Awake through a 23 year coma

23-11-2009 11:12am #1

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/awake_through_year_coma_2TckLV0f6oEXYUIXOg6AIJ

He suffered through a 23-year-long night of the living dead.
Doctors were convinced that an accident had left Ron Houben in a vegetative state, unable to understand anything happening around him.
He was, in fact, totally conscious and heard every word spoken around his hospital bed -- but not able to let people know, according to a startling report in last night Britain's Daily Mail.
Houben's bizarre nightmare began in 1983, when the then-23-year-old Belgian student was in a car wreck that left him totally paralyzed. When he woke, he tried to communicate.

"I screamed," Houben said recently, tapping out the message on a computer. "But there was nothing to hear."

Just heard it on the radio.. One of the saddest things I've ever heard.

R0ot · 23-11-2009 11:17am

Well on the plus side at least he knew he was getting sponge bathed by the hot nurses.

MarkR · 23-11-2009 11:17am

Booooooooring. For him. I myself found the story interesting.

Quazzie · 23-11-2009 11:20am

Its a bit like that film The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

Great film.

Gone Drinking · 23-11-2009 11:21am

Quazzie wrote: »

Its a bit like that film The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

Great film.

But what a crap name.. i don't like diving or butterflies, so i'll never watch it.

Dirk Gently · 23-11-2009 11:29am

I bet he knows who every nurse slept with for the past 23 years.

biko · 23-11-2009 11:30am

Scary, pretty much strapped to a bed for 23 years.

AnonoBoy · 23-11-2009 11:30am

So how long before he gets a boards account?

allanb49 · 23-11-2009 11:31am

I'm reminded of how johnny got his gun, what mental state must he be in

stovelid · 23-11-2009 11:39am

Did they really think he'd pull through?

Westfalia2 · 23-11-2009 11:40am

This is a post from a Chicago-based website called straighdope.com. It's fantastic, like AH without the inanity. People of various professions/situations invite you to ask any questions you like about their life and this guy has Locked-in Syndrome (same as the guy in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly). Truly amazing.

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=539322

Vegeta · 23-11-2009 11:41am

I cant remember anything
Cant tell if this is true or dream
Deep down inside I feel to scream
The terrible silence stops me

CreepingDeath · 23-11-2009 11:44am

allanb49 wrote: »

I'm reminded of how johnny got his gun, what mental state must he be in

+1

Yep, that's the film the Metallica song "One" is based on.

Dyr · 23-11-2009 11:46am

jaysus thats terrible, poor man.

*Adds Metallica - One to winamp playlist*

Dyr · 23-11-2009 11:47am

damn my tardy posting habits :mad:

Warfi · 23-11-2009 12:12pm

I've a vague understanding of what that poor man feels like. I've often had to listen to 'news' items on the radio, read 'news' items in the newspaper, or listen to colleagues go on about 'I'm a celebrity X-Factor house cleaner who dances on ice'. My party line is 'I never watch those programmes', the band still plays on though.

Can you imagine all the reality tv programmes he would've heard about while laying in his comatose state? That would make me want to scream more than anything!

Dord · 23-11-2009 12:17pm

allanb49 wrote: »

I'm reminded of how johnny got his gun, what mental state must he be in

Just thought of that myself when I read it. It must have been awful for him.

kumate_champ07 · 24-11-2009 11:30am

didnt see this before I made the thread, made me think of this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNZM78aXWh4

Long Onion · 24-11-2009 11:44am

I think it would be rather cool - like being at your own funeral (albeit for 23 years) Still though, he never had to;

Watch x-factor
Watch Big Brother
Watch Twilight
Etc

Lucky b'stard

Dartz · 24-11-2009 11:50am

Or worse...

Imagine hearing "It's been 3 years with no signs of activity. It's time to pull the plug." You try to scream one last time, praying to god someone will hear you... but they never will.

Then the machines spool down.

the_syco · 24-11-2009 11:58am

Long Onion wrote: »

Watch Big Brother

Or they left BB on all day, everyday.

24-11-2009 11:59am

Dartz wrote: »

Or worse...

Imagine hearing "It's been 3 years with no signs of activity. It's time to pull the plug." You try to scream one last time, praying to god someone will hear you... but they never will.

Then the machines spool down.

If I was locked inside my own head for 3 years, I'd be praying for someone to pull the plug...

Leprachaun · 24-11-2009 9:21pm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8375557.stm?ls

Jesus,I feel sorry for the poor guy. Not being able to move for 23 years and being aware of everything going on around you but not being able to do a thing about it.

The_Kew_Tour · 24-11-2009 9:23pm

Yes saw a review about it on Sunday..

23 years is bloody long time to be like that.

Lollipops23 · 24-11-2009 10:00pm

I wonder how much of the world he actually got to hear about while in the coma?Like I'd imagine he would only hear the really inane gossipy stuff...like did he hear about the fall of communism?September 11th?The recession?

Honestly after about 6 months of that I'd also be hoping someone would put me out of my misery, you'd get to the point where you'd believe nobody will ever know you're still alive (in your head).

Leprachaun · 24-11-2009 10:05pm

Lollipops23 wrote: »

I wonder how much of the world he actually got to hear about while in the coma?

He wasn't in a coma.

Niamho! · 24-11-2009 10:14pm

My Ex-boss knew a man who went through the same thing, i remember him telling me one night. he was in what doctors thought was a coma for years but all the time he could hear everything that the doctors and nurses and people coming to visit were saying and doing, and just couldn't let anyone know. Imagine the rant you'd have when you finally snap out of it. :eek:

Calibos · 24-11-2009 10:33pm

House would have helped this guy years ago.

Actually, House would probably have used his limp body as a table while eating his lunch

brendansmith · 24-11-2009 10:37pm

Gone Drinking wrote: »

But what a crap name.. i don't like diving or butterflies, so i'll never watch it.

-1

tony1kenobi · 24-11-2009 10:43pm

What has he missed?

brendansmith · 24-11-2009 10:56pm

tony1kenobi wrote: »

What has he missed?

His family and friend i guess.

Julesie · 24-11-2009 11:58pm

Westfalia2 wrote: »

This is a post from a Chicago-based website called straighdope.com. It's fantastic, like AH without the inanity. People of various professions/situations invite you to ask any questions you like about their life and this guy has Locked-in Syndrome (same as the guy in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly). Truly amazing.

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=539322

Wow! That may be the best "non-boards" thread I've ever read. Absolutely illuminating about a condition I knew so little about. I'm ashamed to admit I probably would have been one of the people speaking to him like he had a learning difficulty on top of everything else. The humour in his posts shows that his pre-stroke self lives on intact.