Warning: This article contains graphic content that some readers may find disturbing.
A woman who took ibuprofen for menstrual pain ended up in a coma for 17 days and her skin peeling off.
“It was a miracle that I survived,” said Jacqueline Gumack, who took the medication and started feeling itchy eyes a few days later.
The next day, she noticed a blood blister in her mouth and decided to go to the hospital, but things only got worse for the 31-year-old.
She had to go to the hospital and spent 17 days in a coma after taking ibuprofen. (Jam Press/@jaque_gmack)
Eventually her entire face was covered in blisters and she was almost blind, and the next thing she remembered was waking up from a coma 17 days later.
The induced coma was the result of a rare condition in response to over-the-counter medications.
“It felt like I was burned from the inside,” the Brazilian woman said of her life-threatening experience.
“I didn’t know what was happening to me. When I woke up, I had bandages all over my body, my vision was completely blurry, and they had a tube down my throat, but I didn’t feel any pain.
She has a very unusual reaction. (Jam Press/@jaque_gmack)
“It was only then that I started losing money and realized that I was very weak and that something very serious had happened.”
Jacqueline learned that she suffered from Stevens-Johnson syndrome. This is a very rare condition caused by the body’s overreaction to medications, especially epilepsy medications, antibiotics, and anti-inflammatory painkillers.
Essentially, this syndrome causes the body to attack its own skin, causing blisters and peeling.
Without treatment, the condition was life-threatening and left Jacqueline with scarring and severe damage to her eye.
Jacqueline had a very rare disease called Stevens-Johnson syndrome. (Jam Press/@jaque_gmack)
“They said it was a miracle that I survived,” she said of doctors’ assessment of her health after emerging from the coma.
“My family wouldn’t let me look at myself in the mirror for several days. When I finally looked in the mirror, I saw someone I didn’t recognize.”
She received immediate eye treatment to save her vision, but she will need treatment for the rest of her life.
Her ophthalmologist said, “She needs to undergo surgery as soon as possible or she will lose her eye organ.”
She says it’s a “miracle” that she’s alive. (Jam Press/@jaque_gmack)
Jacqueline had her first surgery in 2011 and has since had more than 24 surgeries, including cornea, amniotic membrane and stem cell transplants.
Currently, her vision is about 40% and she continues to have biweekly exams to monitor her eyes.
Jacqueline says, “The most difficult obstacle to overcome is knowing that you will never have the vision you once had.
“I wish we could find a cure and see you again. But I feel like a warrior.”
Featured image credit: Jam Press/@jaque_gmack
Topic: Health
