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Medical Mysteries, Bizarre Cases

Peripart said:
This PC refuses to play any video at the moment, but if I recall correctly, such an operation has not - up to now, at least - involved re-connecting the nerves, so any such patient would be paralysed. Unless the situation has changed, I can't see the reason for Mr Spiridinov's optimism.
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Yeah, I don't know too much about Dr Canavero's planned surgery, but it seems that, although he does have some support from other surgeons, a lot of the medical community is pretty sceptical. Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if the surgery doesn't end up going ahead, let alone being successful.

But I do think a head transplant may be possible, and might happen in the next few decades. Re-attaching all those nerves is obviously a huge barrier, but microsurgery has been improving fast over the last fifty years, and the hand and face (two of the most nerve-intensive body parts) transplants that have been done successfully.

I think some of the biggest barriers would be finding reputable hospitals and doctors willing to risk such controversial, dangerous, 'freakshow'-sounding procedures. I"d also think there'd be problems with finding patients where such risky surgery is sensible, and matching them up with compatible, timely donors.

I think a head transplant might be viable (if not now, soon), but don't know if it would happen, mostly for practical, non-medical reasons.
 
Head transplant has been successfully done on a monkey, maverick neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero claims
The apparent success means that the plan to do the procedure on a human within the next two years could be on track
Dr Canavero says that the success shows that his plan to transplant a human’s head onto a donor body is in place. He says that the procedure will be ready before the end of 2017 and could eventually become a way of treating complete paralysis.
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http://www.independent.co.uk/news/s...osurgeon-sergio-canavero-claims-a6822361.html
 
Scientist is resistant to deadly snake venom, in that they don't kill him;

http://www.express.co.uk/news/science/636746/Scientist-IMMUNE-venom-bitten-snake-vaccine

To prove his self-immunisation theory works he recently took back-to-back bites from two of the world’s deadliest snakes – a taipan and a black mamba whose bite can kill in minutes.
....
“My arms were killing me after the bites, there is a real throbbing sensation but I felt great."
....
He added: “I have a mojave rattlesnake, water cobras, PNG taipan, black mamba and western diamond back rattlesnake and I can take a bite from all of them.”
 
I'd say it's taken its toll on his health. He looks old for 37.
 
Naughty_Felid said:
He looks like his blood pressure is through the roof! He maybe resistant to the toxins, but those bites are not doing his heart any good whatever he's saying.
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He does look a bit red, and all of his veins are standing out.
 
Perhaps this thread is the place to mention this:
Zika virus: its effects, how it is spread, and the possible threat to women
The disease is believed to have infected 1.5 million people since its outbreak in Brazil and dramatic spread around the world
Jessica Glenza in New York
Thursday 21 January 2016 19.12 GMT

Scientists are warning people living in tropical climates, and especially pregnant women, about a new and alarming virus that once only affected subtropical forests in Africa. Called Zika, public health officials in the US believe it could be an emerging health threat.

What is Zika?
Until recently, Zika was a rare tropical disease associated with mild symptoms. It takes its name from the Zika forest in Uganda where it was first identified by scientists in the 1940s. It is spread by mosquitoes and so is called an “arbovirus”, in the same family as West Nile and dengue fever.

Only a handful of Zika cases had ever been documented before 2013. But scientists began sounding the alarm after multiple outbreaks were discovered in Pacific islands and south-east Asia. Since then, Zika has spread to Brazil, where scientists estimate as many as 1.5 million people could be infected.

The large-scale outbreak in Brazil led virologists to link the virus to a birth defect called microcephaly, the medical term for abnormally small heads, for the first time. The World Health Organization said no deaths attributable to Zika have been reported.

Still, little is known about the virus, which has spread across the world in just over a couple of years. There is little published research on the disease, and it is clinically difficult to diagnose.

What is microcephaly?


Microcephaly is a serious and uncommon birth defect that doctors believe is caused by below-normal brain development in utero.
Microcephaly causes lifelong physical and developmental problems for babies born with it. Problems can be wide-ranging, from seizures, to difficulty walking and learning, to hearing loss and vision difficulties.

In the United States, microcephaly affects between two and 12 babies for every 10,000 live births. It is usually associated with women who have certain infections while pregnant, such as toxoplasmosis, or use alcohol during pregnancy.

etc...

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...tos-united-states-pregnant-women-microcephaly

Parents of children with microcephaly must be devastated. If Zika continues to spread it will have dreadful effects on Human life. Perhaps this is another result of over-population...?
 
davidplankton said:
*Warning*
There are some gruesome paintings of medical abnormalities at this link
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No wonder in ancient times there were centaurs, fauns and minotaurs.....it's a defendable oversimplification to say that all of human post-initial history has, in reality, just been geared towards the invention and discovery of medical miracles and do-able dentistry.

