SlowPaced wrote:RSCD3_ wrote:NOD wrote:BTW, it needs to be said:
RIP Manute. A great guy with such a kind heart and a great sense of humor.
You can't help but root for this kid, who lost his dad at such a young age. SJS is such a difficult way to die.
What happened, and what is SJS
Stevens Johnson Syndrome. I wish I hadn't checked the pictures for that one. It's a gruesome looking skin disease, be warned.
SJS isn't really a disease, per se. It's a life-threatening allergic reaction that involves sloughing (dying off) of both:
1) the mucous membranes (i.e., your entire gastrointestinal tract), which makes you immensely susceptible to infection from your gut's bacterial flora, as well as
2) your skin, which makes you immensely susceptible to infection from your skin's bacterial flora.
People don't realize what an unbelievable barrier your skin and gut provide against infection. The real danger of chemotherapy is the increased susceptibilty of your body to your gut's bacterial flora when its lining is disturbed. A similar problem happens with burns, but wrt your skin.
So, in its most severe form, SJS is like a combination of getting the world's worst chemo at the same time you get the world's worst burn injury.
