Unbelievable Medical Conditions

[SF]

A strange list, but this looks like bull****

The 39-year-old is so sensitive to the electromagnetic field (emf) or 'smog' created by computers, mobile phones, microwave ovens and even some cars, that she develops a painful skin rash and her eyelids swell to three times their size if she goes near them. As a consequence, Mrs Bird, a health spa manager, has transformed her home into an EMF-free zone to try and stay healthy. 'I can no longer do things that I used to take for granted,' Mrs Bird said. "My day-to-day life has been seriously affected by EMF"

http://www.oddee.com/item_96473.aspx

 

[CEL]

A strange list, but this looks like bull****

http://www.oddee.com/item_96473.aspx

There is a photo of the woman, taken in daylight. So she is not sensitive to visible light, that is an EMF radiation much more energetic than microwaves.

 

[chuck654]

Well, I tend to believe it, at least the thing with the man that can't get fat, I have the same condition, I am 47 y and 1.83m and pretty much (+- 2-3 KG) the same weight when i was a young teen (63KG), I tried all to gain some weight to no avail... even the clothes still fit (not in length of course but in waist size...)

 

[leroyjenkens]

Some may be real, but some must be false. For example, the kid who can't sleep would die.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Some may be real, but some must be false. For example, the kid who can't sleep would die.

Not necessarily, and it's clear his quality of life is extremely poor. If he actually can't fall asleep his waking life is quite degraded, but there's no reason he should outright die from it that I know of.

This one is plausible because of his diagnosis of Chiari Malformation which is a squeezing of the brainstem. Inability to fall asleep is not normally a symptom, but in an atypical case it could be. The brainstem is the location of the reticular formation:

The reticular formation is a part of the brain that is involved in actions such as awaking/sleeping cycle, and filtering incoming stimuli to discriminate irrelevant background stimuli.[1] It is essential for governing some of the basic functions of higher organisms, and is one of the phylogenetically oldest portions of the brain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reticular_formation

I read a case of a neurologist who had a brainstem bleed and wasn't able to sleep for months. He and a colleague both agreed his reticular formation had been compromised.

 

[leroyjenkens]

Not necessarily, and it's clear his quality of life is extremely poor. If he actually can't fall asleep his waking life is quite degraded, but there's no reason he should outright die from it that I know of.

People with fatal familial insomnia eventually die from a lack of sleep.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_familial_insomnia

As much as we sleep, you have to think it's pretty important. If you can't do it at all, there's going to be some serious repercussions.

 

[mgb_phys]

A strange list, but this looks like bull****

It is (or rather it's psychosomatic - but still very real and painful for the victim) everytime you double blind test them with a microwave source that they don't know if it's turned on or off they don't get sick.

 

[IcedEcliptic]

This sounds like people who complain of "chemtrails" and "Orgone". Laughable if it were not the result of underlying mental illness.

Additionally

People with fatal familial insomnia eventually die from a lack of sleep.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_familial_insomnia

As much as we sleep, you have to think it's pretty important. If you can't do it at all, there's going to be some serious repercussions.

Who was that radio host in the 50's who did an experiment to see how long he would stay awake? I remember that he began to hallucinate, and I think he nearly entered a comatose state. By accounts of friends and family he was never the same person after this. That is the most extreme induced case I know of, and the other as you say, is inevitably fatal.

The loophole is that people can sleep for bursts and appear awake, or the person may have an exotic sleep disorder and people think he is awake when he is not. There is no getting around no sleep being fatal however, and it doesn't take very long.

 

[zoobyshoe]

People with fatal familial insomnia eventually die from a lack of sleep.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_familial_insomnia

As much as we sleep, you have to think it's pretty important. If you can't do it at all, there's going to be some serious repercussions.

The form of insomnia you linked to is clearly fatal, but that doesn't mean all forms of it necessarily are. There will definitely be serious repercussions, but death isn't necessarily one of them. Depending on the cause, the person's body might well adopt alternate strategies for accomplishing some of what sleep normally accomplishes.

