People Share The Craziest Medical Conditions They've Ever Heard Of
A Redditor asked: 'What is the craziest medical condition you've ever heard of?'
There are some wild medical conditions out there, and sometimes, I feel like we're never done learning about them.
It was just a few years ago that my brother told me about Cotard's delusion, a rare psychological disorder in which the person afflicted believes they are dead, immortal, or don't exist.
I didn't even believe him at first, but when I looked it up, it turned out to be a real thing (and I even based an entire short story around it).
A lot of crazy medical conditions sound like they are not real, but it turns out, they are. Redditors know this all too well and are ready to share the craziest medical conditions they've ever heard of.
It all started when Redditor TweekerAllWeeker asked:
"What is the craziest medical condition you've ever heard of?"
Frozen
"Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is a rare muskuloskeletal condition where, after birth and progressively through life, muscles and tendons are gradually transformed into bone (a process called ossification). This creates a second “skeleton” of extra bone, which makes movement impossible."
– yParticle
"Idk if it's real, but I heard people with FOP have to chose, at some point, the position they want to spend the rest of their life in, standing sitting or laying down."
– aoi4eg
"I saw a show about this when I was a kid and the whole idea still f**ks with me."
– Jaway66
You Thinking What I'm Thinking?
"There are conjoined twins (the Hogan sisters) who are attached at the head and their brains are attached. Each one can see through her sister's eyes. Each one can taste the food the other one is eating."
– Fun_in_Space
Fragility
"I met a guy who practically had eggshells for bones. He broke them about 50 times or so doing simple things like just sitting on a couch or brushing his teeth."
– Odd-Package-4713
"That'd be osteogenesis imperfecta type 3."
– crimpytoses
"My nephew has osteogenesis imperfecta and is almost 8yrs old. CPS got involved when he was a baby and hadn’t been diagnosed yet, thinking there was abuse, which was so sad for my family. They later found out what it was and have made medical accommodations. Man, he’s such a sweet, happy boy despite his condition. He hasn’t known anything other than this his entire life, so for him pain is normal (which makes me so sad), but he is bright, engaging, and so very amazing in every way that I get pissed the f**k off that he’s dealing with this."
– Purse_Whiskey
Life Span
"That disease that ages people at an insane rate that often kills it’s sufferers before they turn 16. I think it’s called progeria."
– MascotGuy2077
"That is a wild one, also the girl that looks 8 but is in her 20's, it's crazy as f**k."
– IThinkMyLegsAreBroke
"At my old place, two of the kids in the community had progeria. I'd only ever see them once a week at most, but they always seemed happy when I came across them; their family made a real effort to make their time count. I've always wondered how they grapple with the reality of their situation at their young age, though. How do you even bring that kind of subject up as a parent?"
– miniman03
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers
"The Capgras delusion: the person becomes inalterably convinced that someone close to them has been replaced by an imposter who has disguised him/herself so cleverly that they look identical to the replaced person."
""Yes, this woman looks and acts just like my wife and knows everything my wife would know. ...But she is an imposter disguised to fool me and I will have nothing to do with her.""
"It's funny to think about in some ways but would be absolutely terrifying to have."
– dr3rdeye
Facial Blindness
"This reminds me of a condition where people lose the ability to see faces. Their eyes work, they can see anything, but if it is or resembles a human face it gets turned in an undeterminable blur."
– random_sh*tter
"Faceblind. I have this. Brad Pitt has this. The worst part is when I wake up in the morning, look in the mirror, think "oh that's what I look like," then promptly forget my face 5 seconds later. I cannot point myself out in family photos."
– GodsCasino
"Prosopagnosia. It comes in varying degrees of severity. I have it. I have a lot of trouble recognizing people in unfamiliar contexts, like seeing your teacher at the grocery store. I have to see somebody a lot of times before I can recognize their face, unless they have some distinguishing feature (like my friend with a long beard). My friends tend to be people who look or dress distinctively, because it’s so much easier for me to recognize them."
