Scott Nell, 47, told people diagnosed with the condition not to panic but stressed that those who are able to get an early diagnosis can get treatment and live longer
A man has shared a warning to Brits after he learned his cold hands were actually a sign of a life-threatening condition that was destroying his organs.
Scott Nell, 47, from Houghton-le-Spring, in Sunderland, was told he had just two years to live after he was diagnosed with systematic sclerosis, a condition the results in the connective tissue becoming scarred and hardened. The condition affects vital organs, including lungs, digestive tract, heart and kidneys and ends with them not functioning as normal.
The condition can also affect the skin, resulting in it becoming inflamed and tight. Many patients also find that their extremities become sensitive to the cold as tiny blood vessels become constricted. Garden designer Mr Nell said he first experienced cold sensations in his fingers back in November 2017.
According to MailOnline, he said: “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.”
Mr Nell revealed his saw fluid appearing under the skin of one of his fingers and that he started to feel “excessively tired.” He once woke up finding he was unable to straighten his arms and legs for several minutes. He arranged a GP appointment where both stool and blood samples were taken. Blood tests found he had a marker called SCL70, a protein that is present in blood of about 20 per cent of patients with scleroderma.
Mr Nell added: “My fingertips were so tight you couldn’t grab anything and he said I had scleroderma.” Following the appointment he was booked in for an X-ray to check his lungs to see if it was affecting his organs.
But everything seemed normal until March 2018 when he began struggling to breathe. He said: “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.”
After being diagnosed, Mr Nell started chemotherapy as the treatment helps soften the skin tissue around the organs. He said it was not as intensive as it is for cancer patients and that he had lost very little hair. Alongside it he said that he takes about 250 tables each week. He has also said his ordeal has also taken a toll on his family.
He has gone on to advise other people and that those who get the diagnosis should not panic. He continued: “If you think you might have scleroderma, don’t back off if a doctor suggests it could be something else.
“Anyone who has a confirmed diagnosis, I would say not to panic and there are new treatments coming out all the time. Early diagnosis is the key – the sooner you’re on treatment, the longer you have to live, the longer you’ve got with your family.”