IcedEcliptic's comment about appearing to be awake when you're actually asleep might be the explanation. This wouldn't constitute proper sleep, just as sleepwalking is not proper sleep, but something asleep enough to go on for years without killing a person. People with idiopathic insomnia seem to scrape by for a lifetime on short snatches of sleep. The kid may be surviving on a minute here, a minute there of half-sleep. That is: he goes asleep only to the extent that the minimal, vital processes of sleep are accomplished enough to keep him alive.

 

[zoobyshoe]

It is (or rather it's psychosomatic - but still very real and painful for the victim) everytime you double blind test them with a microwave source that they don't know if it's turned on or off they don't get sick.

I was wondering about this. Do you know of a study that demonstrates this? I've heard tales, but never seen documented proof a person can cause lesions, or rashes, on themselves. That would be pretty damned remarkable in and of itself.

Freud was able to hypnotize susceptible patients into thinking they had neurological symptoms like tremors, but any reasonably accomplished actor can mimic a tremor. A rash, burn, or lesion caused by hypnotic suggestion would be a couple orders of magnitude more mind boggling.

 

[leroyjenkens]

The form of insomnia you linked to is clearly fatal, but that doesn't mean all forms of it necessarily are. There will definitely be serious repercussions, but death isn't necessarily one of them. Depending on the cause, the person's body might well adopt alternate strategies for accomplishing some of what sleep normally accomplishes.

IcedEcliptic's comment about appearing to be awake when you're actually asleep might be the explanation. This wouldn't constitute proper sleep, just as sleepwalking is not proper sleep, but something asleep enough to go on for years without killing a person. People with idiopathic insomnia seem to scrape by for a lifetime on short snatches of sleep. The kid may be surviving on a minute here, a minute there of half-sleep. That is: he goes asleep only to the extent that the minimal, vital processes of sleep are accomplished enough to keep him alive.

All I have to go by is that the article says he can't sleep. No sleep equals death. If you get a little sleep, then that's a whole different story. But the article didn't say that, it said he can't sleep at all.

 

[IcedEcliptic]

The form of insomnia you linked to is clearly fatal, but that doesn't mean all forms of it necessarily are. There will definitely be serious repercussions, but death isn't necessarily one of them. Depending on the cause, the person's body might well adopt alternate strategies for accomplishing some of what sleep normally accomplishes.

IcedEcliptic's comment about appearing to be awake when you're actually asleep might be the explanation. This wouldn't constitute proper sleep, just as sleepwalking is not proper sleep, but something asleep enough to go on for years without killing a person. People with idiopathic insomnia seem to scrape by for a lifetime on short snatches of sleep. The kid may be surviving on a minute here, a minute there of half-sleep. That is: he goes asleep only to the extent that the minimal, vital processes of sleep are accomplished enough to keep him alive.

The family of Parasomnias is very large, so while leroyjenkens is correct that a complete lack of sleep is fatal, it is also very possible that this individual is "fooling" people utterly unintentionally. He would still be terribly exhausted and have many problems, but it would avert death, a bit like trying to hold your breath until you die; you pass out, but you do not die. His mind is going to suffer however, and his memories must be awfully fragmented. If it isn't a hoax, I hope he gets to a reputable sleep-lab and gets a diagnoses.

I cannot find, and have not heard of a double-blind study showing psychosomatic lesions or burns appearing. I pose this scenario however: You believe you have been burned, or itch, so you pick at yourself. Boom! There is also the very real fact of Atopic Eczema, which presents in so many ways for many people. A bit of infection added, and it looks a LOT like burns: http://www.staphy.com/Files/Billeder/PIC1365_384.jpg http://whatdoeseczemalooklike.pbworks.com/f/1234878912/Chronic_Atopic_Eczema.jpg

These could be honest mistakes, hysterical self-injury, or hoaxes. Likely they are a combination of these, as with so much in our lives.

 

[zoobyshoe]

The family of Parasomnias is very large, so while leroyjenkens is correct that a complete lack of sleep is fatal, it is also very possible that this individual is "fooling" people utterly unintentionally. He would still be terribly exhausted and have many problems, but it would avert death, a bit like trying to hold your breath until you die; you pass out, but you do not die. His mind is going to suffer however, and his memories must be awfully fragmented. If it isn't a hoax, I hope he gets to a reputable sleep-lab and gets a diagnoses.

