Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis: The Shocking Story of a Woman Forced to Cancel Her Honeymoon

2024-03-22 01:03:59

In recent days, the story of a woman named Flo Moffat-Charles, from Kendal in Cumbria, United Kingdom, who was forced to cancel her honeymoon because she had chronic itching in her hands and feet.

The 29-year-old told the Daily Mail she was suffering from extreme fatigue and nausea, as well as chronic itching which mainly affected her extremities.

Flo Moffat-Charles said that after canceling her honeymoon and returning home, she went to the doctor because she had desperate symptoms on her skin, and after several examinations the specialists told her that this desperate itching was a sign of an incurable liver disease.

Likewise, he confessed that there were weeks of medical examinations and analyzes that he had to undergo in order to find his condition, which is why he had to cancel his dream honeymoon in several South American countries.

The 29-year-old woman said that she was finally diagnosed with ‘primary sclerosing cholangitis’, a rare and unusual liver disease that has no cure and in addition, she claims that the group of doctors who analyzed her tests also discovered that she suffered from autoimmune hepatitis, caused by the immune system’s mistaken attack on healthy liver cells.

In dialogue with ‘Daily Mail’, he said that he has to take 13 medications a day for life, in order to keep his symptoms under control and uses ice packs on his feet to relieve the intense itching.

“For a while I was really scared to think about anything long-term because it suddenly seemed like a lot of decisions were out of our hands,” she said.

“At the time it was all-consuming. It was what we thought about every day. I felt like my feet, my hands and my legs were on fire,” he added.

“I still struggle a lot with some of the symptoms. The itch comes and goes, but it’s nowhere near what it was before. “Now it’s an acceptable level of basic itch.”

“We are still in the process of having the doctors do blood tests to make sure they are happy with the way my body is responding to the medications (…) It’s like a daily reminder to make the most of the things,” he said.

What primary sclerosing cholangitis?

Primary sclerosing cholangitis, known as PSC, is a chronic liver disease characterized by the degradation and progressive fibrosis of the bile ducts inside and outside the liver. This condition can lead to blockage and destruction of the bile ducts, resulting in liver cirrhosis, liver failure, and even bile duct cancer.

According to ‘The Merck Manuals’, PSC is the most common form of sclerosing cholangitis and mainly affects young men, with an average age of diagnosis of 40 years. A frequent association between PSC and inflammatory bowel disease, especially ulcerative colitis, has been observed.

The diagnosis of PSC is based on a combination of clinical, histological and cholangiographic findings. Symptoms can vary, but may include fatigue, itching, abdominal pain, jaundice, and fever. The diagnosis is confirmed by liver function tests, blood tests, liver imaging and biopsies, and another series of specialized medical tests.

ALEJANDRA HERNÁNDEZ TORRES

DIGITAL SCOPE EDITORIAL

TIME