Mom: Son in coma heard everything for 23 years
Nov 23 03:13 PM US/Eastern
By RAF CASERT
Associated Press Writter
BRUSSELS (AP) - A man who emerged from what doctors thought was a vegetative state says he was fully conscious for 23 years but could not respond because he was paralyzed, his mother said Monday. Rom Houben, 46, had a car crash in 1983 and doctors thought he had sunk into a coma. His family continued to believe their son was conscious and sought further medical advice.
Professor Steven Laureys of Belgium's Coma Science Group realized that the diagnosis was wrong and taught Houben how to communicate through a special keyboard, said Dr. Audrey Vanhaudenhuyse, who is on Laureys' team.
Rom used the device to tell a reporter for the German magazine Der Spiegel that: "I screamed but there was nothing to hear."
Belgian doctors who treated him early on said that Rom had gone from a coma into a vegetative condition.
Coma is a state of unconsciousness in which the eyes are closed and the patient can't be roused, as if simply asleep. A vegetative state is a condition in which the eyes are open and can move, and the patient has periods of sleep and periods of wakefulness, but remains unconscious and unaware of him or herself or others. The patient can't think, reason, respond, do anything on purpose, chew or swallow.
But Rom's parents would not accept that he was comatose or vegetative.
His mother, Fina Houben, said in a telephone interview that they took him five times to the United States for tests.
More searching finally got her in touch with Laureys, who put Houben through a PET scan that indicated he was conscious. The family and doctors then began trying to establish communication.
A breakthrough came when he was able to indicate yes or no by slightly moving his foot to push a computer device placed there by Laureys' team.
Then came the spelling of words using his finger and a touch-screen attached to his wheelchair.
"You have to imagine yourself lying in bed wanting to speak and move but unable to do so—while in your head you are OK," Vanhaudenhuyse said. "It was extremely difficult for him and he showed a lot of anger, which is normal since he was very frustrated," she said.
The case came to light after Laureys published a study in the journal BMC Neurology this year showing that about four out of ten patients with consciousness disorders are wrongly diagnosed as being a vegetative state. Houben, although not specifically mentioned, was part of the study.
Houben has started writing a book on his experiences.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Fold your own damn socks!

23 years of THAT.

Oh, I'm fairly certain that I'd have some anger issues. Little bit.

Unfreakingbelievable. I can't imagine a day like that, let alone 23 years.

And wasn't there a movie with a similar plot?

You may be thinking of "Johnny Got His Gun", the novel by Dalton Trumbo, which was later turned into a film. About a war vet who is paralyzed and near vegetative, but fully conscious.

Also used by Metallica for the video "One".

Ahhh, yes, thanks Kid, One by Metallica...

I could not even begin to deal with that, I ask for a beer it better be there in a hot minute not no damn 20 some years...........

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Here's a solution to all the controversy over full-body scanners, searches, pat downs, etc. Have an appropriate booth that you can step into that will not X-ray you, but WILL detonate any explosive device you may have on you.

They get their wish and we get ours!

Are you thinking of the Robin Williams movie "Awakenings"?

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Heir kommt die Sonne...

Don't think I ever saw that movie. Actually, I was thinking exactly what Kid Lester mentioned, but I'm sure there may be other similar movies as well.

Wonder how many people make it past THIS ^^^^ post without watching the vid before they move on? Havent seen it in forever, thanks for posting.

As for the subject, what a nightmare. When you think "23 years" it doesnt really hit you as much as thinking about it broken down. First for a few seconds, like when you're between sleep and awake and you can see everything around you but you can't move. Then move on to minutes of that, then hours, people around you talking and you cant respond. Then days, people touching you, moving you, still having that hope that any minute now you'll be able to communicate. Drag that on for weeks, then months, doctor after doctor saying "He's in a coma, he can't communicate" and wanting so badly to scream "NO I'M NOT!! I'M RIGHT HERE!!!". I'd imagine hope would start dwindling then. Finally years of no hope at all, just wanting to die and get it over with, but not being able to even commit suicide.

As horrific as that sounds, I'll bet it's not even scratching the suirface of how he felt.

He was in that condtion exactly half his life, he was just 23 when he first entered that hell.

I do wonder if there's going to be any lawsuits over it, not that any amount of money would replace what he lost or make up for what he went through.

God, that poor guy.

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The only way to bring about change is to actively strive to achieve it. - (7-24-09, Witchofthedogs)

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W~

Thanks for the memories, even though they weren't so great.

Wonder how long it'll be before someone gets the idea to redo the movie "Coma" now that it's big news?

Just a thought.