I felt lightheaded & short of breath… doctors blamed anxiety until my deep holiday tan alerted me to a deadly emergency

WHEN Poppy Guy jetted off for her family holiday in Malaga, Spain, she was looking forward to a break from reality and getting a “nice, golden brown” tan. But the single mum-of-two – who had been diagnosed with ‘anxiety’ – found her symptoms worsened, including light-headedness and shortness of breath. Most concerning of all was that her skin turned darker than it had ever been before. Poppy Guy noticed that her skin went darker than it ever had before when she was on holiday in Spain Credit: Kennedy News and Media Poppy was also suffering from anxiety and feeling like she was short of breath Credit: Kennedy News and Media The 29-year-old tells Sun Health: “I was really brown, like nearly black brown.” After being sick at the airport on the way home, Poppy visited her GP, who made a referral. Just a week later, looking “skinny” and “horrific”, Poppy collapsed at home and was found by her mum. She was rushed to hospital where she was found to be suffering adrenal crisis, which can quickly lead to death. Adrenal crisis is the most serious complication of Addison’s disease, where small glands above your kidneys (adrenal glands) do not work properly. It is the same condition that John F. Kennedy famously managed in private during his US presidency (1961-63). Despite his public image of vitality, he suffered from significant health struggles due to adrenal insufficiency – as well as other issues. Poppy, who had yet to be diagnosed, says: “I had never heard of it. I was definitely scared. “I was in shock because I’ve been to the doctors so many times and they’ve said anxiety every time and now I have a life-threatening disease.” Around 8,400 to 9,000 people live with Addison’s disease in the UK. The adrenal glands produce cortisol and aldosterone – two vital hormones that regulate blood pressure, blood sugar and keep the water to salt balance. In hospital, doctors ran tests and confirmed she had Addison’s disease and Poppy claims a doctor said if she hadn’t been admitted that day, she would “probably be dead”. Back in the UK, Poppy was rushed to hospital after she collapsed and was told she was in adrenal crisis Credit: Kennedy News and Media From there, doctors confirmed that she had a condition called Addison’s disease Credit: Kennedy News and Media Poppy had been experiencing symptoms for around a year, but it came to a head in May on her family holiday. The teaching assistant says: “I went on holiday with my family to a villa in Spain. “Usually, I’m so energetic [but this visit] I would wake up, be sick, and go down to my sunbed. “We all started having the tanning competition. I usually go a nice golden brown, but my belly was literally black. “I’ve always been quite a tanned person because I live in Cornwall and go to the beach all the time, but it turned into a whole new thing on holiday. “I went so black everyone thought, ‘Why is Poppy so dark?’ “The day we came home I was horrifically sick at the airport.” Worried about her unusually dark skin colour, alongside other symptoms, Poppy turned to AI for advice. The teaching assistant says: “I asked ChatGPT about my symptoms and Addison’s disease was one of the options there. I Googled it and thought that it fit. “I went to the doctor and said ‘Addison’s disease’. I looked horrific, I was skinny, and couldn’t stand up straight.” After visiting her GP on June 1, she was given an urgent referral. But one week later, on June 8, she was rushed to hospital. “I was chopping up some vegetables for dinner and my mum found me unresponsive,” Poppy says. “I woke up in the ambulance and went unconscious again. “I didn’t know what was going on. I had back-to-back IV and oral medication. “The doctor said if I didn’t go to hospital that day, I would probably be dead by now.” It was while she was in hospital that Poppy was confirmed to have Addison’s disease. Poppy first mentioned Addison’s disease to her doctor after describing her symptoms to ChatGPT and the condition coming up Credit: Kennedy News and Media Poppy is suffering from muscle weakness due to her condition and has to use a wheelchair Credit: Kennedy News and Media The most common cause of the condition, which can happen at any age but mostly between the ages of 30 and 50 years, is the immune system mistakenly attacking the adrenal glands – making it an autoimmune condition. Signs include feeling dizzy and light-headed, extreme tiredness, loss of appetite, headache, feeling thirsty and anxiety. It also causes areas of skin that are darker than surrounding skin, which may be harder to see on brown or black skin Poppy started experiencing nausea and sickness in July 2025. She says: “I started having light pigmentation circles on my arms. I didn’t think anything of it. “I was waking up and being sick every morning. I went to the doctors and they said they think I have anxiety. “I continued going to the doctors a few times within the year. Every time they sent me away with anxiety and anxiety meds. “From January to May, I couldn’t stand up without feeling horrifically dizzy. “My vision was shaky, I would be vomiting multiple times a day and I would be out of breath when walking around.” She went to see her doctor who reportedly diagnosed her with anxiety and gave her medication, but her symptoms didn’t improve. Poppy said she was sick every day for the past year and went back to her GP several times, only to be told the same thing. She ended up in hospital for two weeks in June after her adrenal crisis – which around eight per cent of people with Addison’s experience each year, according to Addison’s Self Help Group. Poppy said she was in shock when she was first diagnosed with the life-threatening disease Credit: Kennedy News and Media What is Addison's disease? Addison’s disease is a rare condition where small glands above your kidneys (the adrenal glands) do not work properly. Symptoms are often the same as symptoms of other conditions, making it difficult to detect at times. Symptoms of Addison’s disease include: Extreme tiredness Areas of skin that are darker than surrounding skin – this may be harder to see on brown or black skin Loss of appetite, weight loss, tummy pain, feeling or being sick and cravings for salty foods Feeling dizzy or light-headed when standing up Joint pain, muscle weakness and muscle cramps Headache A slightly raised temperature Feeling thirsty and needing to pee a lot Difficulty concentrating Anxiety and depression Addison’s disease most commonly affects adults between the ages of 30 and 50, but it can sometimes affect children. There’s currently no cure for Addison’s disease, but there are medicines that can help manage the condition. If you have Addison’s disease, your adrenal glands are not producing enough hormones, including types of hormones called steroids. So the main treatment is steroid medicine to replace the missing hormones your body needs. You’ll usually need to take your medicine every day for the rest of your life. It’s important you always have enough to avoid running out. Complications of Addison’s disease Adrenal crisis is the most serious complication of the disease. During it symptoms get worse very quickly. This can be triggered by things like an infection, an accident or injury, or surgery. It can cause problems including: Severe dehydration Low blood pressure (hypotension) Seizures Loss of consciousness Stroke Your heart suddenly stopping (cardiac arrest) Source: NHS It can be triggered by becoming ill, stressed or grief-stricken, which is when a person’s cortisol replacement medication (if having treatment) cannot meet their increased demand for cortisol. Though Poppy had two weeks of hospital stay, things have not improved in the weeks since. She says: “I’ll be off work for the rest of the year. “I am staying with my mum and she is looking after me and my kids.” For now, she can’t walk due to muscle weakness caused by Addison’s. She says: “I now have a wheelchair and a frame and I can walk about 20 yards, it takes me a while. “I’m still tanned now, they said it is only going to get worse.” The GP practice declined to comment. An OpenAI spokesperson told The Sun: “Every day, hundreds of millions of people search the internet for health information. “We believe AI can make that experience better by helping them find clearer answers, organise their questions, and prepare for conversations with medical professionals. “But ChatGPT is not a doctor and should never be used as a substitute for medical care, diagnosis, or treatment.”