Man thought to be in coma for 23 years was conscious the entire time!

A car crash victim has spoken of the horror he endured for 23 years after he was misdiagnosed as being in a coma when he was conscious the whole time.

Rom Houben, trapped in his paralysed body after a car crash, described his real-life nightmare as he screamed to doctors that he could hear them - but could make no sound.

'I screamed, but there was nothing to hear,' said Mr Houben, now 46, who doctors thought was in a persistent vegatative state.

'I dreamed myself away,' he added, tapping his tale out with the aid of a computer.

Source.

I find the story hard to believe. The guy would have just gone insane imo.

this sounds like that old WW 1 movie johhny go his gun or something...

I can't remember aaaanythiiing, can't tell if this true or dream..

this sounds like that old WW 1 movie johhny go his gun or something...

eo_the_shaman

Got his gun.

this sounds like that old WW 1 movie johhny go his gun or something...

eo_the_shaman

The thread title made it sound like he was faking it -.- but that's a terrible thing for anyone to go through :( Surely they'd do some brain scans before declaring someone a vegetable? :|Brainkiller05

Not in the '80s:P

Steven Laureys, the doctor that made the discovery, is one of the top coma research specialists. He made some important breakthroughs in communicating with comatose patients. One of his discoveries is that they feel pain...

this sounds like that old WW 1 movie johhny go his gun or something...

lies they would have noticed the brainwave activity

well that would blow. sitting around for 23 years doing nothing. at all. lame.

but imagine how cool it is to come to 23 years forward in time. lol so awsome.

I couldn't even begin to imagine how passing away 23 years would feel.

[QUOTE="spazzx625"][QUOTE="eo_the_shaman"]

this sounds like that old WW 1 movie johhny go his gun or something...

mattykovax

The music video was much more epic. ;)

Dailymail has a way of making things up for a sensational dateline and story....So I find it hard to believe too.spazzx625

Wonder if he was in his own world that would be awesome his dreams would became reality :o

Wow... the first thing that comes to my mind was that guy from the Metalica video(one). Ontopic: I cant imagine what went trough his mind, I know that I probably would have went insane with in the first year. Also are you insane if noone can hear or see you express your self/opinions?Too_tight_shoes

lies they would have noticed the brainwave activity

kemar7856

[QUOTE="kemar7856"]

lies they would have noticed the brainwave activity

elblanquito_81

Come on, read the article...

Doctors used a range of coma tests before reluctantly concluding that his consciousness was 'extinct'.

But three years ago, new hi-tech scansshowed his brain was still functioning almost completely normally.

Doctors in Zolder, Belgium, used the internationally accepted Glasgow Coma Scale to assess his eye, verbal and motor responses. But each time he was graded incorrectly.

Only a re-evaluation of his case at the University of Liege discovered that he had lost control of his body but was still fully aware of what was happening.

He is never likely to leave hospital, but as well as his computer he now has a special device above his bed which lets him read books while lying down.

[QUOTE="eo_the_shaman"]

this sounds like that old WW 1 movie johhny go his gun or something...

spazzx625

that was such a good book, and yea that was my first thought as well (also the Metallica song "One", which is based on Johnny Got His Gun)