Man, 26, covered in horror rashes after 'food poisoning' turns out to be incurable disease

A 26-year-old man has been left covered in red rashes that feel like “chemical burns” and needing the toilet up to 30 times a day after what he thought was food poisoning turned out to be an incurable disease.

Joe Squire called 111 last month after finding a “mug’s worth” of blood in his faeces. Red blotches then began appearing all over his face, chest, back and neck – which he said felt like acid burns and stopped him from opening and closing his eyes.

Joe told PA Real Life: “When I called 111, they asked how much blood loss did I have, was it enough to fill a mug and the honest answer was yes. The amount that comes out, without being too graphic, is like someone has just cut you open.”

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Joe was given intravenous steroids but then the same day, in a possible reaction to the medication, his skin began burning and he developed red rashes over parts of his body and face.

“The skin is so severe, it’s on my face, it’s on my chest, it’s on my back, it’s on my neck – it’s horrendous,” said Joe.

The retail store manager, who only recently started a new job, was given a high dose of steroids and diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) which causes swelling in the gut, symptoms of inflammation and, according to Crohn’s and Colitis UK, has no permanent cure.

Joe now fears he could lose his job because of his declining health. He has already used up all his holiday for the next year and has been forced to move back to his parents’ house with