– linuxgeekmama
Cut It Off!
"Body integrity disphoria: people who desperately want to cut off a part of their body, a limb for instance. They have always been thought of as insane until someone decided to have a look at their brains and realised that the limb in question isn't registering in their brain. To them, it feels like an alien appendage was sewn to their body. I find that so fascinating."
– Deleted User
Is It Still There?
"Or the other way around, phantom limb syndrome. When one loses their limb but still feels itchiness or pain on that non-existent limb. They use mirror therapy which is quite interesting as well."
– trickydaze
Strange Immunity
"Knew a woman who couldn’t conceive with her husband."
"He could theoretically get another woman pregnant, and she could theoretically get pregnant from another man, they just couldn’t conceive together."
"He donated blood (maybe marrow) to her while she was being treated for cancer. This somehow made her body immune to his sperm."
"They wound up adopting a couple of kids."
– ShaolinDave79
Anti-Hydration
"Allergy to water. It's extremely rare, last I researched it I believe there were less than 10 documented cases. And yes, they are allergic to themselves. They can't drink straight water, typical hygiene is a huge no go, and even humidity can trigger bad reactions."
– KaliCalamity
"How do these poor people live…"
– Crackheadwithabrain
"Not well, and on a lot of antihistamines"
– KaliCalamity
"I knew one of those kids who has the disorder. His twin brother was diabetic, and I didn't believe him, but his parents confirmed it. His skin was constantly cracked and sloughing off. Poor kid. I felt so bad for him."
– arcticnerd
"How do they stay.... Hydrated? Do they have to drink insanely alkaline water? What about their blood? Like wtaf???"
– Grouchy-Place7327
"They can have small amounts of water, but at least in the documentary I saw, the couple of people it focused on usually stuck to things like juices and milk, as they're less reactive. The major danger is skin contact."
– KaliCalamity
Seeing Things
"My nephew had PFAPA (periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, adenitis). Basically he would get a very high fever every 3-4 weeks with no other symptoms other than the fever alone. One night when he was maybe 5 years old, he was going through an episode and called his mom (my sister) into his room. He told her that he was really scared because his bedroom was covered in bees. I guess the hallucinations aren’t always fun."
"He had his tonsils and adenoids removed and that was the cure!"
– emjayholla
A Whole Different Perspective
"Synesthesia. A condition where your brain mixes up sensory signals."
"With this condition, one might be able to taste words, or certain numbers will always appear a specific color, or you might literally see music or smell something and feel as though you're being touched."
– ChaoTiKPranXter
"I can hear color. Sounds have different colors to me. This is especially true of people’s voices. Barbra Streisand, for example, has a light amber voice."
– IoSonCalaf
"I have that! For a while I thought everyone did."
– RenegadeRabbit
It's surprising how many of these I've actually heard of (thanks to Grey's Anatomy) but that last one is completely new!
Medical Professionals Describe Patients Who Had No Common Sense
Reddit user babyhippo01 asked: 'Medical professionals of Reddit, have you ever had a patient so lacking in common sense you wondered how they made it this far. If so, what is your story?'
We get it adulting is hard.
But there are some things in life that don't require much beyond a high school education, yet so many people are clueless–particularly when it comes to matters of health and safety practices.
Curious to hear from baffled doctors and nurses about dealing with certain types of patients, Redditor babyhippo01 asked:
"Medical professionals of Reddit, have you ever had a patient so lacking in common sense you wondered how they made it this far. If so, what is your story?"
It's not rocket science.
Reading Instructions
"There is a reason the instructions for prescription suppositories say 'unwrap and insert' and not just 'insert.'"
– Artisanal_AF
An Afterthought
"I’m a pharmacist. One evening shift I was working a relief shift (not my usual pharmacy). A man comes in looking distressed."
"Man: I had sexual relations with a woman I do not intend to pursue a long term relationship with. (Yes. He said it just like that)"
"Me: okay. I’m assuming there was an accident or it was unprotected. How long ago did it happen?"
