A British man faced a startling revelation when his complaint about perpetually cold hands led to a prognosis of a life-threatening illness.
Scott Nell, a 47-year-old from Houghton-le-Spring in Sunderland, was shocked to discover the underlying cause of his chronic cold hands.
The condition can be particularly debilitating, worsening as time progresses.
Concerned about his health, Nell visited doctors and was diagnosed with systemic sclerosis.
This condition causes connective tissue to become scarred and hardened, affecting vital organs such as the lungs, digestive tract, heart, and kidneys, impairing their function.
Moreover, the condition can visibly alter the skin, causing it to become inflamed and tight. Some sufferers experience increased sensitivity to cold in their extremities.
In an interview with Mail Online, Nell shared: “There was something going on with my fingers and on one occasion I was working and laying a drive and it was snowing but it was so cold, I couldn’t stand it. I took my gloves off and my fingers were white, like sheet-of-paper white. I was really quite shocked and I had to go into the car and heat them.”
Additionally, he began to experience extreme fatigue.
Nell first noticed the cold sensation in his fingers in 2017. He managed well until 2018 when he began to have breathing difficulties.
He explained: “As soon as I leaned over to one side, my airwaves just shut off. I was trying to sleep sitting up and it just got to a point where I couldn’t breathe.”
Following his diagnosis, Nell received chemotherapy, albeit less intensive than that for cancer patients, as it can help ease skin tissue around the organs. He also took approximately 250 tablets weekly.
Remarkably, despite a prognosis of only two years to live, Nell has surpassed this expectation and encourages others to seek medical attention to determine if they might have systemic sclerosis.
He emphasized the importance of early diagnosis for potential sufferers.
He advised: “If you think you might have scleroderma, don’t back off if a doctor suggests it could be something else.”