Sebastian Köhn, 39, a Swede living in New York, was recently infected with the monkeypox virus. In an article from Guardianhe describes his hellish experience with the virus and the path to treatment.
On June 24, the Pride festivities kicked off in New York. Sebastian Köhn was aware of the problems that monkeypox could cause and tried to get vaccinated, but without success.
“I had sex with several men over the weekend. A week later, on July 1, I started to feel very tired. I had a high fever, chills and muscle aches. My lymph nodes were so swollen they were sticking two centimeters out of my throat.”he says. “I first did a Covid self-test: negative. Then I started to suspect monkeypox. I then went to do a new test.”
Two days after his first symptoms, he started getting a rash on and around his anus. “At first it was a tingling and itching sensation. I didn’t have too much reason to worry. I had been assured that it was something benign, that I was in good health, but I really had no idea of the seriousness of the situation.”he continues.
A few days later, he started developing small lesions all over his body. “At first they looked like mosquito bites, but they turned into pimple blisters that eventually burst, leaving scabs and a scar. I had them on my head, face, arms, legs, feet, hands, torso, back, and five on my right elbow alone. At the peak of the contamination, I had more than fifty spread over my body.” continues the Swede.
He also had a fever, suffered from hives and had pain in many places. A few days earlier, he had been tested for monkeypox and STIs at the hospital. He had tested positive for gonorrhea, but the result of his monkeypox test was not yet known.
Pain and itching prevented Sebastian Köhn from sleeping. Small lesions on and around the anus have turned into open sores, “with unbearable pain”. “I literally cried when I went to the toilet. Even washing was extremely painful.“His throat also started to swell, so he had to go to the emergency room and was given antibiotics.
He was eventually told he had the monkeypox virus. But getting hold of drugs proved nearly impossible. He was sent from place to place without result. Eventually, he was admitted to experimental treatment. It turned out to be effective. The blisters have dried up and he can go to the toilet again without pain. But Köhn is still isolated. “I can’t tell you how tired I am of my apartment.” he said.
But the man also warns. “I’m afraid it will become endemic again, especially among gay people, if we haven’t already passed that point. I’m afraid we’ll be stuck with it forever.”