Man wakes up with bright blue skin, rushed to hospital; unexpected reason revealed later

A man in the UK recently had a frightening experience after waking up to find his body completely blue. The unusual situation quickly caused panic and led to a rushed hospital visit. Doctors initially treated the case seriously, but the real reason turned out to be far simpler than anyone expected.

Man wakes up with blue skin

Tommy Lynch, 42, from Castle Gresley in Derbyshire, had been using a new set of navy blue king size bedsheets that were gifted to him by his friend Del to help keep him warm in his barn home, as reported by the New York Times.

He slept on the sheets for two nights without washing them first. On the second day, he woke up in the afternoon and noticed that his body had turned bright blue.

Friend rushes him to hospital

Lynch had slept for around 14 hours and felt extremely tired. His friend Del, who works as a carer, became concerned after seeing him, according to the report.

“My friend, Del, woke me up by knocking on the door as I’d slept for 14 hours and he took one look at me and said I needed to go to hospital.”

Before leaving, he sent a photo to his mother.

“I sent my mum a picture and she was panicking about my blood circulation while I was pretty confused as I’d just woke up from a deep sleep.”

Doctors quickly start tests

Lynch went to Queen’s Hospital in Burton on November 15. Doctors immediately began examining him.

“They whisked me through, put me straight on oxygen, asking me all these questions.”

Several doctors gathered around him.

Simple test reveals the truth

While preparing to take blood, a doctor wiped his arm with an alcohol swab and it turned blue, as mentioned in the report.

“They went to take my blood and as soon as she wiped my arm, the wipe went blue. Then it clicked.”

He quickly realised the colour had come from his bedsheets.

“I said ‘oh my god, I’m so sorry’.”

Bedsheet dye was the reason

According to the New York Times report, Lynch, who sleeps in the nude, said the colour likely transferred from the unwashed sheets while he slept.

“The day before, I’d shook hands with someone and they looked a light blue then but I thought I was just cold.”

“The next night I must have overheated but I was lovely and cosy.”

He said he did not even know how to explain the situation at the hospital.

“I had to walk up to the desk and I didn’t even know what to say: ‘Hi, I’ve woken up blue’.”

Doctors were also surprised.

“The doctors said they’d never seen someone that colour before and still been alive. I looked like an Avatar.”

Took days to wash off

Although the situation became lighter after the discovery, Lynch said he felt embarrassed.

“I was mortified but they said I’d given them a good laugh. They don’t usually have funny stories in A&E.”

It took him several baths over a week to remove the colour.

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