Conscious man treated as if he were in a coma for 23 years

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London, England (CNN) -- A Belgian car crash victim who was misdiagnosed as being in a vegetative state for 23 years was conscious the whole time, it has emerged.

For years he listened to the conversations going on around him but he was unable to communicate with his doctors or family.

Rom Houben was 23 at the time of the near-fatal car crash in 1983 that left him paralyzed. Doctors presumed he was in a vegetative state following the accident and they believed he could feel and hear nothing.

Neurologist Dr.Steven Laureys of the University of Liege, in Belgium carried out a brain scan using state-of-the art scanning system and discovered that Houben's brain was fully functional.

In an interview with the UK's ITV news Monday, Rom communicated by typing on a special keyboard attached to his wheelchair, and aided by his carer.

He said: "At some moments it was terribly lonely but I knew my family was believing in me."

"I simply want to enjoy life," he added. "I notice a big difference now I'm back in contact with the world."

The case has highlighted the difficulties doctors face when trying to diagnose the level of consciousness of a patient in a coma-like state.

A study carried out last year on 103 patients by Laureys and his colleagues at Liege's Coma Science Group found that 41 percent of patients in a Minimally Conscious State (MCS) were misdiagnosed as being in the much more serious Vegetative State (VS).


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Ok granted it's not like he was walking around the hospital and everyone's ignoring him ala Ghost, but shit. What do you do for 20+ years trapped in your own head?
 
Especially all the weird shit your family would talk to you about "dad... I'm marrying a black guy... his name is T'real and he dropped out of high school but we're so in love! Oh dad you'd love him" *Nooooooooooooooo*
 
I was hoping this was an elaborate practical joke where someone woke up and everyone convinced him he had been in acoma for 23 years.
 
JodoFett said:
I was hoping this was an elaborate practical joke where someone woke up and everyone convinced him he had been in acoma for 23 years.
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haha same, i was like "there is no way this will be a good youtube video"

i was way off
 
Lineage said:
Man, that sucks. It sounds like he'll never be the head of a major corporation.
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actually his case sounds very similar to that of management where I work, I thought they were vegetables but they seem to be able to send e-mails with their thoughts on how things are in their own head
 
slogg said:
actually his case sounds very similar to that of management where I work, I thought they were vegetables but they seem to be able to send e-mails with their thoughts on how things are in their own head
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Well I think we can treat these as separate cases. It sounds like your superiors are suffering from a case of the living dead.

I'd peak over the cubicle wall to ascertain whether or not they possess the classic dead-pan stare, gaping maw, and insatiable hunger for human flesh. In a surprising number of office-related cases, the living dead can persist for decades and prosper in firms with high turn-over rates and low morale.

Your first precaution should be to secure an exit or, failing that, barricade your cubicle against intrusion. Next, you should attempt to dispatch your resident walking dead infection. Remember that massive cranial trauma is usually required to dispatch the average office zombie, as they've long since abandoned the need for higher brain functionality in favor of the more cost-effective shambling, flesh-eating option.

Good luck, and god speed.
 
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