A hospital worker has told how his painful psoriasis has turned him into a “human snake” after the condition means he sheds his skin every TWO DAYS.
Ewan Everton, 20, was diagnosed with the incurable skin condition 11 years ago and now 90 per cent of his body is covered in an angry rash.
The condition has got so bad Ewan’s skin sheds completely every two days leaving him in agony and often unable to wear clothes because his skin is so sensitive.
Ewan, of Worcester, was put on a cocktail of creams and medications to control his condition which were funded by the NHS.
But South Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) have now pulled the plug on his treatment claiming the side effects are worse than the benefits.
Because he has been put on three different drugs which have not worked, Ewan is no longer eligible for any further NHS funding.
Ewan, who works in the HR department of Worcestershire Royal Hospital, said: “I tried three different biologic medications but because they didn’t have a huge effect on the condition they took me off them.
“They said the adverse effects would have been worse than the positives if I was kept on them.
“If three different medications don’t work, the CCG don’t want to do any more and they stopped the funding.
“My job involves a lot of sitting at a desk, which is good because physical activity often causes my skin to crack and bleed.
“But I can’t really focus due to the pain and because moving around at all hurts.
“The condition means I’m like a human snake. My skin sheds every two days and it’s very painful, itchy and feels very tight on my skin.”
Since being diagnosed, Ewan has taken Etanercept, Infliximab and Adalimumab but was taken off them last December because of their side-effects.
Ewan now smothers himself in coal tar cream twice a day in a desperate bid to soothe his cracked skin.
Mum Beverley, 50, a nurse who also has a 26-year-old son James, said: “Ewan’s psoriasis was triggered by the death of my dad.
“No one else in the family suffers from it but it has really got bad in the last few years.
“When I hoover his room the entire vacuum cleaner can be filled with dry skin flakes. It’s that bad.
“He has been on lots of medications but had to be taken off some because there were damaging his liver and kidneys.
“He now only has coal tar cream which is archaic and was used 30 or more years ago. It smells and is very greasy on his skin.
“We have to throw away all his clothes because the cream covers them and isn’t easy to wash out. We’re getting desperate for help.
“The CCG won’t fund any further treatments because they say the three he has been on didn’t help.
“What we are saying is that because of the pace of dermatology treatments which are coming onto the market, the NHS should be open to letting him try more experimental treatments.”
The family are now contacting their MP Robin Walker to try and persuade him to write to the CGG to allow Ewan to have further treatments on the NHS.
Beverley added: “The treatments are expensive, some drugs can cost £1,200 for a three month course but my point is that Ewan is not being treated as a human being.
“If there is treatments out there which can help him lead a normal life then surely the NHS should allow him to take them.
“There’s apparently a new drug on the market which they won’t even consider but his psoriasis is still as bad as ever.
“It’s a lifelong condition but the right medication will give him a large amount of resolve and comfort. They don’t seem to understand that.”
A spokesperson for the three Worcestershire CCGs said: “Unfortunately, we’re unable to comment on individual cases.”
