, Ela says she had 'severe' acne, struggling with bloating due to high cortisol levels, and says the lifestyle and weather in the UK limited her. Since leaving, she has noticed a huge difference in her health and has lost weight. Ela said: 'I'm [now] doing 20,000 steps a day, and my skin is the softest and clearest it's ever been. 'I have so much energy – I never thought I would have this amount of energy. 'Despite getting eight hours of sleep and trying to stay off of my phone before I go to bed and stuff, I just always felt drained and tired. 'I just kind of gave up on that for a bit and thought that was just me as a person – but not here. How easy is it to move abroad? Brexit means British citizens now have to apply for visas to move to countries within the EU. While some countries residency restrictions are easier than others, here's what you need to do at home before moving: Notify HMRC about your upcoming move. Let your local authority know and provide a forwarding address. Contact your mortgage and utility providers and bank before leaving. If you have paid enough UK national insurance contributions, you can qualify for a state pension abroad - contact the International Pension Centre. You can sign up to the Royal Mail's redirection service. If you have outstanding student loans, contact the Student Loans Centre. If you have children, give due notice to childcares and schools. 'I can work till late at night, I can get up early in the morning and I feel fresh. 'Even if I get less sleep now, I've still got the energy because I'm constantly outside getting fresh air and sunlight.' Ela describes the UK as 'such a depressing place to live ' and said: 'Because it is so miserable, it is affecting your health and your body in so many ways.' She cites the weather as a 'huge factor', saying she now walks a lot more, and spends her afternoons at the beach and sitting in the sun. Ela said: 'I'm not wasting hours indoors anymore watching TV. 'There's always something to do here, and that shift alone has made me feel more energised and productive. 5 5 'Life feels full again, not wasted. 'In the UK, the days felt so repetitive, scrolling on my phone and watching TV. 'And with WhatsApp, FaceTime, and social media, I don't miss my family as much as I thought I would. 'I've actually loved the experience of moving abroad solo and have made so many friends here. 'My family has also come to visit, and thankfully we all have the flexibility to travel and see each other when we want to.' Ela has visited home to sort out visa issues and says her health issues have immediately resurfaced as a result. She said: 'I'm back in the UK temporarily and already my acne has flared up again, and I'm feeling constantly fatigued. 'It honestly just confirms what I suspected: being in the UK really does impact my health. 'In my opinion, the UK isn't a happy place anymore. 'So many people are struggling with their health, finances, and, let's be honest, the weather. 'There are incredible opportunities for young people abroad – go and find them!'
