Teaching assistant who straps hot water bottle permanently to herself to combat cramps 'cooked her skin'

A teaching assistant used her boiling hot water bottle so much to battle her stomach cramps - even strapping it to herself when out shopping- that it 'literally cooked' her own stomach. Tanya Jade Woolley discovered that heat was the only way to 'distract' her from the 'unbearable' pain of her irritable bowel syndrome so began strapping a hot water bottle around her waist and wore it everywhere

Within two weeks of using the heating pad, the 18-year-old realised she had fried her skin as burn marks appeared that covered "her whole stomach". However, the teaching assistant refuses to stop using her hot water bottle because she would "rather just have the burn marks" as they are less painful than her intense cramps.

Taking to TikTok, Tanya shared a video of her skin pigmentation captioned 'I'm just a girl who has burn marks from using her hot water bottle too much', which has now gained 324,500 views. In the clip, the teenager reveals the discolouration that covers her entire upper abdomen from where she has placed the heat.

Many users took to the comments to praise Tanya for sharing her struggle, with one user claiming the marks resemble a 'snowflake'. Other users referred to the marks as a symptom of 'toasted skin syndrome'.

The condition is a hyperpigmentation of the skin which results from repeated heat exposure and while it often fades over time, in more severe cases, the skin changes can be permanent. After being diagnosed with IBS in January 2023, Tanya revealed she has been to the hospital three times in the past year after her IBS cramps became so painful, and using her hot water bottle 'constantly' every day was the only relief.

Tanya, who lives in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, said: "[The hot water bottle] is comforting and distracts me from the pain. I'd be using it all day. I would constantly fill it up. Anytime [its temperature dropped to] slightly warm I'd fill it up.

"I went through a phase where I was using my hot water bottle so much that it actually became really painful and it burned my skin. It literally cooked my skin.

"I had to put aloe vera gel on it because it literally was burning. I think that's why it scarred so bad. Now whenever I put heat on it, it flares up.

"The marks cover practically my whole stomach. More my upper stomach than my lower stomach where my IBS cramps are. It's like dry skin. I moisturise it so it doesn't just dry out.

"I've got a fluffy koala cover from Amazon. It's got velcro to wrap it around your stomach so you don't actually have to hold the hot water bottle under your stomach.

"I would go to the shops wearing it. It makes you look pregnant if you've got a hoodie on."

The teaching assistant admits she would rather not risk making the burn marks worse but feels like she has little choice but to continue cooking her skin to save her from the 'unbearable' IBS aches.

Tanya said: "I can't stop because the pain would just be so bad. It's really harsh stomach cramps. The pain was unbearable. I couldn't move.

"The only thing that gets rid of it is heat. Tablets as well but often they don't work. The best thing is the hot water bottle.

"Once I realised how bad it was I used it slightly less. If I was in a lot of pain then I would put it on. But as soon as the pain stopped I would take it off to give my belly some time to breathe.

"It's either I deal with the stomach marks or the pain of IBS. The burn marks don't hurt as much as the pain of IBS, so I'd rather just have the burn marks on my stomach."

After the doctors noticed her permanent scarring, Tanya was left frustrated when they advised her to either use her hot water bottle less or not apply it directly to her skin.

Tanya said: "It was frustrating. The alternative is excruciating pain. I never put it directly onto my skin. I always put a top between it or a cloth. My cover is fluffy too, it's not a rubber one.

"I've tried alternatives. Instead of putting a hot water bottle directly on my stomach, I put a warm towel on it. But even then it doesn't really help."

The 18-year-old admitted she had not heard of 'toasted skin syndrome' until seeing videos on TikTok, which inspired her to similarly share her experience so others could relate and feel 'less alone'.

Tanya said: "I've never actually seen anyone walking around with it. But when I put it on TikTok lots of other people seem to have it so I thought 'oh okay, it's not just me'. It makes me feel less alone.

"I'm not really insecure about it. I've had people comment on my stomach before. Sometimes I do think it's just a big brown patch on my stomach. But other people think it looks quite cool. Someone commented on that video saying it looks like a snowflake."

Many users took to the comments to support Tanya and related to her suffering. One user said: "It looks like a snowflake." Another user said: "I literally gave myself a second-degree burn."

A third user said: "Toasted skin syndrome." A fourth user said: "I can't lie, I would rather this than those horrid cramp pains." Other users expressed their concern for Tanya's safety.

One user said: "Girl that looks more serious than a slight burn from a hot water bottle." Another user said: "New fear unlocked."