A FROME man says his battle with a chronic disorder has robbed him of his last normal teenage years.

21-year-old Charlie Moore has been battling a debilitating and chronic musculoskeletal condition, discovered complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), for nearly three years.

CPRS is a condition that causes severe, persistent pain and is associated with central nervous system sensitisation and autonomic nervous system disfunction.

On the McGill Pain Index, a scale used to show the level of pain, Charlie’s condition ranks higher than childbirth and the amputation of a digit.

He said the condition leaves him in constant pain and has resulted in mental health struggles.

“CRPS is often recognized as the most painful condition known to medicine,” he said.

“While there is no cure, it can be treated, and remission is possible. However, the condition is notoriously challenging and costly to manage due to its complex and unpredictable nature and as such the NHS can’t offer much to help.”

Charlie has launched a fundraiser to help pay for urgent private medical care.

“What started as muscle strain and frequent headaches at age 18 towards my 19th birthday has now progressed into an agonising condition causing extreme and constant muscle spasms and inflammation that has taken away my quality of life and left me unable to function without adequate treatment which I am unable to receive from the NHS,” he added.

Charlie has been living with the condition for almost three years Picture: Charlie Moore

“I’ve found myself helpless and agonised spending sleepless nights in A&E more times than I can count, my hands almost purple from the strain the spasms and inflammation were putting on my nervous system.”

He added: “CRPS is known anecdotally as the ‘suicide disease’ because the pain is so intensely incapacitating that too many lose hope.

“Alongside this, and as a result I face anxiety, depression, and ADHD, which recently culminated in a suicide attempt.

“I’m doing my best to fight through these challenges, but I urgently need your support to rebuild my life.”

Charlie’s life before his diagnosis saw him pursue a career in filmmaking and photography.

At 17, he was signed to a personal manager and contracted to photograph artists and film music videos with Warner Music.

Charlie filming for TikTok star and grunge pop singer Chelji Picture: Charlie Moore

A life-changing trip abroad to photograph an album cover for an established artist was the moment it began to unravel for Charlie.

“Despite the pain and difficulty I was in, I said yes to the job,” he said.

“However I was so heavily sedated on pain medication to get through the shoot, I slipped on some rocks by a beach during the shoot, breaking my camera and other equipment.

“I walked hours to try to get a replacement, I didn’t succeed, I was exhausted and had to return home, my stuff has never been repaired and it marked the beginning of a spiral I haven’t come out of.

“A similar set of circumstances caused me to lose my laptop containing my life’s work, photographic and filmmaking portfolio.

“Chronic pain derailed everything, forcing me to step away from the career I was passionate about.”

Charlie is appealing for donations to fund private treatment including physiotherapy, nerve blocks, muscular Botox, steroid injections and additional scans to determine the cause as well as additional mental health support.

At the time of writing, Charlie’s fundraiser has reached £6,165 – with a £30,000 target.

To donate, visit https://shorturl.at/GUTgD