A little girl suffering from a chronic pain disorder so intense she screams in agony when her skin is touched has had a major breakthrough in her treatment.
Bella Macey, 10, was diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) earlier this year, a condition that leaves sufferers in excruciating pain.
The condition was triggered after a blister she picked up on her foot on a family holiday in Fiji became infected.
The schoolgirl lost the movement in her right leg and was forced to use a wheelchair, with even simple tasks like showering becoming impossible because the pain was so intense.
But now, with the help of almost $285,000 donated by generous Australians, Bella has travelled with her mother to Arkansas in the US where she is being treated by specialists at the Spero Clinic.
Bella Macey (pictured), 10, was diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) earlier this year, a condition that leaves sufferers in excruciating pain
But the schoolgirl has made a major breakthrough and can now touch the skin on her leg without screaming in agony
Bella suffers from allodynia, which is essentially a symptom of CRPS and means her skin is extremely sensitive to touch.
Since the treatment, he allodynia is all but gone and she can now touch the skin on her leg.
‘I can touch my leg, and I can touch my foot, and I don’t feel any allodynia,’ Bella told A Current Affair.
Its a marked improvement on her condition last month.
‘It’s all sharp, it’s burning, it’s tingly, it’s all sore. It’s different pain [that] I never knew was possible,’ she told the program.
‘I can’t have a shower, I can’t have a bath,’ Bella said.
‘I can’t put (on) any sheets or anything on … even with a tissue, you can’t touch it with anything, otherwise I will scream.’
The chronic disorder so cruel that even a hug from her doting parents meant she was left crying in excruciating pain
Bella and her family in happier times
Doctors were initially baffled by what was ailing Bella.
Upon returning to their home in Melbourne after the trip to Fiji, Bella was rushed to the emergency room at the Alfred for treatment.
Doctors conducted X-rays, ultrasounds and blood tests but were unable to identify what was wrong.
Bella received strong antibiotics, which proved to have little-to-no effect on relieving her pain.
After her original infection dissipated and the pain lingered on, Bella was diagnosed with the disorder.
CRPS usually affects just one arm or leg following an earlier injury, such as a fracture or sprain with no nerve damage.
Bella Macey, 10, has been fighting complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) in hospital – as her family desperately raised funds for treatment overseas
The condition developed from a blister on holiday in Fiji, which morphed into an infection followed by excruciating pain in her leg
It’s unclear what exactly causes CRPS but it’s thought it could be due to the nerves in the affected area becoming more sensitive, which may change the pain pathways between the limb and the brain.
There is no effective treatment available for CRPS in Australia, which is why Bella and her mother have been forced to go abroad.
They raised $283,00 through a GoFundMe page to cover the medical costs and ongoing treatment.
‘Without that money, we wouldn’t be here right now, so I thank everyone very very much,’ Bella told A Current Affair.
Despite Bella’s ‘huge breakthrough’, her mother said she still requires intensive treatment at the clinic for a few more months where she will hopefully learn to walk again.
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