Latest news with #AleshiaRogers
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Warning as woman, 27, suffers horrifying reaction to one of UK's most taken pain medications - skin 'fell off in sheets'
A mother-of-three has told of her horrifying ordeal after she was put in a 21-day coma after suffering a rare reaction to ibuprofen that caused her skin to 'fall off in sheets.' Aleshia Rogers, 27, from Nebraska, took two of the over-the-counter tablets a day in August 2020 following the birth of her son Jaxon via c-section. The young mother had been taking ibuprofen, which she described as her 'go-to med', for years to help relieve her period cramps. However, after three weeks of taking the painkiller, she started suffering flu-like symptoms including a fever and a burning sensation when she swallowed. She also noticed a rash on her chest and her eyes beginning to swell. 'They were bloodshot and burning so I went to the ER where they told me I had pink eye and sent me home,' the child and education technician recalled. But the next day whole face was swollen, making it difficult to breathe. 'The next day both my eyes were swollen shut so I went back to the ER. They told me I had scarlet fever and to go home.' She said she was also advised to carry on taking the painkiller to alleviate her pain and reduce the swelling. Within hours, her symptoms rapidly escalated and she developed burning blisters across her face, eyes and chest causing her skin to peel off. She rushed to the hospital once again where she was eventually diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and later toxic epidermal necrolysis—which doctors suspected was triggered by the ibuprofen. As her condition rapidly deteriorated and she developed sepsis and multiple organ failure, doctors put her in a coma—which she wouldn't wake up from for three weeks. At this point, the mother-of-three had lost around 95 per cent of her skin, causing her to into organ failure. Her family were told she had just a 10 per cent chance of surviving the ordeal. The rare skin condition causes the immune system to overreact to a trigger, in this case ibuprofen, and attack healthy skin, the eyelids and genitals. Five years on, Ms Rogers is still recovering from long-term complications associated with SJS. Recalling the moment she woke up from the coma she said: 'The doctors told me my skin had died and detached. 'They called it sloughing. It fell off in sheets. But I had absolutely no idea what had happened to me,' she added. 'I even forgot that I had given birth. I lost a lot of memories. 'My family told me it really was touch and go as to whether I'd make it through. I've been told so many times I'm a miracle so I try and live my life like tomorrow isn't promised and try not to live in fear.' Now, the young mother is determined to raise better awareness for the life-threatening condition and remind people that all drugs come with a risk. 'We believe it was all triggered by taking ibuprofen,' she explained. 'There's no prevention [for the condition] and once it starts, there's nothing you can do to stop it. There's also a chance I can get it again at any time. 'I don't want people to be afraid of medicines, but I want people to be aware and mindful of what can happen.' Ms Rogers is not believed to have suffered an adverse reaction to ibuprofen before with doctors unable to say for sure why the reaction occurred. SJS often begins with flu-like symptoms, including a high temperature, sore throat and joint pain, followed by a red or purple rash that usually starts on the upper body before spreading to the face, arms, legs and other areas of the body. Blister will then appear on the skin, which burst to leave painful sores. The same happens inside the body, primarily affecting the mucous membranes—the soft layers of tissue which line the digestive system, inside of the nose and mouth and the genitals. Without treatment, the condition can be life-threatening with studies suggesting around one in 10 cases are fatal. Hospital treatment, which is usually carried out in an intensive care unit, usually involves fluids to prevent dehydration, creams and dressings to moisturise the skin, and strong painkillers to ease discomfort and control inflammation. Some patients will also be placed into a medically induced coma to minimise damage and further stress on the body. In cases where symptoms were triggered by a reaction to a medicine, patients will have to avoid the treatment for the rest of their life. In the last year, nine people have been rushed to hospital in Singapore after taking 'energy boosting' pills which triggered the agonising skin conditions. The seven men and two women had all taken modafinil or armodafinil—prescription only drugs designed to treat narcolepsy, a condition that impairs a person's ability to sleep or stay awake. Only modafinil is licensed for clinical use in the UK, where all patients have to be monitored regularly due to the risk side effects. Despite this, the drug has gained popularity among recreational users—including students who use it to help them stay awake while cramming for exams. Six of the patients developed Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), a life-threatening skin reaction characterised by blistering and severe peeling of the skin. The other three suffered toxic epidermal necrolysis, a more severe form of SJS.
