A Nebraska woman whose skin ‘fell off’ after taking ibuprofen twice a day wants people to be ‘aware and mindful’ of the devastating impact the medication may have on the human body.
Aleshia Rogers, a child and education technician, was regularly ingesting the popular painkiller after giving birth to her son via a caesarean section in August 2020.
It’s understood that she continued to take the medication twice per day after she’d recovered to ease swelling and pain.
Flu-like symptoms mysteriously began to manifest three weeks after the 27-year-old welcomed her kid, Jax, including a high fever and a burning sensation whenever she swallowed.
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The mom said her eyes also began to swell and burn, and that she’d experienced a ‘small rash’ on her chest that ER nurses initially chalked up to being scarlet fever.
Blisters suddenly started forming on the Lincoln resident’s face hours after returning from the emergency room. Her skin also started ‘peeling off’, which prompted a sprint back to the hospital.
This time, medical professionals diagnosed Rogers with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) - a rare and life-threatening disorder likely triggered by taking ibuprofen - and later said she’d developed Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TENS), the most severe form of SJS.
The woman was transferred to a burns intensive care unit, where she was placed into a medically induced coma for three weeks while fighting sepsis and multi-organ failure.
During this time, she underwent a full-body skin excision and grafting as ‘95 percent’ of her skin fell off her body.
She also had an amniotic membrane transplant (AMT) on her eyes to reduce inflammation and stop any scarring.
Despite being handed a 5-10 percent survival rate, Rogers was discharged after spending a month in intensive care. She left looking ‘unrecognizable’ to loved ones.
"I had absolutely no idea what had happened to me. I forgot that I had given birth. I lost a lot of memories,” she recalled.
"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.”
According to Rogers, doctors still ‘don’t really have an explanation’ for why she developed SJS, due to the fact she’d been taking ibuprofen since she was 14 to combat period pain.
"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.”
Rogers still faces a number of SJS-related complications five years after her ordeal and has urged others to exercise caution when it comes to regularly consuming pain medication.
“I don't want people to be afraid of medicines, but I want people to be aware and mindful of what can happen,” she added.
Symptoms of Stevens-Johnson syndrome
BostonSight stated that 33,000 people worldwide are stricken with SJS every year, including a whopping 1,500 people in the United States.
SJS proves fatal for 5 percent of those who contract it, while 40 percent of TENS sufferers will die from their illness.
Like Rogers reported, SJS symptoms usually begin with a sore throat, followed by a painful rash that eventually develops into blisters and skin peeling.
The Mayo Clinic also said that some people may suffer pain when urinating, develop light sensitivity, fatigue, and fever.
SJS required immediate medical attention and its advised you seek healthcare if you experience any signs and/or symptoms.
Ella Scott