Klamath Falls woman's skin condition will be featured on cable show

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. -- Doctors first diagnosed 6-year-old Nicole Chapman's severe skin rash as a bad case of measles.

But the fever, large blisters and violent headaches were not measles. Chapman, now 23, was eventually diagnosed with Stevens Johnson Syndrome, or a severe allergic reaction to medication.

Chapman, who lives in Klamath Falls, hopes to educate others about the little-known condition, which will be featured on the Discovery Health Channel's "Mystery Diagnosis" program Monday night.

"We have no clue what caused it," she said.

Doctors gave Chapman headache medication when she was young, which is the most likely culprit for her condition, she said.

Large fever blisters appeared on her skin and her body temperature became dangerously high. She was taken to Merle West Medical Center, now Sky Lakes Medical Center, where she was diagnosed with a bad case of the measles. She said most cases are misdiagnosed as either measles or chicken pox.

When the condition worsened, she was airlifted to Emanuel Hospital in Portland, where doctors changed her diagnosis. She stopped breathing three times en route.

Some of her skin peeled off during hospital gown changes. Doctors put pig skin over her blisters to protect them from further damage. The pig skin flaked off as she healed.

Overall, about 90 percent of her epidermal layer was affected.

The attack had lasting effects. She has severe aches and pains caused by fibromyalgia, and must have artificial glass tear ducts replaced in her eyes once a year because the condition destroyed her natural ones. Scar tissue in her throat limits what foods she can eat.

Chapman hopes to continue learning about the condition. She also hopes to educate others because little is known about what causes the potentially lethal syndrome.

"This can happen to anybody," she said. "There have been numerous people that have not made it."

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