The Sun
6 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
Horrifying photos reveal the true dangers of ibuprofen after mum's skin ‘fell off' leaving her fighting for life
AFTER giving birth to her third child, Jaxon, via C-section, Aleshia Rogers was taking ibuprofen twice a day to dull the pain. But within three weeks of giving birth, her skin slowly started to fall off, and days later, doctors gave the mum-of-three a five per cent chance of survival. 15 15 The mum-of-three welcomed her son into the world in August 2020. But the 27-year-old began developing flu -like symptoms, including a high fever, swollen face and rash on her chest. She also had a burning sensation when she swallowed. Despite going to the hospital twice for medical advice, Aleshia was told she had pink eye (conjunctivitis) or scarlet fever and to continue taking ibuprofen to ease her pain and reduce the swelling. But just hours later, her face was engulfed in painful blisters and peeling skin, leaving the mum unrecognisable to loved ones. Harrowing pictures showed Aleshia lying in a hospital bed, her skin completely covered in bleeding sores after what doctors believed was an extreme reaction to painkillers, Ibuprofen. Aleshia, who lives in Lincoln, Nebraska, tells Sun Health. 'My eyes started swelling. 'They were bloodshot and burning, and I got a small rash on my chest, so I went to A&E and they told me I had pink eye and sent me home. 'The next day, my whole face was swollen, and both eyes were swollen shut. 'I went back to A&E and they told me I had scarlet fever and to go home.' What is Stevens Johnson Syndrome Hours later, her symptoms had progressed so drastically that her entire face and chest were covered in blisters. She returned to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) - a rare and serious disorder where the immune system sparks widespread inflammation in response to medication. She was later told she had Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis - a severe form of SJS - that was likely triggered by taking ibuprofen. Aleshia, a child and education technician, says: 'The doctors said the skin had died and detached. 'They called it sloughing. It fell off in sheets. 'The doctors said 90 to 95 per cent of the skin came off my body. 'Since your skin is your biggest organ, this caused me to get sepsis and multi-organ failure.' 'It was touch and go' She was transferred to an intensive care unit for burns and placed in a coma for three weeks. Aleshia underwent a full-body skin excision (removal) and grafting, as well as an amniotic membrane transplant on her eyes. During this time, Aleshia's heartbroken family were told she had a five to 10 per cent chance of survival. Miraculously, she was discharged after a month. 15 15 15 15 'I had absolutely no idea what had happened to me,' Aleshia says. 'I forgot that I had given birth. I lost a lot of memories. 'My family told me it really was touch-and-go as to whether I'd make it through. 'I've been told so many times that I'm a 'miracle'. 'It's always a thought, but I live my life like tomorrow isn't promised and try not to live in fear. 'I don't want people to be afraid of medicines, but I want people to be aware and mindful of what can happen.' What is Stevens-Johnson syndrome? Stevens-Johnson syndrome is a rare but serious skin reaction, usually caused by taking certain medicines - often epilepsy drugs, antibiotics and anti-inflammatory painkillers. It is named after the two doctors who described it in the early 20th century. It can be life-threatening so it requires immediate hospital treatment. Symptoms usually start with flu-like symptoms, such as a high temperature, sore throat, cough and joint pain. A rash usually then appears a few days later - spreading from the upper body to the face, arms, legs and genitals. You can also get blisters and sores on your lips, inside your mouth and on your eyes. Hospital treatment usually involves fluids to prevent dehydration, creams and dressings to moisturise the skin, strong painkillers to ease discomfort and medicines to control inflammation and prevent infection. It can take several weeks or months to fully recover. Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) is diagnosed when more than 30 per cent of the skin surface is affected and the moist linings of the body (mucous membranes) have extensive damage. SJS and TEN are rare. There is thought to be about one TEN case per one million patients - about 60 every year, according to the University of Liverpool. SJS is more common, with an incidence rate of about one in 10,000. Source: NHS Five years on, Aleshia is still recovering from long-term complications associated with SJS but is determined to raise awareness of this life-altering disorder. She says: 'We believe it was all triggered by taking ibuprofen. 'I took it twice a day for the C-section recovery pain, then continued taking it to ease my pain and swelling [when I developed flu-like symptoms]. 'Ibuprofen was my go-to med. I'd basically taken it my whole life since I was 14 to help with period pains. 'They don't know why I had this reaction to it. Doctors don't really have an explanation for it. 'They just said my body decided it didn't like it one day. It's very upsetting and confusing. 'There's no prevention, and once it starts, there's nothing you can do to stop it. 'And there's definitely a chance I can get it again at any time.' 15 15 15 15 15
