Woman Who Hadn't Slept For More Than 30 Minutes At A Time For A Year Is Finally Cured

A woman who was prevented from sleeping due to her agonising condition has been cured thanks to a battery pack embedded in her waist.

Ruby Chamberlain, from Houghton-on-the-Hill, Leicestershire, has suffered from increasingly debilitating pain since she was just eight-years-old as a result of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).

It began in her left foot, before gradually spreading across her lower body, to the point that she couldn't stand without help or even sleep for more than half an hour.

SWNS

She tried more than 100 treatments including physiotherapy, aggressive painkillers and 'brutal' injections, but her fortunes only changed after she raised £35,000 for spinal cord stimulation surgery.

The operation last August saw a pacemaker-like battery pack - connected to electrodes in the spine - inserted under the skin in the 22-year-old's waist.

Now, all she has to do is press a button on a remote control, which sends signals electrical pulses to block pain signals going to her brain.

The results have been transformational for Ruby.

She said: "I'm 22 and I couldn't go out with my friends or see them. I had to leave my job on my work placement and it's been a real strain on my life.

"Last year I had a spasm every single day which lasted for hours and hours. I couldn't sleep for more than about half an hour so I never really got any sleep.

"Now I'm a new woman! My pain levels have dropped by 80 percent and I'm doing yoga and finishing my economics degree, all thanks to the generosity of amazing people.

"It's been incredible. It's allowed me to start walking again which is the biggest thing for me, and I can sit up for hours."

SWNS

It took years and at least 11 different doctors and pain clinics to get a CRPS diagnosis, as not a lot is known about the mysterious condition.

After all treatments failed, her condition deteriorated and her bid to get the spinal cord stimulation surgery on the NHS was rejected, she decided to start fundraising through sponsored runs, cycles, a drag event and even a competitive eating competition.

She now credits the surgery and generous donors for alleviating her pain and boosting her independence.

She said: "It's allowed me to start walking again which is the biggest thing for me, and I can sit up for hours.

"I can sit and have dinner with my family as before I had to lie down to eat.

"I'm getting so much stronger it helps the pain as well, and the sleep is blissful, which has completely changed my life.

"I can't put into words how much it's helped! I'm super excited to go out to the pub again."

Topics: Awesome, Community, Health

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey