'Living in hell': A Houston monkeypox victim on his battle against the disease

Returning from a Dallas music festival in early July, Houston resident Sebastian Buc learned another attendee had tested positive for monkeypox and he had likely been exposed. Within days, the 37-year-old was vaccinated against the viral contagion. It wasn't enough to stave off an infection that would cover his body in lesions and keep him in continual pain for the next several weeks. TRACKING MONKEYPOX: Interactive charts show spread of virus across Houston, Texas, rest of US Buc decided to share his struggle with the virus to reduce the stigma surrounding it. "This is not a disease for gay people only," he said. "I know it is affecting gay people more, but everyone can get it." Monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease, but is spread through skin contact or touching fabrics and other shared surfaces, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Here's what his experience was like: Lesions and 'living in hell' The large blister-like lesions that come with monkeypox infections tend to appear on a person’s face, hands, mouth or genitals. Within a week of exposure to the virus, Buc developed a rash of lesions on his anus. Their placement made it nearly impossible for Buc to use the bathroom. "The pain was extreme," he said, noting that painkilling medications and oatmeal baths did little to ease the discomfort. "I cried all the time." Buc said the discomfort surpassed anything he has ever felt, an experience he described as "living in hell for almost a week" as the lesions resolved. Any trip to the bathroom resulted in "screaming and crying," he said. The pain was so intense that Buc stopped eating at the nadir of his infection. EXPLAINER: What is monkeypox and how is it spread? Things to know about the arrival of the disease in Houston. In addition to the lesions on his anus, Buc also developed the blisters on his face, legs and hands. He described them as "very disgusting, like a huge pimple with white pus" that were about the size of a nickel. He fears the large lesions on his forehead and nose — which have not resolved after nearly two weeks — may leave scars. Unrelenting fever for a week While the blister-like lesions are the most attention-grabbing aspect of monkeypox, they sometimes also bring intense fever. Buc suffered head-splitting migraines as a result. Buc had a fever for seven days straight, logging a high temperature of 103.7 degrees. "I thought I was going to pass out," he said. "I was sweating. It was very, very intense." As his fever approached 104 — the point at which it becomes life-threateningly dangerous — Buc considered going to the emergency room, but reconsidered due to the cost and inconvenience. Instead, he said, he "stayed at home praying." Medication did little to lesson the pain. HIGH DEMAND: As monkeypox spreads in Texas, here's why the vaccine is so difficult to find "I was very scared I was going to have a stroke, the headache was so intense," he said. Some who suffer from the disease only experience a rash, the CDC reported. Testing appointments are hard to come by Buc scheduled an appointment with his doctor as soon as he began to suspect he might have monkeypox. But his doctor's office didn't have the capability to perform monkeypox tests. He then waited three days to be tested by the Houston Health Department. "It was very hard to get an appointment," he said. And while Buc quickly was vaccinated against monkeypox soon after his return from Dallas, the vaccine rollout in Houston has been marked by computer glitches, long wait times and inconsistent direction. As local health officials attempt to preserve a meager stockpile of doses amid a national shortage, some local residents say they have been denied shots despite qualifying. Doctors may not know how to treat it While Buc's primary care doctor had read about monkeypox, the doctor had never treated it and was unfamiliar with the lesions and the treatment plan, Buc said. "I showed him a picture of lesions on a friend of mine," Buc said. "He said, 'Those are very similar.' But he wasn't 100 percent sure it was monkeypox" until the test results came back positive. Buc's doctor prescribed antibiotics to prevent his anal lesions from becoming infected. The doctor didn't initially prescribe pain medication. TURNER & HIDALGO SOUND OFF: Houston-area leaders call for more monkeypox vaccine doses amid nationwide shortage For help, Buc instead turned to TikTok, where he found videos of a doctor giving tips for how to treat monkeypox. The TikTok expert recommended Epsom salt baths, which helped a little, and a prescription-strength pain medication Buc requested from his primary care doctor. Extended isolation Monkeypox lesions can take up to four weeks to resolve. While Buc's are "healing well," he does not know when he will be able to end his isolation and rejoin society. "I still have active lesions on my legs," he said Wednesday, 17 days after his monkeypox infection began. The Houston resident is following CDC recommendations to avoid contact with others until the scabs on his lesions have fallen off and a fresh layer of intact skin has formed. He may have to isolate in his home for another week while he heals. Buc hopes to draw attention to the "very real" pain caused by monkeypox infections: "I don't want anybody — not even my worst enemy — to get this disease," he said.

'Living in hell': A Houston monkeypox victim on his battle against the disease

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