A young woman was left paralysed and battling for her life after eating sushi with pals.
Yuli Vargas suffered from salmonella and typhoid fever after consuming the raw seafood.
She was later diagnosed with lupus, a chronic disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues and organs.
Yuli said it all began with gastrointestinal symptoms that initially seemed like a common infection.
In September, she ended up spending 23 days in hospital, 16 of which were nil by mouth.
Yuli said she needed urgent surgery and knew there was a strong chance she wouldn’t wake up from it.
She told Need To Know: “This past month has been a health journey I never imagined.
“It all started when I ate sushi that gave me salmonella and typhoid fever, which triggered a series of complications and diagnoses.
“I went through countless tests, procedures, and finally, an extremely risky surgery where I had to face reality: the odds of me making it out of the operating room alive were slim.”
She said: “I underwent a gallbladder operation with very high pancreatic enzymes, which makes the operation high-risk.
“They didn’t want to operate on me, and I had to accept that I might not survive.
“I also had an endoscopy and colonoscopy in the same week.
“The pain and fear I felt throughout my hospitalisation is something I don’t know how to explain.
“I endured nights of incessant pain where no medication worked; not even heavy sedation could calm me.
“I was in the intensive care unit because I had to be monitored.
“Two hours after surgery, I suffered paralysis, affecting the right side of my body and face.
“In those moments, between pain and despair, I was unable to sleep or drink water, unable to breathe properly because of the pain, and I went without food for 16 days because I was given assisted feeding.”
She added, “They first put the food tube in one arm, and it hurt like crazy.
“They finally had to insert a central line in my jugular vein to continue feeding me, which ended up causing an infection several days later, and they had to remove it as an emergency.”
After multiple clinical examinations and consultations with specialists, doctors were able to arrive at a diagnosis that explained the unusual set of symptoms: systemic lupus erythematosus.
Yuli, who lives in Ecuador, explained: “The doctors were at a loss for what to do.
“After multiple tests and examinations, they came up with the following diagnoses: pangastritis, moderate to severe ulcerative colitis, and systemic lupus erythematosus affecting the nervous system and pancreas.
“I finally got a diagnosis that explained why I was getting worse every day, and from then on, they knew how to treat me.”
Yuli said she has been slowly improving since embarking on her dedicated course of treatment.
The young mum is having to learn how to walk and move around again.
“I’m currently recovering from surgery and paralysis; I’m trying to get back to walking, eating, and moving,” she said.
“I’m learning more about lupus and living it to the fullest, because when it hurts, it really hurts.
“I’m being treated with several drugs, including some that block the sensation of pain in the brain.”
She added, “I trust in God, who has a purpose for me.
“Crying, I asked Him for His will to be done, that I would accept it – and here I am, telling you my story and facing this new stage in my life.”
