Fitness instructor, 26, is left paralysed and unable to move her tongue after the CONTRACEPTIVE PILL causes her body to shut down
- Katrina Parra developed abdominal pain, anxiety and vomiting in 2012
- Forced to spend Christmas in intensive care, where she stayed for two months
- She was not treated due to baffled doctors being unsure what was wrong
- Caused her to decline until she was unable to move or communicate
- Pill was found to be triggering her symptoms eight months after they started
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A fitness instructor became completely paralysed and could not even move her tongue after the pill caused her body to shut down.
Katrina Parra, 26, from Venezuela, developed abdominal pain, anxiety and near-constant vomiting in 2012.
By Christmas Eve, the mysterious illness had left Ms Parra so weak and frail that she developed blood poisoning, and was forced to spend two months over the festive season in intensive care.
Despite overcoming septicaemia, her symptoms continued, leaving doctors baffled as to what was wrong.
‘I just wanted to die and be finished with the whole nightmare,’ Ms Parra said.
Eight months after she first became ill, Ms Parra was finally diagnosed with the genetic disorder Acute Intermittent Porphyria, which weakened her immune system and was triggered by the pill Yaz.
Since coming off the contraception, Ms Parra – a former account executive – has made a full recovery and now works as a fitness instructor.
Katrina Parra became completely paralysed and could not even move her tongue after the pill caused her body to shut down. Pictured after the ordeal, Ms Parra initially battled blood poisoning and was forced to spend two months over Christmas in intensive care
After overcoming blood poisoning, Ms Parra’s symptoms continued, leaving doctors baffled. Due to her not receiving proper treatment, her condition deteriorated until she could not move. She is pictured in hospital with her legs raised to keep circulation to her limbs moving
Doctors even suggested to Ms Parra’s mother (right) the problem may be psychological and recommended she see a psychiatrist. Ms Parra is pictured in the centre with her siblings
Speaking of her symptoms, Ms Parra said: ‘In 2012 I started to vomit a lot and I felt abdominal pain, anxiety and like I needed to bathe in hot water for hours, as if I’d been poisoned.
‘I went to the clinic and the doctors did tests but the tests didn’t show anything was wrong.
‘I was still taking my birth control and four months later, on December 24, I felt awful again. I had chills, a high temperature and no strength in my body.’
Ms Parra went back to hospital where was diagnosed with septicaemia – an infection caused by large amounts of bacteria entering the bloodstream
Although it is unclear, her blood poisoning is thought to have been caused by her run-down state as a result of her taking the pill.
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‘They put me in a room and nobody was allowed to visit me unless they were completely covered so I was protected from germs,’ she said.
‘Doctors did a lot of tests, but my symptoms only got worse. I was vomiting, hallucinating, I had abdominal pain, leg pain and I was just really going crazy.
‘Doctors began giving me medication which they didn’t realise they couldn’t give me because the drug had a negative effect on porphyria. I was intoxicated and feeling worse every day.’
Baffled medics even began to question whether it was a psychological problem and told her mother she should see a psychiatrist.
Speaking of her mother’s reaction, Ms Parra said: ‘She couldn’t believe it and she got so mad.’
Doctors even held conferences over what may be causing her symptoms, but no one could come up with a solution.
Throughout the ordeal, Ms Parra continued taking her contraception. ‘No matter how ill I felt, I still didn’t stop taking the pill,’ she said.
‘Because of the difficulty in receiving a diagnosis, I started to become paralysed and it got so bad that I couldn’t even move my tongue.
‘They put me back in intensive care where I spent days completely awake but not able to move any part of my body.
‘I couldn’t speak or move, but my body was in a lot of pain and I just wanted to die.’
Ms Parra spent a further two months in hospital.
