Lisa thought her itch was just an allergy. In fact it was a common liver problem that mostly strikes women, often goes undetected for years and causes catastrophic damage. Now doctors reveal the signs

Lisa Woodcock's initial instinct when she first developed severe itching all over her body was to blame an allergic reaction to her laundry detergent.
'I was itching all the time,' recalls the 41-year-old sales manager from Exmouth, Devon.

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The Sun

an hour ago

• The Sun

I thought I'd welcome assisted dying after mum's drawn-out death but vote terrifies me… MPs must stop ignoring experts

EVERYBODY deserves the right to have a dignified death, and many will welcome the passing of the assisted dying bill. After watching my own mother suffer a drawn-out, hideous death I have often thought I would have welcomed a law like this too. 10 10 But Friday's vote terrifies me. I now fear for those of us who want an assisted death, as well as those of us who do want to stay alive. A decision of this magnitude should never have been a private members' bill, it should have been presided over by Government ministers. Corners have been cut, fundamental decisions left up in the air, and advice ignored in a desperate bid to rush it through. That seems senseless when this bill really is a matter of life and death. The first frightening milestone was when the plans to have a High Court judge approve each case were changed because the court doesn't have the capacity to preside over it. But the NHS doesn't have the staff to spare either. Now, to have an assisted death it will need two doctors, a social worker, a senior legal figure and a psychiatrist. Anybody who has been stuck in the NHS system needing to see any of those knows that there are not enough to go round as it is. And if anybody voting on Friday had stopped to listen, they would have heard many doctors saying they want no part in assisting suicide. Which means that dying people spend their final — precious — days battling to get an assisted death. Our own Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he was opposed to it because it would mean the NHS now has less money for other priorities. But he was ignored. Former Home Secretary Sir James Cleverly warned a 'blank cheque' would be needed to get the service up and running. But he was ignored. Doctors said it will be a 'real threat' to patients and medics because the NHS, already under-resourced and overspent, can't cope with this extra burden. Again, they were ignored. And nobody, cruelly, bothered to listen to the charities involved in hospices and disability who voiced their concerns. I just hope the House of Lords does the decent thing now and stops to listen — and stop this bill going ahead. Because our crumbling NHS hasn't got the time, or money, to deal with it. Added pressure Figures released on Friday show that the establishment of a voluntary Assisted Dying Commissioner and panels will cost about £13million a year. I imagine that really is the tip of the iceberg. This huge sum will have to come from somewhere — and one of the biggest areas will be palliative care. The bill's backers say healthcare costs at the end of life could be reduced by almost £60million after ten years. Which is great news, unless you actually don't want to die. Now our underfunded palliative care will get less cash, there will be fewer places for vulnerable and weak people to access, more pressure on them, well . . . to die. They may feel they have no other option but to say yes to the doctor — who is now actually legally allowed to ask them if they want an assisted death. We will watch helplessly as people who have fought to live all their lives give up because they have little other option. Just how scandalous is that? Our NHS can't cope right now. They are paying BILLIONS a year in compensation claims for clinical negligence. This added pressure will see those cases rise. Meanwhile, NHS waiting lists will get longer and we will see more people dying who could have been saved. While those who actually wanted help with their death will die long before they get to the front of the queue. I THOUGHT we'd seen it all when Sharon Stone uncrossed her legs in Basic Instinct. But in a racy new shoot for Vogue, the 67-year-old actress strips off to be worshipped by a sultry pile of hunky male models. 10 10 Nice work if you can get it. And yet she claims to struggle with everyday concerns because: 'When it comes to life, we're all the same.' I get the sentiment Shaz. But when you're a millionaire film star I imagine there's an awful lot less to worry about. HUE 'N' CRY IS CRAZY AFTER touring a lab in Norwich with Prince William to learn about fabric dye, actress Cate Blanchett says she will reconsider the colour of clothes she wears in the future. Apparently, colours such as black, green, blue and even white are difficult to make without causing damage to the environment. 10 You've got to feel sorry for the celebs who may now be judged on their colour choices as well as fashion ones. Take Geri Horner, who has vowed to wear only white and hails it as 'a symbol of purity, cleanliness, immaculacy and perfection'. Nope, now it also means you don't care about the environment. AS a farmer's daughter I have always had a touch of vegaphobia, finding vegans a bit smug and self righteous. So I couldn't help smirking when the founder of the toxic gossip website Tattle Life was unmasked and turned out to be Sebastian Bond, a very annoying, vegan blogger. Perfect. THERE are two words that are guaranteed to send a shiver down the spine of 'booze o'clock' mums and they are 'wine shortage'. But start stockpiling, ladies, as it's about to happen. 10 Workers at the country's biggest bottling plant are going on strike. Gallons of New World wines are shipped to the UK in containers and bottled here to save transporting millions of heavy glass bottles. I predict Prime-style stampedes for the last bottle of Sauvignon Blanc in Tesco. CAN'T KID ME KATE APPARENTLY if parents tell their kids they are naughty, the chances are that they are going to be naughty. Sounds madness but child therapist and former BBC newsreader Kate Silverton explains that children internalise what we tell them and start to believe 'that's who I am'. So instead, parents should say: 'I didn't like that behaviour.' Which, when you think about it, does actually make sense. And I was fully on board with Kate's advice until she added that children 'are not making conscious choices for the majority of the time'. Hmm, she clearly didn't see the grin on my six-year-old's face this morning – trust me, he was definitely choosing to be naughty and most certainly knew what he was doing wrong. ANGE'S BUZZIN' SHE'S blunt, bolshie and terrifies the Tories. And this week Angela Rayner did battle in the Commons with one of her four tattoos on display. 10 As she took to the dispatch box, the Deputy Prime Minister did not seem to care who saw Celtic love knot on her wrist. It may have raised a few eyebrows in the debating chamber, but she also has a red rose on her leg and a geometric design on the back of her neck. Then there is the bee on her right shoulder, a symbol of Manchester's resilience and community spirit in the wake of the 2017 terrorist attack. Even her harshest critics can't argue with that.