"Man: last night, at 7pm on the couch. (Woah TMI, I just need to know approximate time to know if plan B will work o.o)"
"Me: we have this medication called Plan B, and since the incident happened within 72 hours-"
"Man: oh yes, I got that for her already yesterday right after we finished. We want to know if there is anything we can do to know if she is pregnant now."
"Me: unfortunately not. She’ll have to wait 3 weeks or so to see if she gets her period, and if she doesn’t then she can do a pregnancy test then. Theoretically you could do a blood test for faster results, but that would also not be until a couple of weeks, at least."
"Man: we’re just really anxious because she really doesn’t want to be pregnant. Is there anything that she can take to prevent the pregnancy? Any multivitamin? Minerals? Food?"
"Me: she’s already taken it, which was the plan B. There are some other options but those are prescriptions. And no, there are no over-the-counter products she can take."
"Man: What about me? Is there anything I can take now to prevent the pregnancy? Any multivitamins or minerals?"
"Me:……………………………..No sir. There isn’t anything you can take now."
– V_imaginary
"Improper Specimen"
"73 here, former clinical microbiologist, LONG ago."
"Still, I found myself all over the clinical lab at times, not just infectious disease."
"So, one day, this 20-something guy (wife and mom in tow) walks in with a paper request for semen analysis, pre-computer era."
"Ok, not the most comfortable encounter, but I'm a professional and did this drill many times."
"He had not been briefed by the doc and had no idea how establishing infertility in males was done."
"Well, OK, a challenge, then."
"I took him aside and... using standard medical terminology told him how a diagnosis is made and what he needed to do to provide a specimen."
"He couldn't/wouldn't believe that I was asking him to masturbate into that container. Astonished!"
"Then he played dumb, as if the word was unfamiliar to him."
"We looped through the medical terms and procedure again, and I eventually resorted to every word I knew to describe the 'act.'"
"It was like a George Carlin bit!"
"A half hour later, he emerged from the toilet with two inches of urine in the cup. God Almighty."
"The report went back 'patient provided improper specimen.'"
– BrunoGerace
The following examples are relating to drinking problems.
The Giver Of Life
"Paramedic. Elderly woman complains that her mouth is dry and she felt a bit dizzy climbing the stairs earlier. Go through the whole rigamarole of getting a medical history, vitals, more detail on symptoms. Ask her what she's had to drink today."
"A cup of tea, ten hours ago."
"Any water? No."
"Guess what fixed it within five minutes."
– SpatchcockMcGuffin
Java Junkie
"Physical Therapist - Had a patient with neck pain and spasms, also complained of anxiety and heart palpitations. Asked about caffeine intake and patient revealed drinking and average on 15-20 cups of coffee daily."
– jdotbrone
Oh, you're not ready for these stories.
Man At The Mower
"Had a buddy who was an EMT, he was called out to a location for a gunshot wound."
"Apparently what happened is a father was mowing his lawn when he accidentally touched part of the mower near the engine and burned his hand. He got mad at the lawnmower, pulled out his pistol, and shot it. The bullet ricocheted and hit his son in the leg."
– Kretuhtuh
Immaculate Misconception
"Not me but my mother would pick up shifts as a nurse sometimes in Labour and Delivery and she had met a handful of women who didn’t know the baby was going to be coming out of their vaginas. Like no clue. My mom usually said something like 'how you got it in is how it’s coming out honey'. This was the late 90 early 2000s."
– QuailPuzzled1286
One Small Detail
"Rural ER doc here: 35 year old female walks in with right sided jaw/neck swelling. 'I think it happened because I ate some meat yesterday that my body is reacting to' … 10 minutes later : 'oh yeah, and I accidentally swallowed a bee and it stung me in my mouth right before this happened. Sorry I forgot to mention that.'"
– ThomasToHandle
Parents might be blamed for their kids' intelligence levels.
Some teachers could be responsible for overlooking teaching the basics.