Ms Parra claims she wanted to die so she could be ‘finished with the whole nightmare’. Despite her vomiting every day, she continued taking the pill in hospital, unaware that was the problem
After finally being diagnosed eight months after her symptoms began, Ms Parra has since made a full recovery. She no longer takes the pill and says she will never be able to again
As she slowly regained her strength, Ms Parra was forced to get around in a wheelchair while she re-learnt how to walk. She also required physiotherapy and a vocal coach, and claims it took two months before she could move just one finger or make even the slightest noise
Now able to walk, the only sign she was once ill is her inability to properly move her toes
WHAT IS ACUTE INTERMITTENT PORPHYRIA?
Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) is an inherited condition that causes a mutation in the gene that produces the oxygen-carrying compound haem in red blood cells.
The mutation alone does not trigger the condition, according to the American Porphyria Foundation.
Other factors must also be present, including certain medications or dietary changes, which trigger AIP.
AIP is thought to affect up to one in 10,000 people, however, the severity of the condition varies greatly.
Most people who inherit the gene for AIP never develop symptoms.
If symptoms do occur, they usually appear after puberty, particularly in women, due to them being triggered by hormones.
Symptoms can include:
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea and vomiting
- Constipation
- Pain in the back and limbs
- Muscle weakness
- An inability to urinate
- Heart palpitations
- Confusion, hallucinations and seizures
These usually appear as attacks that last between one and two days.
During attacks, most patients require hospitalisation for IV hydration to replace the fluids lost through vomiting.
Haem can be given intravenously to suppress the disease.
If medication triggered an attack, this should be stopped immediately under a doctor’s supervision.
Most patients’ symptoms usually resolve, however, severe nerve damage can occur if treatment is delayed.
To prevent attacks, patients are advised to eat a normal or high carbohydrate diet.
Restricting carbs or calories can trigger symptoms.
Eight months after her symptoms first appeared, Ms Parra was finally diagnosed with the genetic disorder AIP.
It occurs when a mutation affects the body’s ability to produce the oxygen-carrying compound haem in red blood cells, which play a role in the body’s immune system – leaving the body weaker.
Attacks can be triggered by medication, alcohol or infections.
There is no cure, however, it is treatable by stopping any responsible medication and injecting the body with haem.
‘I needed a lot of medical attention because my body was totally paralysed and I was in a lot of pain,’ Ms Parra said.
‘The pain was so bad the only thing that could relieve me was morphine. Doctors even say the abdominal pain is very similar to giving birth.
‘Each month for two years, nurses came to my house and they put the porphyria treatment straight into my vein as I was having attacks every month.
‘I also had physiotherapy three times a day to regain my strength and ability to move.’
She added: ‘While I was paralysed, I lost my voice and so required a vocal therapist.
‘The recovery was slow. It took me two months just to be able to move one finger again. By two months I could finally make the first sound with my voice.
‘I was trapped in a bed for five months and I remember when my physiotherapist stood me up for the first time, I started to cry because I couldn’t stand up by myself.’
It took two years for Ms Parra to make a full recovery.
She has since even achieved her goal of being a fitness instructor. Ms Parra is pictured at work
After being ‘trapped in bed’ for months, Ms Parra (pictured in hospital) claims she burst into tears the first time her physiotherapist tried to help her stand because she was unable to do it
Ms Parra is speaking out to educate others about Acute Intermittent Porphyria and support sufferers via her Instagram page @somosporfiria.
‘I haven’t had a porphyria attack for three years now,’ she said.
‘I take good care of myself – I can’t have any birth control obviously, I don’t drink or smoke.
‘To this day, my toes are still a little numb and they don’t move as they used to. It doesn’t bother me though because I can walk normally.
‘I have just achieved my goal of becoming a Fitcombat teacher, but my biggest goal is to create a porphyria foundation to help others.
She added: ‘People die from porphyria because of the difficulty in diagnosing it.
‘I don’t wish that on anybody, it’s awful. Just thinking about it gives me the chills. I really didn’t care if I died, I just wanted the pain to go.
‘Don’t give up, you can have a totally normal life afterwards. Take care of yourself and stay positive.’
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