SNELLVILLE, Ga. (WXIA-TV) - In 2014, Khaliah Shaw went to a doctor’s office because she felt depressed.
She received a prescription for Lamotrigine. A pending lawsuit claims Shaw received the wrong dosage, and her pharmacy didn’t catch it.
For the first two weeks, “everything was ok.” And then it wasn’t.
Blisters broke out all over her body. “I was in excruciating pain. It felt like I was on fire,” she said.
She was diagnosed with a rare skin disorder called Stevens Johnson Syndrome. It's usually caused by reaction to a medication or an incorrect dosage.
“It essentially causes your body to burn from the inside out and you pretty much just melt,” she said.
The disease has left Shaw’s previously flawless skin burned and scarred. Her vision is slowly going away. Her sweat glands are gone, and her finger nails will never grow back.
“This did not have to happen. This was not just some sort of fluke in my opinion. This happened as a directly result of somebody’s error,” said Shaw.
She spent more than a month in medically induced coma while her skin slowly peeled off. There is no cure for Stevens Johnson Syndrome, and she could relapse.
“They’re telling me this could happen again, and they’re telling me if it did happen again, that it would be worse,” said Shaw.
According to the lawsuit filed on her behalf, medical bills have already reached more than $3.45 million. Extensive and prolonged medical care are expected to continue to add to those bills.
"I never heard of Steven Johnson Syndrome until I was in the hospital with my skin melting off of my body. That’s when I learned what it was," Shaw said. It's a lesson she says no one should have to learn. "It's important to know what's in your body."
"Be an advocate for yourself. Educate before you medicate," she said. "Know what the side effects are."
Read more from our Atlanta affiliate WXIA here.
