Jessica Jones of Mississippi did what many people do without thinking about it – go out and buy themselves something new. In Jones’ case, it was a pair of leather sandals. However, she would soon learn that they were the bane of her existence.
She was shocked to learn that her new pair of shoes were the cause of all her medical problems.
Jones said her ankle had become severely swollen and appeared purplish. She said it began with a just a red blotch after just day one of wearing the sandals. Thinking it was a spider bite, Jones went to the doctor. However, her doctor told her it appeared to be cellulitis and gave her antibiotics.
However, when she awoke the next day, she discovered painful blisters on her feet. She immediately went to the emergency room in Picayune and doctors there diagnosed her with a rare skin condition known as bullous pemphigoid, a condition that could occur because of an autoimmune disorder. She was prescribed pain pills and a steroid cream, but nothing was helping. And, in fact, the blisters kept growing.
Jones kept seeing doctor after doctor, and each one had their own diagnosis. One doctor said it was a systemic lupus erythematosus and another said it was a photosensitivity rash.
Nothing worked!
Two weeks later, she calls 911 and is sent to New Orleans’ Ochsner Hospital. Here, a doctor had the sense to ask her if she recently purchased new shoes. He said it was the chemical in those leather sandals that were given her problems. Her body was suffering from a chemical burn.
Jones, at one time, thought she was going to lose her feet. Jones said she’s sharing her story to ensure nobody goes through what she did.