MEDICAL MYSTERY, Beth, experiences extreme allergic reactions to "pretty much everything" that comes into contact with her. Doctors have "never seen anything like" the 20-year-old's condition before, so have only been able to suggest a possible diagnosis of mast cell activation syndrome. Beth can react to anything from her own emotions to the smell of food in the air - usually resulting in red, oozing hives covering her skin, which at their worst have left Beth "screaming" in pain. But her allergies can also be "life threatening" - just the smell of paprika or chilli can send Beth into anaphylactic shock and she keeps epipens in every room of the house just in case she has a severe reaction. To protect herself as much as possible, she has had to massively restrict her diet and remain at home most of the time, which has affected other aspects of her life too. When Beth met her partner Sasha, she assumed they would "go [their] separate ways" due to the impact it would have on Sasha's life - and Beth admits that she still struggles with feelings of guilt: "That's always in the back of my mind that I feel like I've made Sasha miss out on so much." But as time has gone by and Sasha has also willingly adopted the role of Beth's full-time carer it has become clear that she is going nowhere. To this day, she continues to reassure Beth that "I want to be by your side and I'm not going to leave just because of your health." The couple have now been together for two years and the relationship has instilled a newfound confidence in Beth: "She completely changed my life, she completely changed the way I saw my health and I saw my skin. She made me feel beautiful." And having recently taken to social media to share her story and advocate for other young people living with chronic conditions, Beth has turned her pain into purpose: "I hope that people take away from my story that you're perfectly imperfect the way you are - don't shy away."
Follow Beth:
https://www.tiktok.com/@bethtsangarides
https://www.instagram.com/bethtsangarides
Follow Beth:
https://www.tiktok.com/@bethtsangarides
https://www.instagram.com/bethtsangarides
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FunTranscript
00:00I'm allergic to myself and my allergies are extreme.
00:02Anything that interacts with my body, it affects all my skin.
00:05This was the worst it had ever been.
00:08I literally had to run down the stairs because I could just hear you screaming.
00:12Just smelling some foods around me can be life-threatening.
00:15I'm so nervous just to even leave the house.
00:18Is it okay?
00:19A slight smell but it should be okay.
00:21I'm forced to avoid the majority of foods and my partner has to restrict her diet too.
00:26She's sacrificed so much to be with me.
00:28I often do feel guilty.
00:30I still think to this day that she does too much for me.
00:38Morning.
00:42Thank you.
00:44How's my skin looking?
00:46Better.
00:47Yeah?
00:48Yeah.
00:48Can I get some pictures?
00:49Yeah.
00:51That way.
00:52So I'm checking Beth's skin for like anything that's like actively weeping,
00:56making sure nothing's open and actively bleeding as well.
01:00I'm allergic to pretty much everything that comes into contact with me.
01:04I can come up in hives from something simple
01:07or I could come up in hives just from something that I've never had a reaction before.
01:10Doctors have never seen anything like my conditions before.
01:13They call me a medical mystery.
01:17When the flare-ups happen there's not really much I can do to treat it.
01:20Unfortunately I've tried so many different things and nothing really helps.
01:25I woke up one morning when I was 15 years old with a slight rash on my face
01:29and then from there it never went away and it kept coming back.
01:32My own emotions, getting too stressed can cause me to have reactions.
01:37Products, my body can decide one day it doesn't want to use
01:40the same shower gel I've been using for years.
01:43I also react a lot to foods and that's one of my biggest things that affect me.
01:47I have massive allergic reactions that can lead to anaphylaxis.
01:54I pretty much eat the same thing every day.
01:57Bacon roll, yeah, I'll do bacon roll.
02:02The most severe food that I react to is chilli and paprika.
02:06It could just be from the smell of walking past a restaurant.
02:09It can also be in foods that I've cooked in my own home
02:11which can be more life-threatening because I have no escape.
02:14If you were to fry onions around me, fry mushrooms,
02:17if you do something that creates a very strong smell in the atmosphere that triggers me.
02:24I was a bit shocked at first like I didn't understand
02:28how all of this could be an allergy and the way it reacts to her.
02:32When I first started dating Sasha I kind of expected to just go a separate way
02:36because she didn't want to manage it.
02:38I knew my health would affect the relationship massively
02:40because it changes her life as well as mine.
02:43I don't even think it was a big sacrifice to get rid of all of the foods
02:48that Beth couldn't be around and I reassured her like
02:51I'll help you through this, I want to be by your side
02:54and I'm not going to leave just because of your health.
03:00Sasha is my full-time carer.
03:02She helps me from the minute I wake up to the minute I go to bed.
