Neurologist reveals the 'most terrifying' condition he’s ever seen
Rhianna Benson
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@doctor.bing/Getty
As a neurologist, there are not a lot of health conditions that online star Dr Bing hasn't had to confront one way or another.
This week, however, in a heartbreaking video uploaded to Instagram, the social media medic has lifted the lid on 'the most terrifying' ailment that someone could be diagnosed with.
"As a neurologist, I see a lot of devastating conditions but this has got to be one of the worst," he began his latest upload.
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"Imagine being fully aware, able to feel everything, hear everything and see everything, and able to think clearly — but completely unable to move or speak, and only able to blink and move your eyes up and down."
For readers unfamiliar with the comatose-like state Dr Bing describes, it's commonly known as 'locked-in syndrome' (LIS), or pseudocoma, for those in the medical field.
This chilling condition is caused when a specific part of the brain stem tragically becomes damaged, often caused by injuries like strokes or similar traumas.
Demyelinating disease - a condition known for damaging the protecting coverings of the nerve fibres - is also recognised as a contributing factor to LIS.
"Unfortunately, I’ve seen a few cases of locked-in syndrome and they were all young and middle-aged people and they all suffer from vertebral dissection and had strokes," Bing explained.
"That is why taking care of your brain and taking steps to prevent things like strokes is so important. Because most strokes don’t kill you, they just leave you severely disabled."
He went on: "The quote ‘I’m here for a good time not a long time’ doesn’t really apply to things like strokes, because we’re able to keep you living longer, but the quality of life wouldn’t be very good."
Patients with LIS are totally conscious, but the extent of the damage to their brain means that the only muscles that can be used voluntarily are the eyes - which can move up and down, and blink.
Even their natural means of breathing is defunct, meaning patients often need a tracheotomy to assist with taking in oxygen.
Similarly, their mouth and throat muscles being essentially paralysed means they'll also need a gastrostomy tube in order to take on food and water.
Arguably the most heartbreaking side affect to the condition is patients' utter inability to communicate with their loved ones.
They're also unable to react to pain, even if they feel it.
This is part of the reason Bing says it's the most heartbreaking condition to diagnose, as the patient's family are often forced to come to terms with the fact that, though they're alive, they'll never have their old lives back.
This has led to countless doctors and medics sadly misdiagnosing LIS as 'brain dead', even though all of the patients' mental processes remain entirely intact.