A man so badly ravaged by tumours he became known as "bubble man" is hoping there might be a cure for his condition — after meeting a top skin doctor.

Chandra Wisnu suffers from a mystery skin disease which left him with growths all over his face and body. The dad of four, from Indonesia, rarely leaves his house and when he did he was forced to cover his face with a balaclava for fear of frightening, or being ridiculed, by others. Chandra, 57, said the lesions began to develop on his face when he was just 19 years old. By the time he was 24 they had spread to his back and by age 32 they almost completely covered his body. During the early stages of the disease, Chandra’s parents took him to see a number of doctors and dermatologists who were baffled by the severity of his condition. He said: “There was no special treatment for my disease, I was just told to see one dermatologist after another because they did not know how to treat me. “After this my dad did not believe there was any reason to take me to hospital anymore and I never saw a doctor again. “People have never mocked or ridiculed me directly, but they do stare at me and avoid me, most people act very strange around me. “It makes me feel very insecure and angry when people treat me differently. “People are afraid, they are frightened of my horrible face and worried they might catch the disease." With doctors baffled by his unusual condition Chandra gave up hope and tried to live a normal life in spite of his condition. But when his eldest son Martin, 32, and daughter, Lis Candra, 26, began showing signs of the condition, Chandra went public with his story in a bid to find a treatment and prevent his children from suffering his same fate. After hearing of his plight, Dr Anthony Gapsari a leading skin specialist from the US, came forward in a bid to help diagnose Chandra’s unusual condition. And Chandra has been given fresh hope that he can now be rid of the tumours.

(By HARRY HAWKINS for the Sun, published: 20th June 2012 )

- Doctor, can you help me out?

- Certainly. Which way did you come in?

• Doctor, I snore so loudly that I keep myself awake. What can I do?

• Sleep in another room.

• Doctor, I’m having trouble with my breathing.

• We’ll soon put a stop to that.

• Doctor, I keep seeing double.

• Sit on the couch, please.

• Which one?

Topical vocabulary

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• to call for an ambulance, to see a doctor, to send for a doctor, to be under a doctor’s care, in-patient/out-patient, to treat sb. for sth., to cure sb. of sth., to diagnose the case, to prescribe sth. for sb., to dress one’s wound, a complication after a disease, after-effects of a disease, a disposable syringe, to follow the doctor’s directions, to keep to a diet, to take medicine, medicine for one’s cough, to be on sick leave, to be on maternity leave, to sprain an ankle, to fracture, to listen to one’s heart, to test one’s blood pressure, to feel one’s pulse, to be operated on for sth., to be cupped, to nip a disease in the bud, to take one’s blood count, to avoid spicy food, to gargle one’s throat, to take lime blossom/dog rose, to feel sore all over, to be put through necessary analysis, inflammation of the throat, to be shell-shocked, to recover from, to get better, to get over an illness, to be on the mend, to be over the worst, to feel an instant relief, to keep in good health, to be in good/robust health, to be the picture of health, to feel on top of the world, to be in the pink, to be in good shape, to feel unwell, to be in poor/ill health, to be giddy (dizzy), to feel black and blue all over, to fall ill with, to be laid up with;

• the grippe, the flu, abscess, the measles, German measles, tonsillitis, quinsy (angina), pneumonia, appendicitis, asthma, bronchitis, concussion (of the brain), diarrhea, blister, nose-bleeding, diabetes, heart disease, mumps, rheumatism, scarlet fever, sun stroke, whooping cough, small pox, jaundice, bleeding, intestinal disorder, indigestion, upset stomach, heart/lung/kidney/liver troubles, diphtheria, giddiness, burn (scald), nausea, injury, to have a running nose, complications, short/long-sight, (in)curable diseases, neglected, hereditary, deadly, epidemic, catching, infectious, apoplexy, blood poisoning, boil, constipation, consumption, gout, plague, typhus, typhoid fever, cramp, benign/malignant tumor, leukaemia, ulcer, sedative, painkiller, to be down, to be taken ill with, to be laid up with, to suffer from the itch, to swell, inoculations against sth., to be cured of, to recover from a disease, to shake the thermometer off, to be effected by radiation, to have a terrible cut, tonic, laxative, purgative, purge/enema, to have a severe/splitting headache, to have an earache/toothache/backache/stomachache/headache, to have a pain in the heart/ liver/kidney/back/chest, to sneeze, to blow one’s nose, to be vomiting, to be off one’s foot, to have colic, to have a chill, to feel sore all over, to lose consciousness/to faint, to feel feverish, to get a splinter into the finger, to have a swollen cheek, to be wounded/injured, a murmur of the heart, to be hoarse, to be confined to bed, the tongue is coated, sore eyes, to lose one’s appetite, to have a bad cough, a pain in one’s chest, to have a thorough examination, to see one’s tongue/throat, to have one’s stomach out of order, to feel one’s pulse, to listen to one’s heart and lungs (chest), to lose weight/ to gain… , to burn the candle at both ends, to need a real rest, to give a bottle of medicine, to take a tablespoonful in water 3 times a day after meals, to eat plain food, to get plenty of fresh air and plenty of sleep, to do a world of good (a good walk, fresh air…), to work wonders, as fit as a fiddle;

• not to have enough courage to go to the dentist, to be shown into the waiting-room, a maid, to go into the surgery, a dental assistant, the chair that can be moved up and down/ backwards and forwards, to have a look at the inside of one’s mouth, to put a little mirror on a long handle inside one’s mouth, to poke at the tooth, to give gas for (extracting), to give an injection, to fill a syringe with, to feel a little prick on the gum, to spit in sth., to give a twist, to rinse one’s mouth, a nasty tooth, to have a tooth filled, to start drilling away at the tooth, a collar-stud, a tooth filling, to prove for cavities, a wisdom tooth, a jaw, incisor, canine, grinder, to decay, a stump, to gargle, dental braces, to take out the nerve, to lean the head back, decay of the teeth;

• therapist, oncologist, dentist, cardiologist, neurologist, eye-doctor, psychiatrist, endocrinologist, physiotherapist, gynecologist, histologist, pediatricianКонец фор, ,,,,, allergist, anesthesiologist, chiropractor, dermatologist, fertility specialist, massage therapist, midwife, naturopath, neurologist, obstetrician, occupational therapist, physical therapist, podiatrist.