Doctors were convinced that a man left totally paralysed by a 1983 car crash was in a vegetative state for 23 years. According to this news report, written by Allan Hall, once the doctors of then student Rom Houben misdiagnosed him, that remained his official condition.
From reading the article, this is my summary:
1) due to the work of a single investigative doctor working with the newest technology, the error was finally discovered three years ago;
2) that error, and the fact that Herr Houben was actually conscious the whole time, was not revealed until November 21, 2009.
He had no way of letting experts, family or friends know he could hear every word they said.
'I screamed, but there was nothing to hear,' said Mr Houben, now 46.
Doctors used a range of coma tests, recognised worldwide, before reluctantly concluding that his consciousness was 'extinct'.
But three years ago, new hi-tech scans showed his brain was still functioning almost completely normally.
Read more of the original report here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1230092/Patient-trapped-23-year-coma-conscious-along.html##ixzz0XekjAcE4
My additional commentary follows below the break.
I read comments about this story that are hardly complimentary to Americans, even those who self-identify as "conservative." If anyone wants me to share some of those with them, simply ask. Let me put it this way.
Herr Houben, who appears quite grateful to be alive and functioning as best he can, may wish to thank his lucky stars that he is living in contemporary Germany, rather than Hitler’s Germany, or contemporary Holland, England, or Florida.
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Quite understandable, that comment about Florida. Questions still remain about the way Terri Schiavo was murdered via court rulings.
ReplyDeleteYep, her case immediately sprung to mind.
ReplyDeleteIn another forum, some Ace asserted that this case isn't like the Schiavo case.
It was admitted that Ace was right. Herr Heubon clearly did not have a spouse that wanted him dead. Ace said nothing further.
Indeed. I wonder though, since Terri's autopsy revealed that she'd not ever been bulimic nor did she ever had an adverse cardiac event... and early on in her coma, her husband had won a court award from her OB/GYN due to the doctor not recognizing her bulimia... is that doctor entitled to sue him back for a refund?
ReplyDeleteThere was another case of a several years-long coma patient recovering right about the time they had put Terri to death. I can't remember if it was just before or after... nor can I recall the name of the man... he was a NY firefighter, and that's the only thing I recall about him. I seem to recall he'd been brought around with the administration of Ritalin...
I do actively hate getting older.