WARNING MENTIONS SUICIDE: Charlie Moore, 21, was forced to drop out of his dream apprenticeship with MTV when his body became inflamed and he was eventually diagnosed with an excruciating condition
10:01, 06 Nov 2024Updated 10:04, 06 Nov 2024
A young man suffering from an excruciatingly painful condition known as the “suicide disease” has been told there is no cure.
Charlie Moore, 21, dropped out of his dream apprenticeship when the right side of his body became inflamed and swollen. He visited A&E approximately 10 times in two years, "begging" doctors for a diagnosis, but they struggled to find anything.
However Charlie was eventually diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) - a chronic pain condition which causes severe pain in the arms, legs, hands or feet - in the last two weeks. Nicknamed the 'suicide disease' because of the prevalence of sufferers taking their own life, there is no cure.
Charlie, a freelance filmmaker from Frome, Somerset, said: “I thought the pain would go away - but it became so extreme, I ended up attempting suicide.
READ MORE: ‘I found a £130 alternative to the £1.2k houndstooth trench from Kate Middleton’s go-to brand’
"It just kept getting worse - I ended up having to drop out of my apprenticeship. 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. The pain feels like tensing your muscles so hard, they feel like they're going to rip open from the inside.
"Mainly, my right hand will feel very ice cold or very hot. I get swelling and discolouration - my right hand was once so swollen, it was almost purple."
At 18, Charlie dropped out of college to begin an apprenticeship with MTV due to last two years and moved to London from Frome. In his second year, he started having muscle spasms, which turned into right-sided headaches.
Charlie's doctor told him to take paracetamol and ibuprofen and placed him on a six-month waiting list to see a neurologist for an MRI. Within six months, Charlie's symptoms intensified - and his headaches turned into "muscle-ripping" pain on the right side of his body.
They came to a head after a "disastrous" work trip to Spain when his pain caused him to drop his camera in the ocean. When Charlie came back from his trip, plans were put in place to move him back to Frome with his family to find answers.
In late 2023, Charlie even attempted to take his own life due to his debilitating pain - prompting him to seek answers at the London Pain Clinic on Harley Street. He's been receiving physiotherapy for three months, and will continue to do so on a weekly basis.
His consultant will be starting him on nerve blocks from this week, which involves injecting medicine into the nerves to block pain signals. Now, living on £115-a-month Universal Credit, Charlie is raising money to afford to live with his health condition, as well as funding treatment via a gofundme. He added: “I'm now in a position where I need to be getting back on track with my career.
"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. Our family has had to spend £10,000 of inheritance money to get me the treatment I needed."
The Samaritans is available 24/7 if you need to talk. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or head to the website to find your nearest branch. You matter.