Well, he did get a diagnosis: Arnold-Chiari Malformation. While a complete inability to fall asleep is not a symptom of this disorder, ordinary insomnia and sleep apnea are common symptoms. I haven't watched this video, but the caption says he's already had surgery for it:
http://www.webtvhub.com/chiari-malf...r-awake-news-video-the-boy-who-couldnt-sleep/

I cannot find, and have not heard of a double-blind study showing psychosomatic lesions or burns appearing. I pose this scenario however: You believe you have been burned, or itch, so you pick at yourself. Boom! There is also the very real fact of Atopic Eczema, which presents in so many ways for many people. A bit of infection added, and it looks a LOT like burns: http://www.staphy.com/Files/Billeder/PIC1365_384.jpg http://whatdoeseczemalooklike.pbworks.com/f/1234878912/Chronic_Atopic_Eczema.jpg

These could be honest mistakes, hysterical self-injury, or hoaxes. Likely they are a combination of these, as with so much in our lives.

The picture of the woman's burned forehead looks more like a chemical burn, say acid or sodium hydroxide, rather than scratching or abrasion. In the absence of proof for lesions by self hypnosis, I'd say it's Munchausen Syndrome:

In Münchausen syndrome, the affected person exaggerates or creates symptoms of illnesses in themselves to gain investigation, treatment, attention, sympathy, and comfort from medical personnel. In some extremes, people suffering from Münchausen's syndrome are highly knowledgeable about the practice of medicine and are able to produce symptoms that result in multiple unnecessary operations. For example, they may inject a vein with infected material, causing widespread infection of unknown origin, and as a result cause lengthy and costly medical analysis and prolonged hospital stay. The role of "patient" is a familiar and comforting one, and it fills a psychological need in people with Münchausen's. It is distinct from hypochondriasis in that patients with Münchausen syndrome are aware that they are exaggerating, whereas sufferers of hypochondriasis believe they actually have a disease.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Münchausen_syndrome

Munchausen might explain some of the 10 others as well.

 

[IcedEcliptic]

Well, he did get a diagnosis: Arnold-Chiari Malformation. While a complete inability to fall asleep is not a symptom of this disorder, ordinary insomnia and sleep apnea are common symptoms. I haven't watched this video, but the caption says he's already had surgery for it:
http://www.webtvhub.com/chiari-malf...r-awake-news-video-the-boy-who-couldnt-sleep/

The picture of the woman's burned forehead looks more like a chemical burn, say acid or sodium hydroxide, rather than scratching or abrasion. In the absence of proof for lesions by self hypnosis, I'd say it's Munchausen Syndrome:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Münchausen_syndrome

Munchausen might explain some of the 10 others as well.

Arnold-Chiari Malformation, does explain this, but it means the parasomnia thesis is correct. Poor little man, he will never be what he could have with that damage.

Ugh, I do not like this mental disorder, Factitious Disorder, and by proxy. I know of them, it is a serious issue, even if it not so common, every doctor must be aware of the signs. It could be FD/FD-BP, but it could be simpler: a chemical or acid burn, and a severe local reaction to an irritant such as poison oak or sumac, as well as many natural oils could explain this. As you say, so could a madman or woman dabbing muriatic acid on their forehead. Such a complicated world.

 

[DaveC426913]

I'd say it's Munchausen Syndrome:

Creepy as Munchausen Syndrome is, my wife had a friend/roommate who we suspect has http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%BCnchausen_syndrome_by_proxy" .

This woman's child had operation after operation from the time he was a baby, for all sorts of brain shunts and things. When he was old enough, he got hold of Child Services (she was also abusive), got himself pulled out of there, and has not had another operation in the intervening fourteen years.

 

[IcedEcliptic]

Creepy as Munchausen Syndrome is, my wife had a friend/roommate who we suspect has http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%BCnchausen_syndrome_by_proxy" .

