The 21-year-old described his pain as 'muscle-ripping' agony
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
A 21-year-old man diagnosed with a condition so painful it's nicknamed the 'suicide disease' has opened up on what it's like to live with it.
When Charlie Moore landed a place on a video editing apprenticeship scheme with MTV at the age of 18, he dropped out of college and relocated to London in order begin the course.
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However his world would come crashing down during his second year of the course when he began to experience muscle spasms and tension in his right side, which then turned into 'muscle-ripping' pain along his right side.
The pain would become so unbearable that Charlie was forced to drop out of his apprenticeship and move back in with his parents in Frome, Somerset – with doctors struggling to diagnose his condition over the following four years.
The confusion would last until just weeks go, when Charlie finally received a diagnosis for complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) back in October.
What is complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)?
According to the NHS, CRPS is a condition in which a person suffers from severe and debilitating pain.
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Typically triggered by an injury, CRPS is often confined to one specific limb – however, it can spread to other parts of the body. Symptoms include muscle spasms, difficulty sleeping, intense pain and swelling in the affected area.
Charlie said: "I mainly get it in my right arm, right hand, it spreads all the way up into my shoulders, neck muscles and my head.
"All the muscles pull on each other when they go into spasm."
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The condition's other name is referring to some with the condition having suicidal thoughts as a result of the immense pain, the NHS says.
There is currently no cure for CRPS, however, doctors can help patients manage the pain through a variety of treatments.
For Charlie, his treatment will include starting a course of nerve blocks – which involves injecting medicine into the nerves to block pain signal – and physiotherapy.
Some people may show signs of improvement after a couple of years, but sometimes this is not always the case.
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For Charlie, he would spend the years leading up to his diagnosis visiting A&E 10 times 'begging' for support from medical staff as he struggled with the excruciating pain.
Revealing the extreme measures the pain drove him to, he said: "I thought the pain would go away – but it became so extreme, I ended up attempting suicide."
"It just kept getting worse – I ended up having to drop out of my apprenticeship," he continued. "I had to move back in with my family."
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Following his diagnosis, Charlie is now living with his parents and receiving £115-a-month Universal Credit and he is raising money to pay for his treatment and live independently via GoFundMe.
"I'm now in a position where I need to be getting back on track with my career," he added.
"I've been able to pay for my nerve blocks with my GoFundMe – but I'm still raising money for some new camera equipment, and to be able to live independently."
You can find Charlie's GoFundMe via the link here.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.
