Neurologist reveals the 'most terrifying' condition he's ever seen
Faced with the responsibilities of an ultra-high-pressure profession on a daily basis, you wouldn't expect many health conditions to truly phase a neurologist.
However, there's one particularly 'terrifying' ailment that many neurologists seemingly fear more than others.
Such is the claim made by social media sensation Dr. Bing, who uses his colossal TikTok and Instagram followings to spread awareness of the best ways to keep both mind and body healthy.
Sharing a video online recently, the neurologist admitted he deals with 'a lot of devastating conditions' in his life-saving job, but a specific ailment immediately springs to mind when he is asked about 'one of the worst'.
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Describing the symptoms and side effects of the condition, Dr. Bing began: "Imagine being fully aware, able to feel everything, hear everything, see everything, and think clearly.
"But completely unable to move or speak, and only able to blink and move your eyes up and down."
Such a comatose-like state is most commonly referred to as 'locked in syndrome', or LIS, but sometimes goes by a 'pseudocoma' when being used by those in the medical field.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders, the unnerving condition is caused when a specific area of a person's brain stem becomes damaged.
This can occur as a result of physical brain injuries, diseases affecting the circulatory system, a medication overdose, or a disease that destroy the myelin sheath - which is a protective covering for nerve cells.
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A common condition in the latter case surrounds demyelinating disease which affects nerve fibres and is also recognised as a contributing factor to the devastating diagnosis that is LIS.
Discussing 'locked-in syndrome', Dr Bing explained: "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."
"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."
The neurologist continued: "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."
As Dr Bing explained, patients who have been diagnosed with LIS are totally conscious, but the severe damage to their brains often means that the only muscle they're in control of is their eyes.
Lung control also deteriorates as a result of the brain damage, meaning sufferers often need to rely on a tracheotomy to breathe, such is also the case when it comes to eating and drinking.
Being that the patient's mouth and throat muscles become paralysed as a result of the injury, they'll need a gastrostomy tube for nutrition and sustenance.
The extent of the paralysis also means that a patient won't be able to react to pain, even if they feel it wholly.
This inability to communicate is what Dr Bing claims to be the most heartbreaking, being that the patients' families are forced to come to terms with the fact they'll never be their old selves.
Rhianna Benson