Everything else, from music, architecture, space travel, is all predicated upon you being not dead, not weighted-down with a massive tumour the size of a dwarf, and not having three sets of wisdom teeth.
 
The Strange Case of the Woman Who Can't Remember Her Past - Or Imagine Her Future.

Like many American couples of modest but comfortable means, Susie McKinnon and her husband, Eric Green, discovered the joys of cruise vacations in middle age. Their home in a quiet suburb of Olympia, Washington, is filled with souvenirs and trinkets from their travels. There’s a plastic lizard in the master bathroom with the words “Cayman Islands” painted on it.
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http://www.wired.com/2016/04/susie-mckinnon-autobiographical-memory-sdam?mbid=psocial_atlasobscura
 
'I was born without a womb, cervix and vagina'

Joanna Giannouli, 27, has a condition which means she has no womb, cervix and upper vagina. Here, she explains the challenges of a syndrome that affects around one in 5,000 women.

When we first saw the doctor, my father put on a brave face. My mother, on the other hand, didn't take it so well. She blamed herself for the past 10 years. It was really heartbreaking to see her like that.

We didn't talk about it much for the first five years. I wasn't able to talk about it. I felt destroyed and incredibly weak. My mother believes she may have done something wrong in her pregnancy. I've explained to her that she didn't do anything wrong, it was just genes.

It's a condition that is stigmatised. The most hurtful thing was when I was abandoned after my former partner found out.

I was engaged when I was 21, living in Athens. When I told my fiance about the condition, he broke off the engagement. That all belongs in the past and I am OK now. For the past five years, fortunately, I have had a stable and loving relationship. He knew from the beginning that I have this condition and he chose to stay with me. He knows that maybe the future will be without children. He's OK with it. I'm also OK with that. I am one of the luckiest.
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What is Rokitansky syndrome?
  • A condition referring to women who are born with an underdeveloped or absent womb, cervix and upper vagina
  • Women with Rokitansky syndrome have ovaries and external genitalia (vulva) and they still develop breasts and pubic hair as they get older
  • Often the first sign of Rokitansky syndrome is that a girl does not start having periods. Sex may also be difficult because the vagina is shorter than normal
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etc...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36054969
 
rynner2 said:
'I was born without a womb, cervix and vagina'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36054969
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Not a week later, this story appears:
Plymouth woman with two vaginas and two wombs becomes mother to miracle children
By JLewis_Herald | Posted: April 22, 2016

A mum born with two sets of reproductive organs has spoken about how her two children were conceived in separate wombs.
Faye Wilkins, 31, from Plymouth, was diagnosed with a rare condition called uterus didelphys – causing her to have two sets of reproductive organs.

Doctors warned Faye that her chances of falling pregnant and carrying a baby to full term was minimal but miraculously, after six miscarriages, she went on to have two children - one in each womb.
After giving birth to two healthy babies, Molly, seven and George, two, Faye is now sharing her story to raise awareness about the condition.

Faye, a healthcare assistant, said: "At the age of 14 I couldn't believe it when doctors told me I was born with two vaginas, two cervixes and two wombs.
"I was in complete shock as I'd never noticed the condition before as the differences were only internal.

"All my friends had started their periods but I was only suffering from stomach cramps but nothing else.
"As the pain got worse my mum, Polly, took me to the doctors thinking I had an ovarian cyst because a lump had formed but no-one would scan me.

"At least eight months later and multiple visits to my GP, my uterus ruptured when I went to the toilet and I heard a huge pop and knew something inside me had exploded. :eek:

"I was in agony, there was so much blood and I rushed to hospital where doctors examined me and finally diagnosed me with UD.
"The condition had caused a blockage and my menstrual blood to build up, which had reached 12cm in size.
"Within two months I had surgery to make my two vaginas into one to prevent my uterus rupturing again.

"I was warned after my diagnosis that it would be difficult to conceive due to reproductive organs being half the size they should be, making implantation harder.
"Thankfully though I have my two little miracles now and I'm just so pleased they were born healthy."

As well as uterus didelphys causing recurrent miscarriages it can also in extremely rare cases cause a woman to fall pregnant in both wombs at the same time – both babies can then be delivered days apart.

After suffering from five miscarriages, Faye detached herself from the idea of motherhood.
But then finally during her sixth pregnancy in 2008 she was over the moon when she surpassed the 12-week mark.
After learning she was carrying the baby in her left womb, Faye went on to have a cervical stitch to help prevent Molly being born too prematurely.

Five years later, after another miscarriage, Faye went on to have George, who developed in her right womb, with her now partner, Lee Welch, 37.

Faye said: "Unlike most mums, falling pregnant was actually a difficult time for me and I learnt to not even celebrate the news.
"Doctors had warned me it would be difficult to conceive and after the first miscarriage I didn't allow myself to get excited.