Or maybe it's the rural locale where they were born and raised having something to do with it.
Whatever the circumstances, it's confounding that anyone capable of communicating and thinking for themselves can be so oblivious.
History is ofte thought of a team sport. In school, we study history so that we don't repeat it.
In society, research and breakthroughs made by a certain team will help unlock answers for the next group of people.
However, there are some historical inventions, advancements, or even failures that come down to the actions and decisions of just one person. These historical figures are still talked about today.
Curious to learn more, Redditor MisterDecember asked:
"What decision by a single person had the biggest impact on human history?"
Words On A Page
"My man, Johannes Gutenberg. This was also my answer as he ushered in the modern period of human history. His work developed the Renaissance, Reformation, Age of Enlightenment, and Scientific Revolution (as well as laying the material basis for the modern knowledge-based economy and the spread of learning to the masses)."
"He also never profitted from his invention and died in poverty."
– unclejarjarbinks
"GUTENBERG, DARN TOOTENBERG. Pretty cool dude. More people need to know his story. They even made a musical!"
– RonnieRegan10
Medical Marvels
"Jonas Salk who invented the vaccine for polio refused to commercialize the patent for it. Decades later it is estimated that the vaccine had cured millions and he forfeited billions in potential income."
– Status_Ad8334
"Frederick Banting, the discoverer of insulin did the same."
– EverydayEverynight01
"Alexander Fleming was a sloppy medical researcher in the 1920s who returned from a 2 week vacation to find he had left out one of his culture plates and it had grown over with mold."
"Most lab technicians would never have allowed this to happen in the first place. If it did happen, they would have immediately scrapped the mess and thought nothing else of it. Fleming decided to take a close look out of curiosity ... and discovered that this mold made destroying bacteria its business. And business was good."
"He had discovered penicillin. And birthed essentially the entire field of successful, safe antibiotics, revolutionizing medicine the world over practically overnight."
– redkat85
Poor Military Decisions
"The decision of John F Kennedy to ignore the unanimous recommendation of his military advisors to launch air strikes on Cuba in October, 1962. Close second, the decision of Nikita Kruschev to offer a deal to Kennedy as a way out of the Cuban Missile Crisis."
"The biggest event of of the 20th century (and arguably ever) was the one that didn’t happen: global thermonuclear war."
– CSWorldChamp
The Dangers of Lead
"Thomas Midgley Jr. He put lead in gasoline which led to a measurable decrease in IQ and a probable increase in crime rate."
– Hungry_Treacle3376
"This guy KNEW about the dangers of lead and still used it. Lead-based items were already known to be toxic at this time, but despite that, he had said at a public health conference he said, "we do not feel justified in giving up what has come to the industry like a gift from heaven on the possibility that a hazard may be involved in it", which is absolutely evil."
– Njumkiyy
Filling The Need For Food
"Norman Ernest Borlaug: an American agronomist, who improved wheat production, called the Green Revolution. He probably saved more than a billion lives, who otherwise would have died from food shortage."
– jta54
A Religious Decision
"Henry the 8th creating the church of England just so he could get a divorce"
– currypoo
Nikola Tesla. Enough Said.
"Without a doubt it's the one and only:"
"--== Nikola Tesla ==--"
"He invented:"
- AC Power
- Induction Motor
- Radio Remote Control
- Tesla Coil
- Bladeless Turbine
- Steam-powered oscillating generator
- The Magnifying Transmitter
- Radio Transmissions
- Whilst he didn't invent neon and fluro lights, he invented the first Neon Light Sign
"His invention of AC power has literally changed the world. This is utterly the biggest impact on humanity, ever."
– JJisTheDarkOne
Another Reason Water Is So Important
"Thomas Newcomen, who needed to find a way to get water out of his tin mine. Invented a steam-powered pump in the early 18th century, and viola, ushered in the Industrial Revolution. Which by the way is still continuing. It is just in its latest computer phase."
