Burnt from the INSIDE

Sara Fakhry was left in unimaginable pain from medication she was prescribed

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I've never been one to fixate on my looks, and agonise over every blemish or out-of-place hair in the mirror. I've always liked to look nice, but as far as I was concerned, life was too short to worry too much about appearances. But when I woke up one day in Autumn 2022 and saw my reflection in the bathroom mirror, I audibly gasped. My eyes were swollen, my lips had doubled in size and my whole face felt so painful. It was a shock to see myself in such a state. I'd not been feeling like myself lately and had been suffering from numerous health issues, but I'd gone to bed the night before with my own face and had woken up with one that looked nothing at all like mine.

A month before, I'd been battling daily panic attacks - my whole body would suddenly tremble, and I was scared to get out of bed. My doctor had put me on anti-seizure medication to stabilise my mood and the attacks had eased, but then I'd been plagued with a runny nose, itchy eyes and blurry vision. My symptoms were put down to allergies and I was given eye drops and antihistamines, though they didn't help. And now this. A face so sore and puffy, I didn't recognise myself.

Medical emergency

Amid my rising panic, my sister Doha, then 24, came over to visit and when I opened the door, she immediately looked alarmed.

A medical student, she was so concerned that she ordered me to get ready as she was taking me to the hospital. I did as I was told, and after we'd arrived and I'd been seen, a doctor suggested that I was having an allergic reaction to something I'd eaten.

I couldn't recall eating anything new, but he gave me an injection of cortisol and told me I'd soon feel better, but Doha wasn't happy, demanding that an allergy specialist come and examine me.