BBC News

2 hours ago

• BBC News

Lucie Southall: Brother vows 'never again' after 21-hour walk

A brother from Redditch has vowed "never again" after walking more than 50 miles through the night in tribute of his late sister. Ashley Southall, from Redditch, lost his 12-year-old sister Lucie when she died from leukaemia in 2013. Her family set up the Lucie Southall Leukaemia Fund a year later to raise money for charity through challenges and events. The 31-year-old completed the challenging on Saturday, walking through fields, bridleways, canals and footpaths in a mammoth 21-hour stint. The route took him and friend from Lucie's dedicated bench in Arrow Valley Lake to Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham. The centre provides en-suite bedrooms for family members whose children are being treated at Birmingham Children's Hospital. It can accommodate up to 60 families at any one time and supports more than 6,000 in an average year. Lucie's family say it gave them a place to stay when it mattered most. In a renewed fundraising push, they are trying to raise £5,000 to sponsor two rooms for three years. The pair set off on a warm Friday afternoon and Mr Southall said he felt okay for about 35 miles before the blisters and the cramp set claimed they also had to contend with unruly wildlife including "an angry bull and fierce swans". But he still managed to "keep his head while his body took a bettering", he added. After the challenge, though, he jokingly had one message: "Never again." Lucie's cousin David Southall helped organise the event but was unable to take part due to an injury. The newly-qualified firefighter was advised against the challenge to avoid making his bad knee worse, but said loved ones were impressed by the effort. "Everyone that knows Ash knows that he is way out of his comfort zone but he's also not someone that will give up easily either," he said. "All family and friends are proud of both of the lads and the Lucie Southall Leukaemia Fund is grateful for all of the funds raised." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.

Telegraph

2 hours ago

• Telegraph

Medics arrested at eco protests should not be struck off, say doctors

Doctors who are arrested while demonstrating at climate change protests should not be struck off, a union is being urged to say. A series of motions to be put before the British Medical Association (BMA) are calling for unwavering support to be given to NHS staff who take part in 'non-violent' eco action. If successful, the union would call for a ban on disciplinary proceedings being brought against activist doctors who are arrested for protest stunts that may include inflicting criminal damage on property and businesses. One motion submitted to the annual representative meeting in Liverpool, which begins on June 23, says the BMA should recognise ' climate change is a public health emergency ' so doctors 'have an ethical duty to advocate for direct action'. It adds that medics should 'condemn' any complaints or disciplinary actions brought 'against doctors who engage in non-violent climate activism'. 'Non-violent climate advocacy' It also calls for 'explicit protections within employment contracts… to ensure doctors do not face career detriment for engaging in non-violent climate advocacy'. Another motion asks BMA members to formally recognise 'that it is a mark of tyrannical regimes that they seek to destroy the careers of those who challenge them' and for the union to refuse to take part in any disciplinary action against medics convicted of 'forms of civil disobedience which do not involve violence to the person'. The moves follow a series of high-profile court cases that have seen doctors sanctioned for taking part in climate activism. In January, Dr Sarah Benn lost an appeal against the suspension of her medical license after she was jailed for breaching a court order by taking part in climate protests. She took part in three Just Stop Oil protests at an oil terminal in Warwickshire in 2022 before being suspended from practising for five months by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) in April 2024. Dr Benn, who had worked in Birmingham and has since retired, sought to challenge the tribunal's findings at the High Court. However, a judge rejected her case after concluding she 'intended to act in a way that did not meet the standards of behaviour to be expected of a doctor'. Also in January, Dr Patrick Hart was jailed for a year after being found guilty of causing criminal damage after damaging petrol pumps with a hammer and chisel at an M25 service station. In total, 16 fuel pumps at Thurrock Motorway Services, in Grays, Essex, were attacked by Hart on Aug 24, 2022. When the doctor is released from prison, he will face a tribunal after being referred for a disciplinary hearing by his medical regulator, the General Medical Council. A spokesman for the GMC said at the time that Dr Hart was not currently suspended. Before he was sentenced, Dr Hart told the court: 'Right now, the greatest health threat to all of us is the unfolding climate catastrophe. 'It is the greatest health threat we have ever faced. All healthcare workers have a responsibility to protect the health of their patients. 'If we do not stand up to the oil and gas executives who are wreaking havoc on our climate and the politicians who enable them, if we do not end the burning of fossil fuels, then we will have failed as a profession and the health systems that we have developed over centuries will collapse. 'I will continue to fight against the death sentence of fossil fuels for as long as I have strength in me. I have no greater duty as a doctor at this moment in history.'