03:05She has to help me prepare food because I will be so scared
03:08that that food is coming to cross-contamination with something
03:11and could affect me or send me into anaphylaxis.
03:13I have EpiPens in every room of the house.
03:15Sasha usually knows where they are.
03:17She does everything and as much as I will try and help her out
03:20she refuses to let me help do some stuff
03:22because if I push myself she knows that will lead to a flare-up.
03:25This was the worst it had ever been.
03:28I was screaming, I couldn't control myself.
03:32Yeah, I remember I literally had to run down the stairs
03:35because I could just hear you screaming
03:37and then when I walked in the redness was like spread all over her cheeks
03:42and it was just excruciating pain.
03:46Put your mind somewhere else, I know it's hurting but just try.
03:50I think the only way I can describe it is like having acid running in your face.
03:54It burns all the time, it's burning right now.
03:57When it is at its worst I can barely get out of bed.
04:00It breaks my heart because she's in so much pain
04:03and there is literally nothing I can do other than hold her hand
04:06and reassure her that once the pain stops that's the start of the healing process.
04:15Hi, how are you?
04:18I'm okay, you know the drill.
04:22Having people come into my house just free will doesn't happen
04:26because if they walk in with a really strong perfume
04:28or a scent on them from previous food they've eaten
04:32that could even trigger an anaphylaxis just from that.
04:34So when they come in I will usually ask them to sanitise the stuff they've got,
04:38check their bag, sanitise their hands.
04:42Okay, thank you, thank you.
04:45Do you want to come in for coffee?
04:46Love a coffee, thank you.
04:47When I first started dating Sasha, Sasha told me her mum had doubts.
04:50She didn't want her to be isolated, she didn't want her to miss out on much.
04:54I completely understood that.
04:56I remember when you first brought up all of the like the concerns
05:00and how you fought and perceived Beth's life.
05:03I was very defensive and I took the protective side.
05:07To be honest I was resentful with you at first
05:10because I thought I didn't get to see Sasha.
05:14I really did feel at the very beginning that Sasha was taking on too much.
05:21Yeah, I definitely do have that guilt and that's always in the back of my mind
05:24that I feel like I've made Sasha miss out on so much of her life.
05:28I still think to this day that she does too much for me, she does.
05:33But I wouldn't be where I am right now without her because I would be so lost.
05:38I don't see like why you should feel guilty
05:41because I know eventually all the stuff that yeah I might have missed out on.
05:46We'll eventually do that in our own time
05:49and being able to spend it with you is just better than being on my own.
05:54Seeing what you go through and knowing you for so long now, it's now Sasha's happy
06:01and as long as Sasha's happy, I'm happy.
06:03They may be like chalk and cheese but they work.
06:07So I'm just glad that they found each other.
06:23When I leave the house I have to set a lot of precautions.
06:27I will never really go somewhere I don't know without planning it first.
06:32In this bag is my emergency bag, what we call it.
06:35It's got my EpiPens in, my nose spray, my eye drops and then have a spare t-shirt
06:39just because my body can go through extreme temperature change
06:42and at one point I could be sweating so much I could pass out so I'll need to change clothes.
06:46I just always have to be on edge when we're out.
06:49I have to have eyes in the back of my head almost
06:51to make sure the people around us aren't eating
06:55and if they are eating the safe food that Beth can be near,
06:58if not I have to make sure that we can move somewhere safe.
07:03Is it okay?
07:04Yeah, a slight smell but it should be okay, just shallow breathe.
07:13Sasha's love has brought everything to me, it does.
07:16She completely changed my life, she completely changed the way I saw my health
07:20and I saw my skin.
07:21She made me feel beautiful and I wouldn't have even posted my first
07:25like TikTok about my page if it wasn't for her.
07:27I realised this is actually what I want to do and this is where I want to go.
07:31I'm so restricted with my life but turning to social media
07:34and being able to get to know people through that way,
07:37it made me so much happier and I've made friends for life now
07:40and I hope one day that I'll be able to meet them properly.
07:43What I love the most about Beth is how strong she really is.
07:47The way she fights through every day, it's inspiring.
07:51I love you.
07:51I love you.
07:53I hope that people learn and take away from my story
07:56that you're perfectly imperfect the way you are.
07:58Don't shy away, I want people to know that it's okay to be different
08:02and it's okay to be unique.
08:04This is my life now, I wouldn't change it for the world
08:07because I wouldn't have met Sasha, I wouldn't be doing the things I am now.
08:10I didn't think that I would ever be somewhere
08:12but I felt confident going out with my skin flared.
08:15I'm extremely proud, I didn't think I'd be where I am now.
08:20I'm extremely proud, I didn't think I'd be where I am now.