Skin is wonderful, wonderful stuff.

[Tasan]

Yikes. I think I'll ask my doctor a few more questions next time I get a perscription.

Skin falls off, skins grows back (http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=402&u=/ibsys/20040109/lo_kgtv/1949731&printer=1)

[Groundhog]

Holy hell, that is absolutely terrible... sounds like something from a bad Stephen King story...

[Pumpy Tudors]

Yo, gimme some skin, sister! Er, um... ewwwww.

[Glengoyne]

You wanna know something scary?

I pretty much knew what the article was going to be about before clicking on the link. The reason: I have had recurring bouts of the syndrome described above.

What I have been diagnosed with is Stevens Johnsons Syndrome. I believe that SJS and TENS are synonymous, but it may just be that a severe case of SJS leads to or becomes TENS.

About 15 years ago when I was in college I first had the symptoms. In my case for I had cancre sores larger than quarters all over my mouth three springs in a row. In order to eat or drink I chugged liquid lidocaine. The doctors didn't know what I had, but killed it each time with bigtime anti-biotics. Fast forward to last year when they came back. My current doctor had almost dismissed it as some random virus or possibly nerves, until at the end of the visit when I mentioned that I also had one hell of a case of atheletes foot that Tinactin wouldn't touch. He looked at my feet, reevaluated all my symptoms, and told me about SJS.

That bout went farther than any had ever gone before with me. I got those huge ass 'blisters' all over my hands and feet as well as my throat. My feet were the worst. After the blisters went away I started shedding skin. I lost almost all of my toenails. It was pretty disgusting. Now that I have certainly crossed the line of Too much Information, I feel free to continue.

The woman in the article had a severe reaction to medication. That is the most common cause of the problem. In my case, my doctor thinks I get it as a side effect to another virus or infection. In other words I get "something", and that something produces a substance the rest of my body reacts badly to.

Since I had three distinct bouts with this stuff last year, I am paying very close attention to any sore throats I get this year. I wanna catch it early this time. I mean my toenails have all grown back now, and I am growing attatched to them again.

[Groundhog]

Glengoyne: Damn, and I thought the occasional cold sore or pimple was annoying...

Is there anything that can be done about it or is it, like the woman's problem in the article, pretty much untreatable?

[Glengoyne]

Originally posted by Groundhog
Glengoyne: Damn, and I thought the occasional cold sore or pimple was annoying...

Is there anything that can be done about it or is it, like the woman's problem in the article, pretty much untreatable?

In my case they treat me with antibiotics. That seems to knock out the primary problem, and since the SJS is apparently a side effect it goes away as well. Let me tell you, once I came home from the doctor and typed Stevens Johnsons Syndrome into google, I started paying damn close attention to my condition. If it got ANY worse I was going straight to the doctor. It was like having burns all over my hands and feet. It pretty well sucked.

[corbes]

Please add "the skin started sloughing off" to the list of phrases I never want to see again.

[MikeVic]

I get plenty of canker sores (big and small) in my mouth at a time (anywhere from 2-8)... I was told it was due to stress... would this be right? Or should I be more worried? :)

[Glengoyne]

Originally posted by MikeVic
I get plenty of canker sores (big and small) in my mouth at a time (anywhere from 2-8)... I was told it was due to stress... would this be right? Or should I be more worried? :)

I dunno. The other symptoms I experience are fairly non-specific but include fever, headache, and fatigue. I would guess though that as long as the sores don't start appearing in other places, you just need to chill out or stop eating whatever it is that might cause the canker sores.

[cuervo72]

Originally posted by Glengoyne

My current doctor had almost dismissed it as some random virus or possibly nerves, until at the end of the visit when I mentioned that I also had one hell of a case of atheletes foot that Tinactin wouldn't touch. He looked at my feet, reevaluated all my symptoms, and told me about SJS.


Yikes, I get something somewhat similar to this on my right foot (it is isolated just there), where my foot will get dry, and will crack and peel, but nothing as major as you've described. I did catch something for a couple of days (had a slight fever) over the holidays, and my foot flared up at the same time. I figured it might have been related.

[Glengoyne]

Originally posted by cuervo72
Yikes, I get something somewhat similar to this on my right foot (it is isolated just there), where my foot will get dry, and will crack and peel, but nothing as major as you've described. I did catch something for a couple of days (had a slight fever) over the holidays, and my foot flared up at the same time. I figured it might have been related.

What I had could by no means be called Athelete's foot. I just got these ulcerations/blisters/sores that looked like single ring bullseyes. They burned and sort of itched. I thought it was some kind of severe atheletes foot. I went out and bought some Tinactin, but all it did was make the bullseyes shine after I applied it. I wouldn't ever confuse this with athelete's foot again.

[cuervo72]

Yikes. Bad, bad stuff - no, mine is nowhere near that. But whatever I have, athlete's foot or not, it's been with me since around 1990 :)

[sabotai]

They prayed that she would live, not they have to pray that TENS is covered by her HMO. :)