A woman claimed she was in a coma for 17 days after suffering a rare reaction to ibuprofen that caused her to “burn from the inside out.”
Jaqueline Gmack, from Papanduva in Brazil, took over-the-counter tablets in 2011 to help relieve menstrual cramps.
In just 48 hours, the now 31-year-old woman suffered a slight itch in her eye and blood blisters in her mouth.
After rushing to the hospital, his symptoms quickly worsened and he developed blisters on his face that prevented him from seeing properly.
Doctors revealed she was suffering from Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and placed her in an induced coma.
Jaqueline Gmack, from Papanduva in Brazil, took over-the-counter tablets in 2011 to help relieve menstrual cramps. In just 48 hours, the woman, now 31 years old, suffered a slight itch in her eye and blood blisters in her mouth.
After rushing to the hospital, his symptoms quickly worsened and he developed blisters on his face that prevented him from seeing properly. Doctors revealed that she suffered from Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and put her in an induced coma.
This rare skin condition causes the immune system to overreact to a trigger, such as a drug, and attack healthy skin, mucous membranes, eyes, and genitals. Even today, however, Mrs. Gmack’s vision has only recovered about 40 percent of what it was despite more than a dozen surgeries.
This rare skin condition causes the immune system to overreact to a trigger, such as a drug, and attack healthy skin, mucous membranes, eyes, and genitals.
Even today, however, Mrs. Gmack’s vision has only recovered about 40 percent of what it was despite more than a dozen surgeries.
More tests are still needed to determine whether the reaction has caused permanent damage.
Recalling her ordeal after waking from a coma, Ms Gmack said: “It was like I had been burned from the inside out.”
‘I didn’t know what had happened to me.
‘I noticed my whole body was bandaged, my vision was completely blurred and I had a tube down my throat, but I didn’t feel any pain.
“Only then did the coin start to go down and I realized that I was very weak and that something very serious had happened to me.”
Ms Gmack is not believed to have suffered a reaction to ibuprofen before or to have any underlying health conditions.
SJS often begins with flu-like symptoms, followed by a red or purple rash on the skin that spreads and forms blisters.
It does the same with the mucous membranes, reproductive organs and eyeballs.
Ms Gmack is not believed to have suffered a reaction to ibuprofen before or to have any underlying health conditions. SJS often begins with flu-like symptoms, followed by a red or purple rash on the skin that spreads and forms blisters.
Hospital treatment usually includes fluids to prevent dehydration, creams and dressings to hydrate the skin, strong pain relievers to relieve discomfort, and medications to control inflammation and prevent infection.
Mucous membranes are soft, thin layers of tissue that line the digestive system, the inside of the mouth, nose, and genitals.
Without treatment, the condition can be life-threatening and studies suggest that around one in 10 cases is fatal.
It is believed to affect only one in a million people each year.
Hospital treatment usually includes fluids to prevent dehydration, creams and dressings to hydrate the skin, strong pain relievers to relieve discomfort, and medications to control inflammation and prevent infection.
Some patients are placed in an induced coma to minimize damage.
Mrs. Gmack said: ‘They [the doctors] He told me it was a miracle he had survived.
‘My family didn’t let me see myself in the mirror for a few days.
“When I finally looked in the mirror, I saw someone I didn’t recognize.”
In an attempt to save his vision, he began ophthalmological treatment.
Ms Gmack has undergone 24 operations to improve her vision, including a corneal transplant, a stem cell transplant and an amniotic membrane transplant, in which a sheet of amniotic membrane is fixed over the surface of the eye up to the eyelid.
‘He [the ophthalmologist] “I also said that I needed to have surgery as soon as possible, otherwise I would lose my eye,” he added.
“I left the office crying.”
Since then, he has undergone 24 operations to improve his vision, including a corneal transplant, a stem cell transplant and an amniotic membrane transplant, in which a sheet of amniotic membrane is attached over the surface of the eye to the eyelid. .
When performed immediately after a burn to the ocular surface, research has suggested that it reduces pain and speeds healing.
In the decade since, Mrs. Gmack still has fortnightly checkups to monitor her eye health and says she has about 40 percent of her vision.
“The hardest obstacle to overcome is knowing that I will never be able to have the vision I once had,” he said.
‘I wish I could find a cure so I could see again. But I feel like a warrior.’
