1:00pm Friday 26th February 2010
By Hannah Al-Taraboulsy
A MUM suffered from a severe and mysterious skin complaint that went undiagnosed for almost a decade before she sought help from a television programme.
Lois Wilcox believed she had a serious case of thrush following the birth of her second son in 2001 and regularly visited her GP for tablets that never seemed to clear up the problem.
After a recent course of antibiotics the 38-year-old’s condition became inflamed and, reaching the end of her tether, she wrote to Channel 4’s Embarrassing Bodies, which then referred her to Spire Cheshire Hospital in Warrington.
Lois, who also has an 11-year-old son, said: “I had come to the end of the line and just wanted the problem to be solved. Prescribed tablets weren’t working and, having watched Embarrassing Bodies, I saw they nearly always got a successful diagnosis.”
A desperate Lois was first examined by the show’s Dr Christian Jessen at a roadshow in Birmingham last October and he suggested she see Dr Jennifer Yell, Spire’s consultant dermatologist.
Lois added: “I was examined by Dr Christian and there was a film crew there, which was very embarrassing at first but all I wanted to do was solve the problem.
“I was mostly nervous about people I know seeing me on TV, such as my colleagues.”
Lois was given a blood test by Dr Yell in November and an initial diagnosis was made of psoriasis, which happens when skin cells produce too quickly and can lead to flaky, scaly patches.
One month later Dr Yell, who has been consulting in the north west for 16 years, was able to put the skin complaint down to an underactive thyroid, which can be brought on following birth and may cause dry, itchy skin, hair loss and depression.
Relieved Lois, from Wigan, said: “I am now receiving treatment for this, which I’m really happy about.
“I’ve achieved what I wanted to achieve by getting in touch with the show.”
Dr Yell, who featured on the programme with Lois last Friday, said: “I was happy to help Lois by taking part in the show. It is important that people are not afraid to seek help with ailments they consider embarrassing.
“Skin complaints, which are often trivialised, can be the source of a great deal of embarrassment and stress and my message is they are mostly treatable. Access to a good consultant dermatologist is crucial so a proper diagnosis can be made.”
The Embarrassing Bodies doctors tour the UK to raise health awareness and de-stigmatise ‘embarrassing’ body parts and medical conditions.
The show airs on Fridays at 9pm.
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