Man, 31, Forced To Remove His Nose After Developing Rare 'Eating Into His Face' Flu
In an unusual and severe medical case, a 31-year-old man in the United States had to undergo the removal of his nose due to a rare fungal infection that posed a serious threat to his health.
Brandon Boothby's ordeal??
Brandon Boothby, residing in Florida, was diagnosed with a rare medical condition that compromised his immune system, making him susceptible to severe infections. Boothby's health took a drastic turn when he developed a fungal infection in his nose, causing significant damage to the surrounding tissue. The severity of the infection prompted the need for an urgent and radical intervention.
The fungal infection was perilously close to reaching critical areas such as his brain and eyes. The 31-year-old revealed that the infection progressed rapidly, and if his nose hadn't been removed, it would have reached his eyes within a few weeks and his brain within a month. The decision to undergo the removal of his nose was a preventive measure to stop the spread of the infection and protect vital organs.
After going to the hospital, tests revealed that he had an autoimmune condition known as severe aplastic anaemia. "It's such a severe disease that if someone sneezes around you, you could get a fatal infection," he said.
Aplastic anaemia & its dangers??
Aplastic anaemia is a rare condition characterized by the body's inability to produce an adequate amount of new blood cells. Treatment options for aplastic anaemia may include immunosuppressants, chemotherapy, blood transfusions, or bone marrow transplants.
In the case of Boothby, who was diagnosed with severe aplastic anaemia, the search for a lifesaving bone marrow transplant became crucial. While waiting for a suitable bone marrow donor, Boothby returned home to be with his daughter and wife.
However, his health took a turn for the worse when he developed a fever, prompting him to seek medical attention once again. It was during this hospital visit that he received a diagnosis of a potentially life-threatening fungal infection.
"It wasn't hard to breathe when my nose got infected; it was just the local pain and swelling that was alarming," Boothby explained.
He said that the doctors performed five surgeries on his nose and face in an attempt to "chase" the fungus and stop it in its destructive tracks.?"It was just going deeper and deeper into my face and started to get into my left eye. The next place it would go would be my brain, which would be the end game," he said.
Doctors decided to remove his rose
Two weeks later, Boothby said that doctors decided that they had to remove the nose along with part of the eye socket to stop the fungus and save his life, the outlet reported. The 31-year-old has since had a prosthetic nose fitted.
But this wasn't the end of his ordeal as after a bone marrow transplant, Boothby developed what is known as graft versus host syndrome. This means that his new, healthy blood cells that were produced as a result of the bone marrow transplant were attacking his own body.
Boothby ended up extremely malnourished, with eczema-like symptoms and inflammation of his organs as a result. He was even at risk of having part of his intestine removed in a colostomy due to the severe reaction.
Luckily, because he was fit before, doctors decided to help him heal naturally, and it worked. Now, he's telling his story to spread the word about the condition a year and a half later.
"They (doctors) told me it could take up to three years to heal completely, but it's been almost two now, and it's going extremely well. While I still need to go to for monthly checkups, I've returned to full-time duty as a firefighter," he said.
"Now, I wake up with a whole different mindset. I appreciate everything, even if it's just standing outside and enjoying the weather or being with my daughter," Boothby added.
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