Warning: this article contains images that some readers may find distressing.

A woman who suffered horrific burns after the plastic on her hot water bottle ‘melted’ and the contents of it burst onto her skin has urged people to get rid of theirs.

Sophia Pauley explained that she was left screaming in agony after the scalding water suddenly seeped across her upper legs, inner thighs, ‘under her bum’ and on a section of her hand.

The 29-year-old, who lives in Hackney, London, explained that she often reached for a hot water bottle to avoid putting the heating on – but now, she’s vowed to never use one again.

She was left with serious burns, had difficulty walking and struggled to use the toilet for a week after horror struck on 19 November.

The Cardiff-native recalled how she had filled up her hot water bottle to get cosy in bed, only for it’s contents to pour across her body seconds later.

Sophia Pauley has urged people to chuck out their hot water bottles after her horror experience (Kennedy News and Media)

“I sat in bed and immediately thought I had left the lid off, because it was suddenly all over me,” Sophia said. “I was screaming, there was so much, I could just feel it burn underneath me.

“I threw my pyjamas off and ran to the shower. My sister ended up filling the bath with cold water because the shower head couldn’t cover the area.”

How to treat this kind of burn?

After calling an ambulance, she was instructed to submerge herself in the cold water for 45 minutes before she later received treatment in A&E.

The NHS advises that you should remove any clothing or jewellery from the affected area before cooling the burn with cool or lukewarm running water for up to 30 minutes.

You can then cover the damage with a layer of cling film to prevent infection before seeking further medical advice.

Sophia explained she was left sickened as doctors were forced to tweeze the ‘flappy’ skin, which the hot water had ‘melted’ from her thighs.

“I had never screamed in pain before in my life, it was an out-of-body experience,” she said. “That was the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced.

“I saw my skin melt, there was flapping skin on my leg, it was horrible, they had to tweeze it off, it was grim.

“It was a very painful week, I was very immobile for a while just because it was in such a sensitive area and going to the toilet was quite difficult.”

The artist admitted that she had owned the hot water bottle for almost four years and ‘should have binned it’, which is a lesson she ended up learning the hard way.

She was left screaming in pain after the hot liquid seeped over her body (Kennedy News and Media)

Sophia’s warning

That’s why she wants to share her story, as many people in the UK rely on them in the cold months – and Sophia claimed medics told her that these kind of incidents are becoming increasingly common.

“I’ve been using hot water bottles since I was a kid, I use them often in the winter just to get warm because my hands and feet always get cold,” Sophia said.

“After this, I’ll never ever use hot water bottles again. I have always known the danger but never heard of one splitting.

“I thought I had left the lid off but my sister told me the plastic had just melted and it poured all out.”

She claimed that doctors told her ‘lots of people’ head to hospital with hot water bottle burns in winter, despite her initially presuming she had a ‘freak accident’.

Sophia continued: “I was told they think there is cheaper manufacturing [of the bottles] and people are just not heating their houses enough.

“After going to the burns unit they said this is the case of the week, we had a 80% rise in the last few years, all from hot water bottle burns.

“Lots of kids coming in and parents not putting them [the burns] in cold water, or people not realising the burn is quite severe and leaving it and then it getting infected and causing lots of issues.

The London-based artist admitted she should have got rid of her four-year-old hot water bottle (Kennedy News and Media)

“Some burns that look quite insignificant can be caused from the hot water bottle not even spilling but burning on the skin.

“If anyone uses them, I would advise them to bin it.”

Sophia warned people that hot water bottles just aren’t worth the risk, but urged those who will continue to use them to at least ensure they are safe.

“Make sure to update them every single year and don’t risk it,” she added. “Don’t fill it up with boiling water or top it up with cold water.

“I would avoid them at all costs. There’s dangers even if it doesn’t leak, it can still burn you on your skin.

“I want to get the word out. People really need to look at the expiry dates and think again before using them.”

A month after the incident, Sophia’s burns have almost healed but they still remain sensitive – and she has to avoid the sun for at least two years.

