A woman in the UK had to undergo the amputation of both her leg and hand following minor injuries that triggered a rare and severely painful neurological condition. Gill Haddington, 48, from Morecambe, England, was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a disorder that causes prolonged and intense pain disproportionate to the initial injury, the People reported.
Her ordeal began in 2017 after she accidentally dropped a perfume bottle on her right foot. While scans showed no fracture, her condition quickly deteriorated. "My foot began to twist at a 90-degree angle. I had blisters and ulcers that eventually exposed bone," she told The Daily Mail. Despite being on 30 different pain medications a day, nothing alleviated her suffering.
Eventually diagnosed with CRPS-a poorly understood disorder that can develop after even minor injuries-Haddington made the difficult decision to have her right leg amputated below the knee in May 2017. "When I woke up from surgery, it felt like I had my life back," she said. Her partner, Pete, remarked, "We've got the old Gill back."
But her struggles didn't end there. In 2020, a tiny scratch from her dog triggered another CRPS flare-up in her left hand. "I knew what was coming as soon as the blisters appeared," she said. Despite therapy, she lost mobility and eventually chose to have her hand amputated in May 2021, exactly four years after her leg surgery.
Now an advocate for CRPS awareness, Haddington is raising funds for Enable, a support group she credits with helping her through her darkest moments. "The pain of CRPS is excruciating," she said. "I'm lucky I had the option to choose elective amputation. Others are still suffering in silence."
CRPS is a rare condition with no clear cause, according to the Mayo Clinic. It typically follows injury or surgery, but the resulting pain is often far more intense than the initial trauma.
