A newlywed revealed her constant itching was a sign of incurable liver disease.
Flo Moffat-Charles, from Kendal in Cumbria, started feeling ill two months after marrying her husband, Josh.
The 29-year-old suffered from extreme fatigue and nausea, as well as chronic itching affecting her hands and feet.
As she underwent months of tests, the couple decided to cancel their “dream” honeymoon to South America, for which they quit their jobs, losing their £1,500 deposit in the process.
Ms Moffat-Charles was eventually diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PCS), a rare and incurable liver disease.
Flo Moffat-Charles, 29 (right) from Kendal Cumbria, started feeling ill two months after marrying her husband, Josh, 29 (left)
Flo takes 13 medications a day to control her symptoms and uses ice packs on her feet to relieve the intense itching.
Ms Moffat-Charles, who works as a fundraiser, was also diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis, caused by the immune system mistakenly attacking healthy liver cells.
She takes 13 medications a day to control her symptoms and uses ice packs on her feet to relieve the intense itching.
“For a while, it was really scary to think about anything long-term because it suddenly felt like so many decisions were out of our hands,” she said.
“At the time, it was very exciting. It was what we thought about every day.
“My feet, hands and legs felt like they were on fire.”
PCS is a rare chronic liver disease that causes the bile ducts inside and outside the liver to gradually decrease in size due to inflammation and scarring, says the British Liver Trust.
Although the disease can occur alone, it is often associated with inflammatory diseases of the colon, including chronic ulcerative colitis.
There could be as many as 10,500 people living with PSC in the UK, but estimates vary, according to the charity PCS Support.
Scientists don’t know exactly what causes the disease.
Ms Moffat-Charles’ husband Josh, also 29, who is responsible for partnerships in the events industry, said he felt “helpless”.
He said: “The itch is almost like ants on your skin that you can’t get rid of.
“It’s a pretty intense feeling that you can’t really relieve.”
The newlyweds, who tied the knot in September 2023, were looking forward to their honeymoon when Flo started having symptoms.
Mr Moffat-Charles said: “We had booked a one-way ticket and planned to travel for at least four months through Peru, Argentina, Chile and Bolivia.
“We had been saving money over the past few years and both quit our jobs in preparation for the trip.”
But in November 2023, Ms Moffat-Charles began experiencing itchy hands and feet, nausea, constant fatigue and jaundice.
Her husband said: “She slept with ice packs on her feet. Taking cold baths in the middle of the night to try to relieve some of his horrible symptoms.
However, Ms Moffat-Charles was only diagnosed in January after undergoing several blood tests, an MRI, an ultrasound and a biopsy.
Her condition is progressive and there is currently no cure, leaving her struggling with symptoms including medication-induced insomnia.
She said: “The itching comes and goes, but it’s nowhere near what it was before.” This is now an acceptable level of baseline itch.
Back at work full-time, the couple is trying to “seize the day” following their life-changing diagnosis.
Ms Moffat-Charles said: “Things still seem quite fresh.
The newlywed admitted that being diagnosed with a lifelong illness was not something she expected at the start of her marriage.
To help raise awareness of Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis, Josh plans to run the London Marathon in April.
“We are still asking the doctors to do blood tests to make sure they are happy with how my body is responding to the medications.”
“But once I feel like we’re in a routine, we’ll do everything we can and use every day of annual leave.”
“It’s like a daily reminder to make the most of things.”
But the newlywed admitted that being diagnosed with a lifelong illness was not something she expected at the start of her marriage.
“When you get married and take your vows ‘in sickness and in health,’ you don’t expect it to be tested so quickly,” she said.
“The last few months have been tough, but Josh has made me smile and laugh through it all.
“I know it was so hard for him to see me go through this and feel so helpless.
“He would stay awake every night while I couldn’t sleep because of the itching – he would get me cold towels to spread over my body in an attempt to soothe it,” she added.
To help raise awareness of primary sclerosing cholangitis, Mr Moffat-Charles plans to run the London Marathon in April.
He set up a I just give page to raise money for the charity PSC Support – one of the few organizations providing support to patients with the condition.