Trigger warning: This article contains discussion of eating disorders, depression and euthanasia which some readers may find distressing

The boyfriend of a 34-year-old woman who planned to die on her 34th birthday has issued a heartbreaking update.

Yesterday (25 April) was Dutch woman Jolanda Fun‘s 34th birthday, but it was also the day she had planned to end her life.

Just a fortnight ago, Jolanda had explained to The Times that she was one of a number of people in the Netherlands who was seeking euthanasia due to psychiatric problems.

According to the publication, she has had an eating disorder, recurrent depression, autism and learning difficulties for much of her life.

Jolanda Fun had planned on going through with euthanasia on her 34th birthday. (Facebook/Jolanda Fun)

She said: “Most of the time I just feel really s**tty. Sad, down, gloomy. People don’t see it, because that’s the mask I put on and that’s what you learn to do in life.

“… My father is sick, my mother is sick, my parents are fighting to stay alive, and I want to step out of life.”

Jolanda explained she had been struggling with mental health her whole life, adding: “Even when I was seven, I asked my mother whether, if I jumped from a viaduct, I would be dead. I’ve been struggling with this my whole life.”

Last year, she wrote on her Facebook that she had been trying to find a mental health professional to help her with the euthanasia process.

And on her birthday yesterday, which was the planned day for her passing, her boyfriend Peter Silvius shared a heartbreaking update.

He wrote (translated): “Sweet Jolanda. This is your day the day of your birthday and the day your wish comes true a day with two sides.

Her boyfriend, Peter, shared a message. (Facebook)

“Will miss you a lot as you start your final journey to a place where you will find your peace and have no more pain. Love you you always in my heart have a good last journey and see you later ××.”

Jolanda responded in the comments: “Thnkx darling”.

It is not clear if her wishes were carried out.

Peter later shared a short quote on his page, which read: “I’ve never loved anyone like I love you. I cry over you.

“No matter what you do, I cannot fall out of love with you. I cannot bring myself to forget you. I’ve never missed anyone as much as I miss you. No one in this world means to me as much as you do.”

It’s not clear how long the couple have been together, but Peter updated his profile back in January to show their relationship status.

The Netherlands is one of only three countries in Europe where assisted dying is legal – but there are some requirements that must be adhered to.

Dutch laws state that a person has to be mentally competent and have had a long-standing desire for euthanasia. (Pornpak Khunatorn/Getty Stock Image)

Dutch laws state that a person has to be mentally competent and have had a long-standing desire for euthanasia.

It is also a legal requirement that the person must have been informed of all other alternatives and that there can be no other reasonable solution.

Meanwhile, eligibility to end their life must be confirmed by an independent doctor.

According to figures, 138 people suffering with mental health illness were euthanised last year. This makes up 1.5 per cent of all cases in the Netherlands for 2023.

If you’re experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They’re open from 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58 and they also have a webchat service if you’re not comfortable talking on the phone.

Doctors told Andrea Fenn that her shoulder pain might be a frozen shoulder, or even a trapped nerve, but her eventual diagnosis would be far more serious.

The mum-of-three from Wigan went to her GP back in May 2021, after experiencing severe pain in her shoulder and spine.

Her GP said it was likely a common shoulder condition but Fenn’s pain continued to get worse.

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Eventually, she sought the second opinion of another doctor and after running an MRI scan a lump was found on Fenn’s lung.

After months of pain and prescriptions that didn’t seem to work, the mother finally had a diagnosis: lung cancer.

Fenn thinks the cancer could have been caught quicker. She told the Manchester Evening News: “I feel like I’ve been fobbed off.

“I was on the phone to the doctors regularly, at least once or twice a week.

“The pain was excruciating and on one particular day in September, I was literally on my knees clinging to my boyfriend’s waist saying someone has got to help me.

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“I was going to bed hoping I wouldn’t wake up. They told me there was nothing else they could prescribe for me painkiller-wise. I called up the next morning and insisted on a second opinion.