This woman's child had operation after operation from the time he was a baby, for all sorts of brain shunts and things. When he was old enough, he got hold of Child Services (she was also abusive), got himself pulled out of there, and has not had another operation in the intervening fourteen years.

Lord, that would be very typical of the disorder. He is lucky to be alive! Was there a diagnoses by a neurosurgeon as to why these shunts were needed? That is so extreme, often FD presents with poisonings, breaks of bone... this is so elaborate! Not unimaginable, but terrible to consider.

 

[DaveC426913]

Lord, that would be very typical of the disorder. He is lucky to be alive! Was there a diagnoses by a neurosurgeon as to why these shunts were needed? That is so extreme, often FD presents with poisonings, breaks of bone... this is so elaborate! Not unimaginable, but terrible to consider.

I don't think she actually harmed him to get the medical attention, I think it was more a matter of blowing problems way out of proportion - demanding operations for conditions that could have been resolved through less drastic means if doctors had been left to use their better judgments.

I think she got off on righteously yelling at doctors and generally raising hell in the name of her child's health.

 

[IcedEcliptic]

I don't think she actually harmed him to get the medical attention, I think it was more a matter of blowing problems way out of proportion - demanding operations for conditions that could have been resolved through less drastic means if doctors had been left to use their better judgments.

I think she got off on righteously yelling at doctors and generally raising hell in the name of her child's health.

Wow, that sounds like mother from hell! Disorder or not, she sounds like an unholy terror... poor kid! Glad he made it away, but sorry your wife had to be exposed to this ugliness.

 

[DaveC426913]

Wow, that sounds like mother from hell! Disorder or not, she sounds like an unholy terror... poor kid! Glad he made it away..

As did his half-brother, ten years later...

Fortunately, she's now beyond spawning age, so no more repeats.

 

[GeorginaS]

The lady in #6 has been in a teevee documentary and Wiki claims that she's legit having been studied by university folks and all.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperthymesia"

 

[IcedEcliptic]

The lady in #6 has been in a teevee documentary and Wiki claims that she's legit having been studied by university folks and all.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperthymesia"

Interesting, although it seems to be a bit of a burden.

DaveC: Another child?! :( Good she is no longer able to have children as you say.

 

[pallidin]

Interesting thread.
Regarding lack of sleep, I was under the impression that certain regenerative processes within vital organs can not occur unless the body is in a state of deep sleep.

 

[IcedEcliptic]

Interesting thread.
Regarding lack of sleep, I was under the impression that certain regenerative processes within vital organs can not occur unless the body is in a state of deep sleep.

You are correct, much of muscle repair occurs during sleep. People with sleep apnea for instance, are far more likely to suffer superficial tears and injuries.

 

[TubbaBlubba]

The picture of the woman's burned forehead looks more like a chemical burn, say acid or sodium hydroxide, rather than scratching or abrasion.
In the absence of proof for lesions by self hypnosis, I'd say it's Munchausen Syndrome:

I actually registered just to say this; I'm not a physician (YET!), but that looks exactly like psoriasis to me.

 

[ThomasEdison]

My armchair (unqualified) diagnosis:

Perhaps the woman with EMF aversion does not have munchausen syndrome/ hypochondria but some type of anxiety disorder which leads to a physical reaction. I briefly dated a girl with severe anxiety attacks and the results were physical she had: shuddering, spasms and could even blackout at the mere sight of a peanut (which she was allergic to but at the same time her anxiety disorder exagerated this allergy. ) There appeared to be chemistry involved not just her thoughts or judgments.

The woman from the article might have psychological reasons for choosing EMF or what she perceives as EMF (she ignores the Sun oddly making me think its a mental aversion) but her panic reaction could take physical form and possibly she could be suffering from an allergy of the (andrenaline among other chemicals) results of a panic attack which causes a rash. I don't see why it would impossible to be allergic to any number of chemicals which are the result of a panic attack. I assume there are some real chemical effects of one. The cause of the panic attack might be her assumption that EMF is the culprit. Was she exposed to (artificial) EMF without knowing it while being witnessed?

 

[gkc2294]

His body must be in terrible condition. Most of our body's healing process is in sleep not to mention our cell regeneration is in sleep too.