Rachel had to give birth via e.m.e.r.g.e.n.c.y C-s.e.c.t.i.o.n as she could barely move from the pain and swelling
A YOUNG MUM feels like she’s “b.u.r.n.i.n.g a.l.i.v.e” due to a “pregnancy rash” that erupted across her body – to the point she can’t hold her baby son on her lap and has been left s.u.i.c.i.d.a.l.
Rachel Bradford, 30, was 24 weeks pregnant in March 2024 when she noticed an “extraordinarily itchy” rash breaking out over her skin, covering her body in red blotches.
The mum, who lives in Torbay, Devon, with her husband of two years, Jack, 31, was told by doctors the rash was likely pregnancy-related and would go away when she gave birth.
But Rachel watched in horror when just two weeks later the skin all over her body turned a “burning” red.
It “blistered” in some spots and went black in others, making her look like “a d.e.a.d person”.
Rachel kept pushing for answers in hospital but she felt “no-one was listening” and was “sent away” several times.
Rachel gave birth to her son Michael via an emergency C-section in May 2024, as her legs were so swollen and painful she was unable to open them.
But her symptoms persisted, making her body feel like like it was “constantly on f.i.r.e”. It forced her to step back from her job as a support worker.
Feeling like there was “no escape” from her pain, the mum also began grappling with s.u.i.c.i.d.a.l thoughts.
In February this year, Rachel was eventually diagnosed with erythromelalgia, a rare condition that causes burning pain, redness, hot skin, and chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS).
“It feels like I’m b.u.r.n.i.n.g a.l.i.v.e, like my body is constantly on f.i.r.e,” Rachel said.
“This condition has taken everything away from me, pregnancy and motherhood, my job, my mobility, my independence – I can’t even play with my son.”
Jack, an assistant store manager for an agricultural storage facility, added: “There’s always a part of Rachel’s body which is constantly on fire and it doesn’t go away.
“She can’t escape it, from the moment she opens her eyes, it’s the first thing she feels.”
Rachel had no major health issues before breaking out in the “extraordinarily itchy” rash during her pregnancy.
“There was a point where Rachel would be sleeping with her nails in her shoulders, digging in so she didn’t scratch herself,” Jack recalled.
The couple visited their doctor, but Rachel said she was told it was likely a pregnancy-related symptom which would subside after she gave birth.
Two weeks later however, Rachel said her rash became “really bad”, prompting the couple to phone NHS 111 – and they were advised to seek help at Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.
“They told us it was nothing to worry about and we were sent away,” Jack said.
Rachel’s rash then changed, turning red and “b.o.i.l.i.n.g hot”, and Jack recalled feeling the heat radiate from his wife’s skin.
“It’s thought it’s related to her blood vessels – so they will either completely constrict and she will look like a d.e.a.d person, or it will go the other way to the point her skin will blister,” Jack explained.
This started on Rachel’s arms and legs, before it spread to her head, face, hands, neck, back, shoulders and ears.
Jack and Rachel claim they visited the A&E department at Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital several times over the subsequent weeks and were left waiting for hours before being “sent away”.
“We were still being told it could go after pregnancy, it was just sort of brushed off,” Jack said.
At this stage, Rachel was heavily pregnant and wheelchair-bound as the condition left her with swollen limbs.
“Mentally, I was not right, I was s.u.i.c.i.d.a.l,” Rachel said.
“I was praying the pain would stop – I couldn’t take it anymore and I felt no one was listening to me, no one was taking me seriously.”
Rachel delivered her baby, Michael, via an e.m.e.r.g.e.n.c.y C-s.e.c.t.i.o.n at Torbay Hospital on May 31, 2024.
“I couldn’t have a natural birth anyway because I couldn’t open my legs,” Rachel said.
“They were so swollen from the condition and my mobility was almost nothing at that point.”
The couple later submitted a complaint to the maternity ward in Torbay Hospital, and the hospital apologised that “Rachel’s experience of her care was not a positive one”.
‘Absolutely horrendous’
It’s not always clear what causes erythromelalgia, but sometimes another condition or a faulty gene inherited from a parent can be to blame, according to the NHS.
Erythromelalgia can be difficult to treat, and those with the condition may need to try different treatment combinations to find ones that work.
Rachel said she also suffers from uncontrollable spasms, brain fog, joint pain and loss of feeling in her extremities.
The couple claim they visited Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital for Rachel’s care and pain management but were told by hospital staff to “put some socks on” and that they “can’t do anything else” to help Rachel.
Rachel said the condition has weighed greatly on her mental health.
“If Michael sits on Rachel’s lap for even just five minutes, it causes her thighs to flare up,” Jack said.
“Rachel is an amazing mum and to see her completely limited by something outside of her control, it’s absolutely horrendous.”
The mum is now trying new medications in the hopes it will relieve her symptoms.
The couple have also launched a GoFundMe page, raising over £2,000 so far, to help them access scrambler therapy in Italy – a non-invasive treatment helping patients with chronic pain.
“If we have the money for another option, another treatment…I don’t want Rachel to be hitting a point where she says we have nothing more to try,” Jack said.
