Man had eyes stitched shut and body covered in pig skin after rare reaction left him ‘burning from the inside out’
A MAN had to have his eyes stitched shut and his body covered in pig skin after a rare reaction left him “burning from the inside out”. Jonathan Laird, from Greenfield, Indiana, was prescribed a drug to treat ongoing depression in early 2016. He was told one of the side-effects of the treatment could be […]
A MAN had to have his eyes stitched shut and his body covered in pig skin after a rare reaction left him “burning from the inside out”.
Jonathan Laird, from Greenfield, Indiana, was prescribed a drug to treat ongoing depression in early 2016.
He was told one of the side-effects of the treatment could be Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) – a rare disorder that causes an unpredictable reaction to certain medications.
Within a month of taking the drug Lamotrigine, the 38-year-old began feeling unwell.
One morning he woke up with conjunctivitis in both eye and flaking skin on his chest.
Although the symptoms were uncomfortable Jonathan, who works as an order entry specialist, wasn’t immediately concerned.
But the next morning things had gotten worse.
Painful sores
He said: “I felt some bumps inside my mouth with my tongue and I thought ‘well what is that? That’s weird.’
“So, I got up, went into the bathroom and I looked in the mirror and I saw I had like three or four sores on my outer lips.
“They were like blackish red and when I opened my mouth and used my phone’s flashlight to see better, I could see in the back of my throat.
My eyes started to feel like they had little pieces of glass in them, it was very uncomfortable
Jonathan Laird
“I had like two or three different bumps that were the same colour, like sores.
“My eyes started to feel like they had little pieces of glass in them, it was very uncomfortable, and I was scared to touch them or rub them because it literally felt like I was going to cut my eyes
“I thought, ‘Is this Stevens Johnson Syndrome? I can’t imagine I would actually get this but is that what this is?’”
Jonathan drove himself to the hospital where a doctor agreed it was early onset of the condition and told him to stop taking his medication immediately.
Despite his symptoms, Jonathan was discharged and told to go and see his regular GP and an eye doctor.
But within hours he had deteriorated – with as many as 50 sores in his mouth and a rash which had spread across his chest and back.
He was admitted to the hospital and the following day, he was transferred by ambulance to Harbour View Medical Centre in Seattle, Washington, where he was placed in intensive care.
What is Stevens-Johnson syndrome?
Stevens-Johnson syndrome is a rare but serious disorder that affects the skin, mucous membrane, genitals and eyes.
It is usually caused by an unpredictable adverse reaction to certain medicationsbut can also sometimes be caused by an infection.
The syndrome often begins with flu-like symptoms, followed by a red or purple rash that spreads and forms blisters and the affected skin eventually dies and peels off.
Stevens-Johnson syndrome is a medical emergency that requires treatment in hospital, often in intensive care or a burns unit.
Treatment aims to identify the underlying cause, control the symptoms and prevent complications.
Symptoms include:
- Skin pain
- Flu-like symptoms
- A rash, which consists of individual blemishes that may look like a target
- Large blisters then develop on the skin, which leave painful sores after bursting
- Facial swelling and swollen lips covered in crusty sores
The mucous membranes inside the mouth, throat, eyes and genital tract may also become blistered and ulcerated.
This can make swallowing painful and lead to serious problems such as dehydration.
The surface of the eyes can also sometimes be affected, which can cause corneal ulcers and vision problems if not treated quickly.
Source: NHS
Jonathan said: “When you have Stevens Johnson Syndrome you basically burn from the inside out.
“It starts as a rash and then the rash erupts into blisters.
“They stitched my eyes shut to protect my vision, they bound my hands together so I couldn’t rip the tube out that was down my throat.”
They stitched my eyes shut to protect my vision, they bound my hands together so I couldn’t rip the tube out
Jonathan
Jonathan says he doesn’t remember much as he fell in and out of consciousness.
He said: “I felt like I was dreaming all the time, I don’t think I really knew that my eyes were stitched shut.
“I had to communicate with my parents with pen and paper because I couldn’t talk, so they would say something, and I would write (my answers).
“I said something like, ‘Am I going to die?’ because I didn’t know and that was really hard for them to read.
“I just looked horrible, I looked like a plane crash.
“They also put pig skin all over me and that’s to prevent infection.
“They were afraid I was going to get pneumonia at one point, so they had to make sure that everybody who came to see me had gloves on and gowns.”
They put pig skin all over me and that’s to prevent infection
Jonathan
Despite concerns for Jonathan’s life, he was eventually transferred to a burn unit after 11 days in the ICU.
Doctors kept his eyes stitched shut for a further two weeks to prevent further damage.
For the first time in almost two weeks Jonathan could talk, eat and drink, but his struggles continued.
He said: “Even simple things like going to the bathroom I couldn’t do without calling for a nurse. I felt very vulnerable.”
On June 1, 2016, Jonathan was released from hospital and has continued to recover ever since.
His journey as a Stevens Johnson Syndrome survivor has led him to write a blog on the condition, in the hope that it will offer support to anyone affected by the condition.
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Jonathan said: “You’re not alone.
“Even though it’s a rare condition there are millions who have been affected by this, including children, and lot of people have survived and gone on with their lives, and you will to.
“Be brave and you’ll get through this, and the person you’re going to be on the other side of this is a much stronger person.”