"With Molly I had a cervical stitch to stop her being born too prematurely as my womb is split in half, its half the size, meaning it's much weaker.
"Thankfully she was a little fighter and I she held on for as long as she could before being delivered by a C-section seven weeks and two days early.

etc...

http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Ply...ther-miracle/story-29158707-detail/story.html

No wonder women are always talking about their insides - it's more complicated than I ever knew!
For discussions about multiple simultaneous pregnancies in multiple wombs see:

Concurrent Pregnancies (Multiple Wombs; Superfetation)
https://forums.forteana.org/index.p...egnancies-multiple-wombs-superfetation.68316/
 
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The mystery to me is how does this 'natural caesarean' differ from an 'ordinary caesarean'?
WATCH: The moment a baby wriggles free from mother's womb in 'natural caesarean'
By JLewis_Herald | Posted: May 18, 2016

A mother has shared an amazing video of her baby literally delivering itself - by wriggling out of her womb.
Sarah Saunders underwent a "natural caesarean" and described it as "the next best thing" to a natural birth.

She posted her video, which shows the moment doctors cut into her tummy and opened up a pathway for her baby boy to make his own way out of her womb, on You Tube.
Sarah, who lives in Devon, had the procedure carried out at Torbay Hospital and said she shared the clip online because it was a birth experience she will "cherish forever".

She said: "I wanted to share this video to show that if you are unable to give birth 'naturally' that having a natural caesarean is the next best thing!
"In this amazing video my son delivers himself after the surgeon helps his head out.
"The team at Torbay were phenomenal and gave me a birth experience I will cherish forever."

[Video]

Throughout the video the expectant mum stays calm and cheerful and is seen smiling while the doctor slowly eases out the baby's head.
Once it is safely out, the doctor then leaves the baby to wriggle its own way out of Sarah's womb.
On onlooker is heard to say during the video: "He's definitely delivering himself."

Natural caesareans are becoming increasingly popular as they reportedly provide newborns with a more gradual and peaceful entry into the world.
They allow the baby to partly make its own way out of the womb once an incision has been made instead of being forcibly removed by doctors and taken away from the mum.

It can take up to four minutes for the baby to work itself out and it is then placed on the mum's chest to help the bonding process.

http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/WAT...other-s-womb/story-29288859-detail/story.html

A moving video, on any case.
 
A gruesome one - with video on page! :eek:
Video shows moment surgeons find scores of wriggling worms in Cornish schoolgirl's appendix
By WBGayle | Posted: July 01, 2016

Scores of tiny wriggling worms were discovered inside a 15-year-old Cornish schoolgirl after she was rushed into the operating threatre with suspected appendicitis.
Doctors at Royal Cornwall Hospital Treliske, Truro, who discovered the teenager's appendix riddled with pinworms, said they had never seen anything like it before.

Dr Luke Allen, who is a member of the medical team at Treliske but did not take part in the operation itself, said it was not unusual for children with worms to suffer tummy pain.
But he said it was very rare for them to end up on the operating theatre having been mistaken for suffering appendicitis.

Dr Allen, who wrote a report on the case for the BMJ, formerly known as the British Medical Journal, added: "Worm infections are very common in children and about ten per cent will suffer some kind of pain in their guts.
"But it is very unusual to mistake it for appendicitis.

"The problem in this case was the patient's symptoms so closely mimicked those of appendicitis, which is a potentially serious and even life threatening condition.
"Worms was not on the list of possibilities at the time, and the decision was taken that it was better to be safe than sorry ... in case it was appendicitis.
"I've never seen a case like this before."

Pinworms, also known as enterobius vermicularis or threadworm, are easily treated with medication. The parasites are transferred between humans through contaminated hands or surfaces. The microscopic eggs pass into the digestive system before hatching in the small intestine.

The surgeons removed the worms and the girl and her family were treated with medication to ensure any remaining worms and eggs were killed.
The youngster was discharged from hospital after 48 hours and made a full recovery.

Dr Allen added: "Almost all cases of worms result from poor hand hygiene, underlining the importance of washing your hands after going to the toilet.
"Outbreaks are very common among toddlers, and in nurseries."

The case was reported in BMJ Case Reports.

http://www.westbriton.co.uk/video-s...l-s-appendix/story-29465114-detail/story.html
 
There must be a thread for multiple chemical sensitivity, but I can't seem to find it.

The Guardian visits people who are 'sensitive to the whole world'

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jul/11/snowflake-arizona-environmental-illness

The link includes a short but interesting video piece of interviews with them

---------------
In Snowflake, people tell Kathleen Hale they have found refuge in the desert to escape fragrances, electricity, Wi-Fi and other facets of modern life
 
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