– lacks_imagination
Birth Of The USA
"So there is this thing called butterfly effect. The older someone is, the bigger impacts they have had. Therefore my answer is the first homo sapien that qualifies making a simple decision of who to mate with."
– Vigorous_Piston
"One more. Henry VIII created the Church of England in order to divorce his wife and marry Anne Boleyn. This union resulted in Elizabeth I who sent Walter Raleigh to claim land in the new world. Boom………USA."
– Myfourcats1
Possibly The Best Invention Yet
"Recent, but the invention of the internet."
– PermabannedX4
"Yeah the digital revolution had been pretty mad. So much of the world immediately at out fingertips now. So much knowledge, so much art, so much beauty and science with SO much potential."
"So naturally I use all that power to scroll reddit and sh*tpost all day."
– Revolutionary_Elk420
That's definitely the best one! It just goes to show, one person can make a difference.
Whether that difference is good or bad is another story!
Short of having a shopping addiction, no one actually likes spending money on stuff.
Why would you ever willingly give it away? It's your money!
Which might be why it feels so bad when you have to spend money of something that should be free from the beginning. People/ corporations are going to chase that cheddar, though, so there's little you can do besides complain, which frankly might be the best thing the internet is for.
Reddit user, woodside37, wanted to know what we should never have to pay for again when they asked:
"What should be free?"
Let's get these out of the way first...No, let's get this first one out of the way first.
Hidden fees are the worst.
Hidden. F***ing. Fees.
"Transaction/processing fees when you order a digital product online. Such as a concert ticket, where you pay 6 euro extra while you pay online, and have to print the ticket yourself."
rickmitchel
"Or processing fees to pay bills that you need. Duke energy charges a $7 processing fee for you to pay your energy bill. Like wtf."
CrispyCrunchyPoptart
Pay To Pee
"Public bathrooms! The amount of human piles of poop around because the homeless have no where to relieve themselves!"
AuntyMarcy
"Live in a very tourist-y part of the U.K., all public toilets charge and most cafes/pubs/libraries won’t let people use their toilets. As someone who lives here year round it’s really frustrating and doesn’t seem to make sense."
JonesNewport83
Want A Better Society? Educate Them.
"College. Or at the very least, college APPLICATIONS. If you're gonna require it for most careers, atleast make it accessible for people. And I just think it's stupid that people have to pay to get rejected."
callmeventibcimavent
"Oh god I hate that so much. Same with applying to apartments it’s such a waste of money if you don’t get approved. It racks up quickly too."
Kydra96
It does feel grimy when "official documentation" that is "mandatory" has to be bought and paid for not by the people requiring it, but by the people needing it.
Forcing Us To Pay For Something We're Forced To Have
"ID cards issued by the government. Especially since you need them for almost every aspect of daily living."
waqasnaseem07
"I. Exist."
"Birth certificates"
alexchico3
"I'm not the biggest fan of free stuf but having to pay for a piece of paper that says "I exist" is ridiculous."
Spaghetti-Evan1991
It'll never not feel bad having to pay for something we expect to be free, but it feels ten times worse when it's something you need to get by in life. As in, need to live.
Let's All Agree To Take Care Of Each Other
"All base needs up to a level. I mean stuff we need to survive, eg. power, water,... and things we are required to use to be relevant in daily life internet,..."
"Seeing how now power companies are fuel companies are having THE biggest profit in years while more and more families are pushed into bigger and bigger deths just to get by."
"Same goes for internet tbh, poor kids are just not getting by in school becasue they lack the basic stuff every other kid has to get further in life. I am not saying they need the fastest possible internet with unlimited dl, but give them so they can work for school so the vicious cycle can be broken."
Amelsander
We Need It More Than Anyone
"All mental health services. If you don’t have benefits or a VERY good paying job, they are unaffordable for how often most people really need them. At $120-160/ session even once a week is not affordable for most people these days"
pennylayne77
A Fine Line Between Need And Want
"Water"
selfishnerd77
"Drinking water, sure. But water is an expendable resource and it should honestly be more restricted when we think about cases like people watering their lawns."
