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Mum reveals how booze can trigger a burning red rash which coats her entire body

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Mum reveals how booze can trigger a burning red rash which coats her entire body
News

News

Mum reveals how booze can trigger a burning red rash which coats her entire body

2019-01-11 16:53 Last Updated At:16:54

Cass, once a party animal, has now reinvented herself as a fitness fanatic.

A former self-proclaimed party animal has reinvented herself as a fitness fanatic after discovering that booze can trigger an allergic reaction which sees her coated in a burning red rash.

As an estimated 4.2 million Brits are set to attempt Dry January, according to a poll by YouGov, one person who knows the benefits of cutting back on alcohol all too well is 42-year-old Cass Bowman.

In her younger years, she loved nothing more than hitting the town for a few drinks with her friends.

But all that changed around eight years ago, when she suddenly began to suffer a mysterious reaction to alcohol that would see her skin become red and blotchy.

Over time, it worsened to the point where her flesh felt as if it had been “scalded,” and her breathing became affected too.

Cass, of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, who works with children, said: “It can spring up anywhere on my body, and my skin gets so hot I can’t even touch it. Before all this, I was quite a party animal. I’d go out weekdays and weekends, downing pints and all sorts.”

On an average night, Cass would have around 10 drinks, a mix of spirits, cider and lager.  And, for a big celebration, it would be even more.

She said: “Now, I’ve cut right back to only having a few vodkas or gins every so often. That seems to have done the trick for now, but if this comes back and makes my breathing worse, I’ll have no choice but to quit drinking altogether.

“As big a part of socialising as it is, I couldn’t live with knowing I was putting myself in danger.”

In her twenties and early thirties, Cass, who has three children, Alex, 18, Oliver, 17 and Ellisia, 13, enjoyed many a night out with friends, and never found alcohol to cause an adverse reaction.

Then, in around 2011, she noticed that she’d start to feel warm on the top half of her body and legs when she’d had a drink.

Still, she wasn’t especially worried, until odd marks soon began to spring up on her skin all over her body, including her face.

She said: “It was almost like a burn. My skin wouldn’t be raised, like it would with a rash, but it’d be hot to touch and feel sensitive for days afterwards.

“Putting cold water on it wouldn’t help, as it just heated up.

“When it would happen, people would really stare, which would make me feel embarrassed and put a dampener on the night.”

At first, Cass, who is married to Stuart, 45, admitted that she didn’t put two and two together, assuming the reaction was down to skin products or washing powder she was using.

But, when it didn’t stop even after she changed products, she started keeping a closer eye on what exactly set her off – and after a few months, realised it only ever happened when she had been drinking.

“I went to the doctor in around 2012, and he agreed that it was something in alcohol causing an allergic reaction,” she said. “He then said to me to stop drinking.”

Cass continued: “I know it might sound silly, but it was such a big part of my life then – it was how I socialised with my friends. I worried I would lose all of that, so I tried to just press on and put up with it.

“I could never figure out a set trigger. If it was one particular type of alcohol, I’d have avoided that, but there was no pattern to it.”

But then, around two years later, Cass began to also experience shortness of breath, which would come on immediately after the rash and affect her for a few hours afterwards.

At her worst, she said she even struggled to speak properly.

Again, she sought medical help and a different doctor prescribed antihistamines to help calm the reaction whenever she suffers a flare-up.

Though the NHS recommends avoiding alcohol whilst taking antihistamines as it can make you feel sleepy, Cass takes non-drowsy tablets, and so said she has not had any adverse effects.

She has also cut down on drinking hugely, now only enjoying around five vodkas or gins on the odd weekend.

For the past year, Cass has not had an allergic reaction – which she believes is down to both drinking less and exercising much more.

She began running almost by accident after she suffered an unrelated hip injury during a Zumba class in 2012, and the physiotherapist who treated her suggested running would help keep her strength up once she had recovered.

Now Cass runs 10km at least three times a week, getting up at 5:30am to pound the streets, and has completed two half-marathons – with three more planned for 2019 – as well as a 10km and several 5km races.

The picture of health, she is sharing her story to encourage others struggling with painful reactions to seek medical help, and said: “My reactions were so unpredictable. I wouldn’t get them every time I drank, but they could come on out of nowhere – especially if I’d drank a couple of nights in a row.

“Now, though, I’m feeling much healthier and really hope that’s the end of it. Of course, if I have another, and my breathing is still affected, I will have no choice but to give up alcohol completely. For now, though, I’m enjoying running, cutting back on drinking and feeling great.”

Abbas Kanani, pharmacist at Chemist Click, said: “If you are experiencing symptoms such as wheezing, sneezing, coughing, itchy skin or feeling sick when you drink small amounts of alcohol, my advice would be to get an allergy test.

“Explain your symptoms to your GP who can organise this for you. In the meantime, it’s best to avoid alcoholic beverages altogether, as there is a possibility that they could cause a severe reaction which can be quite serious.

“If you do have a confirmed allergy to alcohol, it’s best to give up altogether. It seems quite tough, but I see an increased number of people wishing to give up alcohol for good these days, in search of a healthier lifestyle.”

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Mark Carney, the first non-Brit to run the Bank of England since it was founded in 1694 and the former head of Canada’s central bank, said Thursday he is entering the race to be Canada’s next prime minister following the resignation of Justin Trudeau.

Trudeau will remain prime minister until a new Liberal Party leader is chosen on March 9.

Carney, 59, is a highly educated economist with Wall Street experience, widely credited with helping Canada dodge the worst of the 2008 crisis while heading the country’s central bank. He also helped the United Kingdom manage Brexit during his 7-year tenure as governor of the Bank of England.

