SJS on Discovery Health Mystery Diagnosis
March 15th, 2010. By AbiK
Imagine thinking your child—as an infant—has a bad case of chicken pox only to find out that it’s not chicken pox but a very bad reaction to some medication (in this instance, an anti-convulsant). Then imagine finding out that the reaction has a name: Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS). And it can bring on a number of life-threatening symptoms in addition to leaving scars and medical conditions that can last a lifetime.
That’s what happened when Julie McCawley, now 16, was an infant and was admitted to a hospital for what was seemingly a very bad case of chicken pox. Covered with burn-like blisters, her eyes began to swell shut and she was finally diagnosed with SJS as the result of taking an anti-convulsant.
While Julie is fortunate to be alive, she has since endured 13 surgeries to counter the lasting effects of SJS and she is now blind in her right eye and photophobic. She also carries the scars from the blisters that once covered her body.
Discovery Health’s Mystery Diagnosis will be airing a segment on Julie’s experience—it’s a program that all parents should aim to watch to become more aware of SJS, which can be difficult to diagnose—and according to Julie’s mother, Jean, that’s simply because “so few doctors are familiar with SJS”.
The Discovery Health Mystery Diagnosis program on SJS will air on March 22—check your local listings for times and channels.
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I'm wring to let u know that we believe that our grand daughter SJS.Carlie is in the hospital as I write this, she looks horrible it took everything that I Had not to cry in front of her. She is a real trooper.We still don't know if it was her seiziure meds.,that brought it on but she started off by the drs. saying she has the chicken pox but she kept getting worse.so my daughter took her back to the drs. and they sent her straight to the hosp. now its a waiting game I only know what I have read but we r thankful that she is happy & all…we thank God also without him it would be harder to deal with…
Hi Mary, I am so sorry to hear what your granddaughter has been going through. Stevens Johnson Syndrome is certainly a dreadful condition for anyone–but when it happens to a child, it is that much more heart-wrenching. I along with everyone here at LAS wish Carlie all the best as she recovers from this. Even though it's still uncertain whether the anti-seizure meds were what brought it on, you may want to have a lawyer review your granddaughter's situation. If so, you can do that by filling out and submitting the form here: https://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/submit_form… This is a free service to our readers–no obligation either. Best of luck to you and your family.