A woman whose painful skin condition had left her unable to get up has spoken of the "life changing" treatment she received after appearing on a TV show.
Lucy Doyle, who lives in Kirkby, was left in such debilitating pain by psoriasis, she says there were times she was unable to change her daughter's nappy, get out of bed or even put on a pair of shoes.
After appearing on TV show The Bad Skin Clinic and receiving treatment from a top Harley Street doctor, the mum-of-one, who developed psoriasis when she was 19, says that after a decade of struggling to get the condition under control there is "finally light at the end of the tunnel."
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Speaking to the ECHO, Lucy said: "It's been life-changing.
"For years I have had terrible pain and problems with psoriasis.
"People don't realise it's not just a skin condition it's a chronic illness and it left me riddled with arthritis as well as incredibly painful skin.
"I tried all different kinds of treatments and creams, some of it would work for some time, others wouldn't.
"I used to be in so much pain some days I just couldn't get out of bed.
"It's hard to explain the condition because a lot of people don't understand.
"I've lived with this for 10 years and I didn't realise until I appeared on the TV show just how deeply it affects you.
"There's what you can see, the painful, raw skin and there's the arthritis it causes, but it can also give people lung and heart problems and that was something I hadn't even realised about my own condition."
She says the treatment she received from the Harley Street clinic, which is "very expensive" and although can be available on the NHS, was not something she had been offered, has not only changed hers but also her four-year-old daughter's life.
Lucy said: "I can be a mum to my daughter now and she can just be my daughter.
"Some mornings I couldn't get up or I couldn't leave the house.
"My daughter Olivia, she's grown up so quick, helping her mum.
"She's helped me get dressed, she's fetched things - at four years of age that's hard for her.
"Now I'm able to be a mum to her, to take her out, to do things with her I couldn't before.
"It's completely transformed our lives."
Lucy says she has a message for others struggling to find a treatment that works.
She said: "II share my story because I want to raise awareness, that's why I went on the TV show in the first place.
"A lot of people feel embarrassed by the condition, you shed skin, my skin would look like it had been in the deep fat fryer.
"The toll it takes on your physical and mental health can be really hard to deal.
"I've had so many people get in touch with me since doing the show - from people in my local community who have been incredibly supportive, with local businesses even offering my things to help - to people struggling to find a treatment that works.
"I wouldn't have believed a couple of years ago if you'd asked me what it would be like today. I want people to know, don't give up, there is light at the end of the tunnel."
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