Rodents and Plague
colon GIF by South ParkGiphyHantavirus. Found in rodent waste and inhaled, makes you bleed to death before diagnosis.
Rabies is nothing to mess around with either. Once symptoms appear, a miserable death is all that's left.
Pre-existing....
Doctor here. Strokes
Risk factors include most of the "prexisting condition" that nobody seems to care about (hypertension, diabetes, smoking). And once you get a stroke it's can be extremely debilitating and life changing.
I have seen people go from "but grandma was fine just a touch of the sugars" to "grandma now can't move, talk, or feed herself".
The fact that 1) your life can change from 1 minute to the next and 2) the fact that you are basically a prison of your own body after wards is just terrifying to me.
Syndromes
There are two.
'Locked In Syndrome' would be so utterly tedious you'd want to die, especially if it was misdiagnosed as a vegetative state.
Severe 'Central Pain Syndrome' is so awful people with it frequently do end their lives.
A colleague of mine treated a woman who was diagnosed with Locked-in Syndrome. What made it worse is that she (the woman with the syndrome) was a nurse at the hospital she was admitted into. It was just so sad. Being aware of what's going on around you but unable to move or speak.
Common yet Severe Changes....
Doctor, currently in residency.
I'd agree with prion diseases that were already mentioned but a terrifying one that is not as known is HSV1 encephalitis. Caused by the herpes simplex 1 virus which is incredibly common (mainly known for causing cold sores).
HSV encephalitis affects all age groups and almost always leaves people with significant neurological damage or personality changes.
Unstoppable....
sleepy chris evans GIF by VideolandGiphyPrion diseases, specifically Fatal Familial Insomnia.
Imagine one day you can't fall asleep for some reason. Within about 18 months, you'll be dead, and there's absolutely nothing you can do to stop it.
The exact pathogenesis is not known, although immunosuppression may increase risk. It's rare, but the fact that there is not much of a warning to it and the fact that it can permanently change your personality and leave you with long-term neurological symptoms even with early treatment with anti-virals is terrifying to me, especially with how common HSV 1 is.
Get Dry
Alcoholic hepatitis (acute liver injury from alcohol) and cirrhosis (chronic liver injury).
We do not really have any treatment for it beyond steroids (that only sometimes help) in the acute period and supportive care. Not entirely clear why particular alcohol toxin exposures result in the acute injury (i.e. some people may be heavy drinkers for a lifetime and have no major acute hepatitis episodes, whereas other people aren't even heavy drinkers and just one bad binge send them over the edge). Our ICU is often filled with chronic liver cirrhosis patients awaiting transplant and the vast majority do not make it to that point .
Mercy for Uncle
My "uncle" (more like a godfather if my culture did those) died from CJD in 2009; and he was actually a doctor, so he knew exactly what to expect. The only "mercy" was that it worked fast, about 8-9 months from diagnosis to death. My father has been suffering from Alzheimer's for almost a decade now, and in a strange way I'm jealous of those whose loved ones go quickly. Hopefully you know what I mean, as I imagine anyone who's dealt with Alzheimer's should.
the hunger
Med student here. Leach-Nyhan Syndrome is something I wouldn't wish on anyone. Most people have never even heard of it before. It's an error in purine metabolism. This syndrome has a ton of symptoms and co-morbidities, but one of the most shocking is self-mutilation. These babies often eat their own lips, fingers, and hands. They also tend to slam their heads against objects.
They often have to be restrained and either have their teeth removed or wear a mouth guard, older people with the disease often ask to be restrained because they have no control. What makes this disease even worse though is these individuals are not insensitive to pain. So they feel the pain as they in lack of a better term "eat themselves."
While in Trauma...
Trauma surgeon:
Simple bad luck...
I see so many people die falling from standing... not really a disease but I have seen things as simple as stepping off a parking block lead to someone losing their leg.
Or a 13 year old girl get scalped when her hair got caught in a go cart engine fan.
Fall from deer stand.
Fall through your roof onto your wife while you were both up there looking for the leak.
Nephew accidentally shooting your penis and scrotum while looking at a shotgun.
Edit: My two actual disease I don't ever want Fistulizing Crohn's disease.
Necrotizing pancreatitis especially from something like gallstone pancreatitis.
Losing the basics....
Sad Tears GIF by SpongeBob SquarePantsGiphyNot a doctor, but my mom's side of the family is plagued with Huntington's. If one of your parents has it, then you have a 50/50 shot of getting it. It is legitimately a concoction of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's in one.
I've already seen the involuntary twitches and restlessness of my mom while she sits and watches TV. Definitely don't want to get tested to find out whether I have it or not. I used this example in University for context. Write your name down on a piece of paper and then try doing the same thing while constantly shaking your arm. Something as simple as writing your name or dialing a telephone become nearly impossible tasks.
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