Teenager's 'growing pains' hid a reality that is horrendous

Imagine your skin being so inflamed it feels like you’re constantly on fire – meaning even a slight gust of wind can leave you in agony.

While this may sound like a nightmare, it’s a grim reality teenager Hannah Battersby has to endure every single day.

The 17-year-old, from Wigan, has complex regional pain syndrome sometimes known as 'suicide disease', one of the most painful conditions in the world.

The teen was first diagnosed with the incurable illness when she was just 12-years-old. A keen swimmer, the youngster first knew something was wrong when she started aching after races.

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She then began experiencing pain in her back and legs, prompting her family to take her to a GP.

Due to the condition being poorly understood, Hannah, who is currently studying at Priestly College in Warrington, was initially diagnosed with growing pains. But as the agony persisted, she went back to her doctor again.

Hannah was transferred to Alder Hey Children's Hospital where she had several tests and scans. After a year of being passed around different departments, she finally received a diagnosis of CRPS.

“When I’d finish swimming, I’d be aching around my lower back,” she told the Manchester Evening News. “I just kept getting worse and after one specific time trial I just couldn’t walk. I was in so much pain, it was like a burning sensation.

“It’s so hard to diagnose and with it being so rare, it wasn’t on the radar at the time.”

Complex regional pain syndrome, or CRPS, is a rare condition where a person experiences persistent severe and debilitating pain. Although most cases of CRPS are triggered by an injury, the resulting pain is much more severe and