“Cancer never crossed my mind; I presumed it was a problem with my shoulder. If someone had listened to me, I possibly wouldn’t have been stage three.”

Since being diagnosed, Fenn has undergone chemotherapy and immunotherapy, but unfortunately, another lump was found on Fenn’s stomach.

A biopsy showed that Fenn now had secondary cancer in her stomach.

She said: “We were shocked because we were told the lump on my stomach was from injections.

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“It’s devastating. I’m trying to keep my chin up and be brave.

“My youngest son doesn’t know the extent. He’s only 11 and he just knows mum has cancer but the two older ones obviously know. It’s crushing; it’s awful.”

Now, Fenn’s family has launched a GoFundMe campaign, saying: “I would like to try and raise as much money as possible to donate to mum so she can make lots of precious memories with the little time that she has left.”

The mother, who is now stage four, was quick to think of others in her position, saying: “I’m not the only one – there are millions of people with cancer but it’s literally ruined and taken over my life. I’m just trying to do as much as I can while I can. While I feel like pointing fingers, I just don’t have the energy.”

More and more people have been opening up about their dental experiences abroad, leaving UK dentists to pick up the pieces when things go wrong.

Now, one woman has shared her horrendous ‘Turkey teeth’ experience, which left her requiring serious treatment when she returned to the UK. Check out the video below:

After dropping £6,000 for the procedure, Katie Inglis headed to the EU country on a quest for a bright, white smile. And while her new teeth may look impressive, they have been littered with problems which her dentist back at home had to rectify.

The dentist at the practice abroad performed 13 root canals, or removals, on her teeth in one eight-hour procedure under general anaesthetic, while 24 of her teeth were shaved down, Katie claimed, to make space for the crowns and implants.

According to Advanced Dental Care of Round Rock, most qualified dentists will not perform more than one root canal procedure at any one time due to the amount of time required to complete just one, as well as the difficulty in effectively numbing a patient’s mouth in more than one area.

@katieinglis3/TikTok

Katie claimed that the aftermath of the surgery left her being ‘violently sick’ and ‘bed-bound for four days solid’, while photos showed her in a wheelchair as she left the hospital and in her hotel room.

Her face, including her nose, chin and jaw was visibly swollen and bruised as she recovered from the unregulated treatment.

Meanwhile, she stated: “The cementing (where the dental implants are retained into the mouth using cement) was the most horrific and worst pain ever.”

Her gums were visibly left filled with green putty used to take her tooth impressions in more than four areas of her mouth, which meant that she required ‘several stitches’ when she returned to the UK to remove the debris, she claimed.

@katieinglis3/TikTok

She has since posted several videos on TikTok in order to shed light on her painful dental experience abroad.

Katie captioned one video: “Make awareness – warning people – still ongoing problems 3 months later!”

And the woman is not the only one who has suffered from dental trauma as a result of seeking treatment in unregulated practices abroad, a survey from the British Dental Association (BDA) suggests that this trend is a growing one.

In fact, 86 percent of dentists surveyed in the UK reported that they treated cases that developed problems following treatment abroad, with 87 percent of practitioners identifying crowns, and 85 percent believing that implants most likely required follow-up work when done abroad.

Eddie Crouch, the chair of the BDA said in a statement: “Dentists are aware that many people are struggling to access care and may be tempted to go overseas for cut-price treatment.

“Patients need to provide informed consent for any treatment they have and be wary of a hard-sell, as the reality is rarely as simple as it appears on Instagram. Sadly, many UK dentists are now picking up the pieces when things go wrong.

“Complex courses of treatment typically require detailed preparation and a number of follow-up visits. Patients should be aware of the risks and alternatives to the treatment desired, and get advice on what they should do in the event of problems occurring when they return.

“The cost of follow-up treatment needs to be factored in. If there are complications, the initial price may not be such a bargain.

“We strongly advise people considering this to check a dentist’s qualifications and experience and whether they are insured if things go wrong,” he concluded.