It took a team of 13 doctors and specialists at Everett Providence Hospital five days to ultimately diagnose Stany Saul with an adverse drug reaction to sulfonamides.
Saul, a Washington State student, was in the middle of one of the most stressful weeks of her sophomore year, final examinations, when she began to notice a rash on her arm. Saul said she understood it wasn't a typical rash and although she was stressed about her four finals that week, knew she needed to be attended to.
Saul was seen by a physician at Washington State Health and Wellness May 3, 2011, where she was diagnosed with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) and prescribed a medication that was sulfa-based.
"Within two days I knew something was not right. I just thought it was a mix of stress and the flu," said Saul.
According to Carrie Allan, a nurse at Washington State University Health and Wellness, doctors prescribe medications based on patients preferences and given knowledge of drug allergies. Saul was unaware of having any drug allergies and therefore had not requested an alternate medication.
"It’s fairly common for patients to be unaware of having any drug allergies. Most of the time it becomes a trail-and-error sort of process," said Allan.
Despite the pain and sickness being a kinesiology major with a 3.4 GPA going into her junior year Saul said she knew that skipping her last two finals, biology and chemistry, was not an option. Arriving at Todd Auditorium among close to 300 other students Saul only recalls her last memory was texting her friend Jennell Lottinville of her piercing headache.
"I completely blacked out after I texted Jennell. I don't know how I ended up at my chemistry final," said Saul.
According to …. sulfa allergies are among 3 percent of the population and can have fatal consequences if not immediately treated. Common symptoms include skin reactions, liver and kidney injury and or failure, lung reactions and blood poisoning.
"Sulfa allergies affect major organs of the body and likely can cause symptoms which are unusual to other drug allergies," said Allan.
Saul packed her bags the morning of May 7 2011, said her goodbyes, and entered the address of her Chelan summer house into her GPS. Four and one-half hours later Saul woke up from her haze and realized she had made it to her summer house, where her parents anxiously awaited.
"Stany had called us multiple times on her drive over and was acting extremely odd. We didn't know what was going on," said Chuck Saul, Stany's father.
Saul and her family left their Chelan house that Sunday for their home in Mukilteo, Wash. where Saul took a turn for the worse.
After arriving home Saul was startled by her new puppy and began to seizure. Saul was immediately transported and admitted to Everett Providence Hospital where she had two grand mal seizures. Doctors and specialist decided to induce Saul into a coma. She awoke 2 and a-half days later.
Numerous tests including spinal taps, blood tests, and cat scans became regulatory for Saul over her 5 day stay at Everett Providence Hospital.
"Unfortunately it is impossible to test for sulfa-based drug allergies," said Allan, "other allergies such as food allergies are testable through skin or blood tests."
Saul is reminded everyday of that fatal period in her life. Not from hospital bills, or the poor grades she received on her final examinations, but from the thick silver medical bracelet she is forced to wear everyday which reads "allergic to sulfonamides."
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