A mother whose life was drastically changed by a severe skin disorder, which she believes was triggered by exposure at work, says she is now at a breaking point. Tiffany Smith is facing growing health and legal challenges that threaten the future of her family.
In an emotional update since her story first appeared in Barbados TODAY in 2023, Smith expressed deep fear for her young son’s future if she were to die. “I have a young son. I’m scared about what could happen if I’m not here. I’m praying for strength and a way forward, but I urgently need help,” she said on Wednesday.
Smith said she is reaching out because she needs consistent, compassionate medical care. “My condition has gone beyond discomfort. It’s affecting every part of my life. I don’t know where else to turn,” she added.
Her health problems began in August 2022 while working for a company that sold chemical-based products. Smith explained that before this job, she had lived with her mother for over 29 years without major health issues. She returned to her mother’s home during the COVID-19 pandemic after losing her job and had her baby there, with no skin problems before starting the chemical-related work.
She has suffered ongoing and unexplained skin issues that have severely impacted her quality of life. In search of relief, Smith even moved temporarily to rural areas twice, but changing her environment did not help. Sea baths worsened her condition by causing severe dryness and itching.
Smith said that the medications helping her most during dry phases are expensive, so she relies mostly on free treatments from the hospital. Over two years, she has been prescribed steroids, immune suppressants, and many antihistamines. Her main dermatologist sees her every six months, but during flare-ups, she often visits a nearby polyclinic. The clinic suggested she consult their dermatologist because they could no longer prescribe steroids due to long-term side effects.
This led Smith to see another doctor, who diagnosed her with chronic psoriasis. She questioned how her condition could change from a severe heat rash to psoriasis without clear evidence that this happens. The doctor became upset when she reminded him he had seen her before but had not thoroughly investigated her symptoms. She said that oversight cost her two years of daily pain and distress.
Smith added that this doctor recommended a medication with serious side effects she did not want to take. She no longer trusts his diagnosis or prescription. Her main dermatologist believes the psoriasis diagnosis was an overdiagnosis. A skin biopsy later confirmed the psoriasis diagnosis was incorrect.
Since then, Smith has stopped taking oral medications because they caused new problems like vomiting, diarrhea, yeast infections, and overall health decline. She feels she has disrupted her own system by trying many treatments without proper support.
Besides her health struggles, Smith is fighting to pay for her legal case against her former employer. She said her lawyer now demands more money to file the case in court. “My limitation period expires in October, and the insurance company still isn’t responding. I took a low-income job to pay the lawyer, but things have gotten worse,” she said.
On March 23, Smith was hospitalized for lung inflammation. Since then, she has been in and out of the hospital without clear answers. She experiences constant numbness in her legs and takes steroids and painkillers to manage growing pain. A recent painful skin biopsy showed severe inflammation and rapid skin cell turnover.
Her main doctor now diagnoses her with chronic allergic contact dermatitis, caused by repeated exposure to an allergen and leading to long-term reactions. He has recommended she be considered for biologic treatment through the Queen Elizabeth Hospital board, but she worries her case could be delayed indefinitely due to higher-priority patients, like cancer sufferers.
Smith expressed frustration that skin diseases are often not seen as urgent, even though her condition has severely affected her life.
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