Man was awake during 23-year 'coma'

[Dope Nose]

http://www.healthzone.ca/health/newsfeatures/article/729852--man-thought-in-coma-for-23-years-was-conscious?bn=1

Man thought in coma for 23 years was conscious
Raf Casert
ASSOCIATED PRESS

BRUSSELS–For 23 torturous years, Rom Houben says he lay trapped in his paralyzed body, aware of what was going on around him but unable to tell anyone or even cry out.

The car-crash victim had been diagnosed as being in a vegetative state but appears to have been conscious the whole time. An expert using a specialized type of brain scan that was not available in the 1980s finally realized it, and unlocked Houben's mind again. The 46-year-old Belgian is now communicating with a special touchscreen on his wheelchair.

"Powerlessness. Utter powerlessness. At first I was angry, then I learned to live with it," he said, punching the message into the screen during an interview with the Belgian RTBF network, aired Monday. He has called his rescue his "renaissance."

Over the years, Houben's family refused to accept the word of his doctors, firmly believing their son knew what was happening around him, and gave no thought to letting him die, said his mother, Fina. She was vindicated when the breakthrough came.

"At that moment, you think, `Oh, my God. See, now you know.' I was always convinced," she said in a telephone interview with AP.

The discovery took place three years ago but only recently came to light, after publication of a study on the misdiagnosis of people with consciousness disorders.

While a 23-year error is highly unusual, the wrong diagnosis of patients with consciousness disorders is far too common, according to the study, led by Steven Laureys of Belgium's Coma Science Group.

The issue is fraught with ethical questions. Patients diagnosed as being in a vegetative state with no hope of recovery are sometimes allowed to die, as was done in 2005 with Terri Schiavo, the severely brain-damaged Florida woman at the centre of the biggest right-to-die case in U.S. history. Her feeding tube was removed.

Houben was injured in a car accident in 1983 when he was 20. Doctors said he fell into a coma at first, then went into a vegetative state.

A coma is a state of unconsciousness in which the eyes are closed and the patient cannot be roused. A vegetative state is a condition in which the eyes are open and can move, and the patient has periods of sleep and periods of wakefulness, but remains unconscious and cannot reason or respond.

During Houben's two lost decades, his eyesight was poor, but the experts say he could hear doctors, nurses and visitors to his bedside, and feel the touch of a relative.

Over the years, Houben's skeptical mother took him to the United States five times for tests before linking up with Laureys.

"We saw his brain was almost normal," said neuropsychologist Audrey Vanhaudenhuyse.

A breakthrough came when Houben was able to indicate yes or no by slightly moving his foot to push a computer device placed there by Laureys' team. He can now spell words using the touchscreen.

 

[Dope Nose]

additional coverage
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/11/24/coma.man.belgium/index.html

 

[dark_b]

i would rather die then be aware about everything happening around me for 23 years.

holly s.... 23 years.

 

[chamber-music]

That folks is what you call torture

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

23 years....WOW!

 

[Team Andino]

That man went into a "coma" then 2 years later I was born

Waking up after 23 years an having to soak in the world is one thing but being able to hear everything around me without being able to do anything, thats just insane.

 

[Alex The Great]

God, 23 years......that is just torture....

 

[katie_girl09]

That was torture. They kept him alive for selfish reasons.

 

[SuperFerret]

That was torture. They kept him alive for selfish reasons.

Agreed. Yet the article basically calls euthanizing him to be unethical.

 

[Raiden]

This has to be worse than torture, basically imprisoned by your body for over 2 decades.

 

[katie_girl09]

Also, what's next now that he's alive? How do you pick up where you left off? He was only 20 when he went into his state. I know some would disagree, but I think that in many ways this is actually cruel.

 

[piccolo]

Probably the most patient guy on earth now.

 

[Darthphere]

That man went into a "coma" then 2 years later I was born

Waking up after 23 years an having to soak in the world is one thing but being able to hear everything around me without being able to do anything, thats just insane.

Seriously, imagine laying there and hearing your mom say "Can I borrow your iphone, I need to make a call." And you lay there thinking, "What the **** is an iPhone?"

 

[CBGB]

That would be hell. The world is changing around you and you can't do anything. He's got a lot of catching up to do.

 

[Darthphere]

That would be hell. The world is changing around you and you can't do anything. He's got a lot of catching up to do.

There's an app for that.

 

[[A]]

Damn. What a story..



Cue Hollywood producers buying the rights to make a (bad) movie.

 

[BillyZaned]

Worst case of Blue Balls ever...

 

[Majic Walrus]

That was torture. They kept him alive for selfish reasons.

I actually agree.

He was alive and aware and helpless for nearly a quarter of a century. Horrible.

 

[Raiden]

Imagine countless days you laid there, and thinking to yourself, "Damn, there's an itch but I can't scratch it. Help!" Then after awhile you think, "Wow, that sux".

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

Imagine countless days you laid there, and thinking to yourself, "Damn, there's an itch but I can't scratch it. Help!" Then after awhile you think, "Wow, that sux".

''Can't wait to get out of this coma to check out Michael Jackson live...His music kept me going''

 

[Majic Walrus]

 

[katie_girl09]

I actually agree.

You are obligated to.

 

[Spider-Vader]

That was torture. They kept him alive for selfish reasons.

Totally agree. I would never would want to be a vegetable. That's horrible, but this is worse. 23 years of your life, sitting there.

 

[Majic Walrus]

You are obligated to.

I know. I do it thankfully.

 

[The Battousai]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/11/24/coma.man.belgium/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn


There's something very fishy about this