Woman Chooses to Amputate Hand After Dog Scratch Triggers ‘Suicide Disease’ Pain
A woman from Lancashire made the heartbreaking decision to have her hand amputated after a tiny scratch from her dog triggered a flare-up of an excruciating condition known as “suicide disease”.
Gill Haddington, 48, from Morecambe, has been living with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) since 2016. The rare and debilitating condition causes severe, chronic pain, often triggered or worsened by even minor injuries. In Gill’s case, it first took her leg, and then her hand, reported the Mirror.
It all started in 2015 when she accidentally dropped a perfume bottle on her foot. At the time, Gill was already struggling with chronic back pain and had recently transitioned from a wheelchair to using crutches. Although doctors initially found nothing broken, things rapidly worsened. “My foot began to twist at a 90-degree angle, and you could see bone coming through,” she recalled. “I was getting blisters and ulcers, and I was on 30 different pain meds a day — they didn’t even touch the sides.”
Gill was officially diagnosed with CRPS in 2016 and, in 2017, made the incredibly tough decision to have her right leg amputated below the knee. But, she said, the result was life-changing. “Once I was fully awake, I went from being in pain and quiet to laughing and joking. My partner said, ‘We’ve got the old Gill back.’”
Sadly, her relief was short-lived. In March 2020, a playful scratch from her dog Bella — just an inch long — set off a fresh CRPS flare-up in her right hand. “She just got excited to see me,” Gill said. “But I knew, once the blisters started, it was going to be like my leg.”
Physiotherapy didn’t help, and Gill could barely open her hand beyond a fist. The pain became unbearable. On May 11, 2021 — exactly four years after her leg amputation — Gill chose to have her right hand amputated too.
“I felt like I got my life back again,” she said. “I just feel for people still going through this pain who haven’t had the chance to make the same decision.”
Gill now walks with a prosthetic leg and occasionally uses a wheelchair. She credits her recovery to her support group, Enable, which she says “saved her life.” The group meets five days a week and has given her a community of friends with similar experiences.
Next up, Gill is taking on the one-mile Great North Swim in Lake Windermere on June 14, 2025, to raise money for the group. “I love being in the water — it makes me feel good,” she said. “It’s going to be a real challenge, but worth it.”
Don’t Miss These:
- ITV Star Rushed to Hospital After Hidden Condition Triggers ‘Worst Pain Ever’
- Tragedy as Toddler Dies After Step-Mum Forgets Him in Car During Scorching 31C Heat
- Lawyer Left in Coma After Hitting Speed Bump While Taking Selfie on Bike
- Anne Robinson’s Heartbreaking Confession: ‘Losing My Daughter Was My Deepest Shame’
- Fury Erupts as Landlords Urged to House Migrants Amid Soaring Rental Crisis