Mother ****er trapped in a coma for 23 years god damn

Tollbooth Willie

Tollbooth Willie

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/23/man-trapped-coma-23-years

For 23 years Rom Houben was trapped in his own body, unable to communicate with his doctors or family. They presumed he was in a vegetative state following a near-fatal car crash in 1983.

But then doctors used a state-of-the-art scanning system on the brain of the martial arts enthusiast, which showed it was functioning almost normally.

"I had dreamed myself away," said Houben, now 46, whose real "state" was discovered three years ago and has just been made public by the doctor who rescued him.

Steven Laureys, a neurologist at the University of Liège in Belgium, has published a scientific paper saying Houben could be one of many falsely diagnosed coma cases around the world.

Houben is being cared for at a facility near Brussels and now communicates via a computer with a special keyboard activated with his right hand, which is capable of minimal movement. He said his body was paralysed when he came round after his accident. Although he could hear every word his doctors spoke, he could not communicate with them.

"I screamed, but there was nothing to hear," he said, via his keyboard.

Houben then suffered years of being effectively trapped in his own body as care personnel and doctors at the hospital in Zolder tried to communicate with him, but eventually gave up hope that he would ever come round.

The moment it was discovered he was not in a vegetative state, said Houben, it was like being born again. "I'll never forget the day that they discovered me, it was my second birth."

Experts say Laureys' findings are likely to reopen the debate over when the decision should be made to terminate the lives of those in comas who appear to be unconscious but might have almost fully-functioning brains.

Belgian doctors used an internationally accepted scale to monitor Houben's state over the years. Known as the Glasgow Coma Scale, it requires assessment of the eyes, verbal and motor responses. But they failed to assess him correctly and missed signs that his brain was still functioning.

Laureys, who is head of the coma science group and neurology department at Liège University hospital, concluded coma patients are diagnosed falsely "on a disturbingly regular basis". In around 40% of cases diagnosed as vegetative, more careful examination shows there is still some level of consciousness. He examined 44 patients believed to be in a vegetative state, and found that 18 of them responded to communication.

"Once someone is labelled as being without consciousness, it is very hard to get rid of that," he told Spiegel magazine, calling for a systematic overhaul of the methods of diagnosis.

Laureys said patients who are not fully unconscious can often be treated and are capable of making considerable progress.

Around a fifth of patients who suffer serious head and brain injuries spend more than three weeks in a coma. Of those, between 15% and 25% are, technically speaking, still alive but remain in a state of unconsciousness, never to wake up.
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I have no butt and I must poop.
 
I literally JUST read about this from stumbleupon.

I have no idea how he didn't go insane, honestly.
 
Sounds like an episode from the twilight zone.
 
Holy shit :(

So I assume he didn't have any movements in his eyes either (or were the eyes paralyzed as well? the article didn't mention) otherwise someone moving their eyes is bound to be noticed by someone.
 
I can't imagine a more nightmarish existence. I'd rather die.
 
Can you imagine? There were bound to be people making fun of him, treating him like shit, hell even a doctor ****ing a nurse right on his hospital bed!
 
That would be absolutely terrible to have to endure. For 23 years, no less.
 
Poor dude. You know what'd be wicked? Take that mofo skydiving in his condition (with someone attached to him with a parachute duh), maybe some systemic shock could help.
 
He deserves unlimited blowjobs. Quick, fly him to Amsterdam and let him live life to the fullest!
 
They should ask if he wants to be pumped full of drugs or something fun. Amsterdam would be a good start like suggested
 
Woah. I can't imagine a worse fate. Really, this must be one of the worse things that has ever happened to a single individual. This man was trapped in his own head for slightly longer than I've been alive..

The Belgian former engineering student, who speaks four languages, said he coped with being effectively trapped in his own body by meditating. He told doctors he had "travelled with my thoughts into the past, or into another existence altogether". Sometimes, he said, "I was only my consciousness and nothing else".
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He must be the most Zen motherfucker alive.
 
D:


I... don't know what I would have done.


Probably would have created an entire new language from profanity in my head.
 
I wonder if people who live like this would evolve into a different realm of humanity. Like UBER mage. or we hook them up to machines and they predict future crimes and such. I think it should be looked into if they have an extra talents that could help the world. because what other job could they hold??
 
I read this yesterday over on the good old Hannity forums... where they're trying to equate this situation to Terri Schiavo's situation. This guy wasn't brain dead.

I have to get a better hobby. sigh
 
This shit is just ridiculous. I wonder what goes on in that head of his...
 
I bet he's the most patient, chill person ever. Very respectable to see how well adjusted he is only a few months after regaining the ability to communicate, two decades of that would probably destroy most people's minds. He must be hardheaded :)
 
They're talking about this on the radio a lot. They said he had control over his eyes but the doctors didn't notice. Well done guys!
 
I'm seeing more and more on the news about this. either way the issue goes now you have to wonder if we've wasted how many of thousands of people when they were permanently trapped or if scientists knew this all ready and let a lot of useless people go to waste. But I'm willing to bet you could use these people for the greater good without pulling the plug
 
^Wow, that was really bad, his eyes were closed... er, yeah, I'll wait to hear from this.

If that is a hoax, it's a damn elaborate hoax.
 
she's ****ing holding his hand and typing out shit for him.

blatant as it gets imo
 
Eh theres a few sites reporting that he can also indicate yes and no with his foot which im pretty sure they would've mentioned if the mom was moving his foot too. I'd rather wait for a bit more then decide whether its complete bullshit or not.
 
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