Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

It was bad enough that Jean McCrawley’s infant daughter Julie was diagnosed with epilepsy, but two weeks after she was prescribed phenobarbatol to treat her seizures, she woke up with a swollen eyes and a high fever. Jean took her daughter to the doctor who discovered blisters forming on the little girl’s shoulders and mouth. He diagnosed her with chicken pox.

But the blisters got worse. They spread down her throat and little Julie was unable to drink her bottle because of the pain. Jean rushed her daughter to the hospital, where doctors continued to administered the phenobarbatol for her seizures. But Julie’s health continued to decline. Four days later the little girl’s lungs collapsed and her skin began coming off in sheets. That’s when a nurse realized what was going on. “This is Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS),” she said. Jean was relieved to have a diagnosis, but the doctor said, “This is extremely serious. She could die.”

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Kacey Renwick has been through more these past several months than most 6-year-olds should endure. Stricken with Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) last spring, the most severe form of Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS), a life threatening adverse reaction to medication, Kacey was left barely able to see past the lesions on her eyes that nearly blinded her.

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“Mommy, take my eyes out,” Ian Milne cried when he was just 3 years old. The Colwood, British Columbia boy had suffered an adverse reaction known as Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS), in which the skin blisters and peels away, according to The Windsor Star. Mucus membranes also can be affected, causing painful and debilitating blisters in the body’s orifices such as the mouth and eyes. In more severe cases, dehydration, infection and even death can occur. Many times, long-lasting vision problems, including blindness, can result from lesions in the eyes.

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Painful blisters or lesions make Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and its more serious form Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN), debilitating for those who have suffered and survived the disorder. Lesions occurring on the membranes lining the eyes, mouth and other organs, can cause problems years after recovery.

The eyes are especially vulnerable. Typical ocular problems associated with SJS and TEN can include conjunctivitis, scarring of the conjunctiva, inflammation inside the eye (iritis), corneal blisters and perforation, which can potentially lead to permanent vision loss. Therapy for ocular problems often includes ocular lubrication with artificial tears and ointments. Plus, individuals must be on constant watch for various ocular infections. Corneal transplants, limbal stem cell transplantations or artificial corneal procedures maybe considered if there is lasting damage.

One company is helping ease the sting of recovery for people who have had SJS and TEN and stuffer from lingering eye problems. Eyeeco, a distributor of eye hydration products, offers 15 percent discounts on its products to those who have had SJS or TEN. All users need to do is type “SJS” in the promotional code field and their discount will show up at checkout. Eyeeco’s Tranquileyes eye hydrating therapy, which includes drops and goggles, is specially designed to naturally hydrate dry, tired eyes, reduce eye puffiness and create complete darkness to enhance relaxation and sleep. Chronic Dry Eye Kits cost between $49 and $59.

“I was a fairly attractive woman before. Now I’m just butt-ass ugly,” says Rachel, known as SpunkyRachel on YouTube. She says this on one of the videos she has posted to the site. She hopes they will spur a YouTube support group for others like her, who have lived through the pain and are recovering from Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS).

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Rev. Samuel Irwan Santoso of Indonesia speaks with a heavy accent, but the meaning of his words are clear – he has no tears. “I have no tears for five years,” he says on his YouTube video. “You must be happy because you have tears. You can cry.”

In January 1998, Santoso came down with a fever and sore eyes. He went to two different doctors and received medication for his condition, but he became increasingly sicker. “Suddenly all my skin blistered. My eyes became blind,” he says as disturbing photos of him flash on the video. Santoso was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS).

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Last month when Kim Oake was bitten by a feral cat while working as an animal control officer in Canada, she was given Clavulin, a common antibiotic to ward off infection. The antibiotic nearly killed her. Her family wants to know why people aren’t told about the serious, life-threatening reaction that could occur by taking common drugs, according to CBC News.

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Kim Oake, the Canadian single mother of two who became ill with toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) last month, was admitted to the hospital and put into a drug-induced coma to help battle infection, is going home, according to her sister Lisa, who keeps regular updates on the Kim Oake Support Group Facebook page.

“It is absolutely amazing that within three weeks of being admitted to ICU, she will be able to walk out of the hospital (with the help of a walker),” Lisa writes in a Dec. 17 update. Doctors say that Kim’s fast recovery has been staggering. One doctor told the family that when he first saw Kim when she admitted to the hospital weeks ago, he believed her chances of survival were only 30 percent.

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In June 2009, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare’s Revised Japanese Pharmaceutical Law will come into effect, banning the online purchase of many over-the-counter drugs in Japan. The measure hopes to cut down on the more than 300 cases of negative side effects caused by over-the-counter drugs each year in Japan, according to The Mainichi Daily News.

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“Each day is a victory,” writes Lisa Oakes, sister of Kim Oakes, the Canadian animal control officer who took antibiotics for a cat bite last month and ended up in the hospital struggling for life. Kim had suffered a rare adverse reaction to a commonly prescribed antibiotic which resulted in toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), a severe form of Steven Johnson Syndrome (SJS). Since we first told you about Kim, the family has formed the Kim Oake Support Group on Facebook to provide updates on Kim’s struggle and to educate others about the debilitating condition usually caused by over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen, and antibiotics.

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