“The prime minister and his team let their attention on the economy wander too often,” Carney said of Trudeau, speaking in Edmonton, Alberta. “I won’t lose focus.”

The front-runners for the Liberal Party leadership are Carney and ex-Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, whose abrupt resignation last month forced Trudeau’s exit.

The next Liberal leader could be the shortest-tenured prime minister in the country’s history. All three opposition parties have vowed to bring down the Liberals’ minority government in a no-confidence vote after parliament resumes on March 24. An election is expected this spring.

Carney said he knows the Liberals are “well behind,” but said he would win the general election.

Trudeau announced his resignation on Jan. 6 after facing an increasing loss of support both within his party and in the country.

Carney quickly launched into an attack on opposition Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who the polls show has a large lead over the Liberals.

He also highlighted the threats by President-elect Donald Trump, who has said Canada should become the 51st state and has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian goods.

“This is no time for life-long politicians such as Pierre Poilievre,” he said. “Sending Pierre Poilievre to negotiate with Donald Trump is the worst possible idea.”

Poilievre painted Trudeau, Carney and Freeland with the same brush during a news conference in Vancouver earlier Thursday.

The opposition Conservative party was ready for Carney's announcement, releasing a new digital ad branding him as “carbon tax Carney” just hours before he spoke — a reference to his history of supporting carbon pricing policies.

“Mark Carney is back from Europe to continue what Justin Trudeau started,” the ad said, arguing he would behave just like Prime Minister Trudeau in government.

A major plank in Poilievre’s campaign has been removing the carbon tax, introduced by the Trudeau government as a fee on the amount of carbon emitted by fuels like gas.

Carney said if the carbon tax is removed, it should be replaced by something that is “at least if not more effective” in having the same impact of reducing greenhouse gas emissions while making Canadian companies more competitive and creating jobs.

An official close to Freeland said she would scrap the consumer carbon tax and instead make big polluters pay. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly ahead of her announcement.

When Carney, who grew up in Edmonton, was named the first foreigner to serve as governor of the Bank of England it won bipartisan praise in Britain.

“I have helped manage multiple crises and I have helped save two economies,” Carney said. “I know how business works, and I know how to make it work for you.”

More recently, Carney served as the U.N.’s special envoy for climate change and led an alliance of international financial institutions pushing for carbon-cutting measures. He has long championed the notion that making companies accountable for their impact on the planet is the first step toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

When Carney led Canada's central bank he was credited with keeping money flowing through the economy by acting quickly in cutting interest rates to their lowest level ever of 1%, working with Canadian bankers to sustain lending through the crisis and, critically, letting the public know rates would remain low so they would keep borrowing.

He was the first central banker to commit to keep them at a historic-low level for a definite time, a step the U.S. Federal Reserve would follow.

Like other central bankers, Carney is a former Goldman Sachs executive. He worked for 13 years in London, Tokyo, New York and Toronto, before being appointed deputy governor of the Bank of Canada in 2003. He has both financial industry and government credentials.

He has long been interested in entering politics and becoming prime minister but lacked political experience. The Liberal Party has tried to recruit him for years.

"Being a politician is quite different from being a policy adviser or a central banker," said Daniel Béland, a political science professor at Montreal’s McGill University.

Mark Carneytalks to his supporters during his Liberal leadership campaign launch in Edmonton, on Thursday Jan. 16, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Mark Carneytalks to his supporters during his Liberal leadership campaign launch in Edmonton, on Thursday Jan. 16, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Mark Carney talks with supporters during his Liberal leadership campaign launch in Edmonton, on Thursday Jan. 16, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Mark Carney talks with supporters during his Liberal leadership campaign launch in Edmonton, on Thursday Jan. 16, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Mark Carney speaks during his Liberal leadership campaign launch in Edmonton, on Thursday Jan. 16, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Mark Carney speaks during his Liberal leadership campaign launch in Edmonton, on Thursday Jan. 16, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Mark Carney speaks during his Liberal leadership campaign launch in Edmonton, on Thursday Jan. 16, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Mark Carney speaks during his Liberal leadership campaign launch in Edmonton, on Thursday Jan. 16, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Mark Carney speaks to supporters during his Liberal leadership campaign launch in Edmonton, on Thursday Jan. 16, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Mark Carney speaks to supporters during his Liberal leadership campaign launch in Edmonton, on Thursday Jan. 16, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Mark Carney speaks during his Liberal leadership campaign launch in Edmonton, on Thursday Jan. 16, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Mark Carney speaks during his Liberal leadership campaign launch in Edmonton, on Thursday Jan. 16, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Mark Carney speaks during his Liberal leadership campaign launch in Edmonton, on Thursday Jan. 16, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Mark Carney speaks during his Liberal leadership campaign launch in Edmonton, on Thursday Jan. 16, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

FILE - Mark Carney, who has served as the governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, speaks at the Sustainable Finance conference, Nov. 28, 2024. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

FILE - Mark Carney, who has served as the governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, speaks at the Sustainable Finance conference, Nov. 28, 2024. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

FILE - Canada 2020 Advisory Board Chair and former Governor of the Bank of Canada and Bank of England Mark Carney speaks during the Canada 2020 Net-Zero Leadership Summit in Ottawa, April 19, 2023. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

FILE - Canada 2020 Advisory Board Chair and former Governor of the Bank of Canada and Bank of England Mark Carney speaks during the Canada 2020 Net-Zero Leadership Summit in Ottawa, April 19, 2023. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

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