I_Am_Become_Dream
Paying To Live
"Insulin. People are dying because of greedy pharmaceutical companies."
Astronimus123
"But We're 'Pro-Life'" - Jerks
"Birth control of all kinds."
"For anyone who b*tches about spending taxpayer money, I'd ask whether it costs more to provide condoms or to house prisoners."
AlexReynard
"Giving birth (In the us)"
z0k0n
"As a female US citizen the more I learn about the whole giving birth sh*t the less I want kids. My friend just had a baby, there were some complications. She is now paying off a 14k hospital bill! The lowest I have hears is 8k. 8k just to have a f-cking kid! For a country that is gung-ho about forcing women to have kids they have missed the mark completely."
Main-Yogurtcloset-82
Everyone is looking for their payout, and unfortunately sometimes we're the ones who have to give it to them, whether it makes sense or not.
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Why not?
That's the base question we can start from. "Why not?" There doesn't seem to be any good reason why some magical pill or metal rod we shove in our arms doesn't already exist in some capacity, but that's facts. Male birth control, on the same level as female birth control, is not a thing.
Surgically, there are options, sure. But ask any man under 40 to get the procedure done and you would not believe the swiftness of which they'll change the subject.
People have a lot of thoughts on this. Let's listen.
Reddit user, Leo_Vandrare, wanted to know what it would take for this happen when they asked:
"What do you think about Male Birth Control pills?"
Right off the bat, you would think this would be something everyone universally wants. A safe way to control who is and is not getting pregnant would make people's lives a whole lot easier, after all.
Apt Analogy
"If they work and are safe then why not?"
ChaosRubix
"i mean it makes more sense to empty the clip than wear a vest, right?"
dentour
Basic Answer: Definitely
"I think that having a male pill would be fantastic, been hoping to be able to get them for years now and i definitely will be when/if they're approved."
luka_sene
"No birth control method (other than abstinence) is 100% effective, so I don't think it's fair to call it a certainty. But to have the human error factor in your own control rather than having to trust another person to take a pill at the same time every day would certainly help."
bismuth92
Snip, Snap, Snip, Snap
"Yes please. Gimme gimme!!"
SchnorpHasPies
"I like the idea as well"
"You have no idea the physical toll, that three vasectomies have on a person"
kroav
While this is a heavy topic with no right or wrong side, it's definitely okay to have some fun.
You Are NOT The Father!
"CAN'T BE MINE, I'M ON THE PILL BABE!"
zbo9
"This is going to happen plenty lol"
Nizidramaniyt
"I can already see Maury salivating"
discerningpervert
Get Marketing On The Phone!
"Should name them Plan C(emen)"
FinancialExternal536
I Want The One Shaped Like A Power Ranger
"ONLY if they're in fun fruit snack shapes."
camm44
"Now now Billy, no PIV until you take your Willy Wonka's Wadstoppers"
StickOnReddit
The debate will go on, and the science will catch up when it catches up, for now though it seems like this is something we can consider a home run.
Magic the Gathering Is A Completely Different Story
"That would be great but in the meantime I'll just use my collection of Yu-Gi-Oh cards. It's still 100% effective anyway."
reallivenerd
"This right here. I invited my fiancé to bed last night for some fun before I went to sleep and instead he stayed up until 2am playing Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel with his buddy." 🤦🏼♀️
Troll101Catz
It's A Trickier Topic Than You Might Think
"Honestly as a female, I wouldn’t trust them. It’s not the man that has to carry the baby if something messes up. It’s a great sentiment but overall (and especially in our current political landscape), the only one paying for f**k ups is gonna be the pregnant one."
quirkstar
"In the situation where a woman can't take them herself for whatever reason it'd be nice for her partner to have the option. Like I dunno if I'd trust a random dude but if it was your partner who's doing it to help you that's a whole different thing"
errant_night
It's All About Control
"Give. Now."
"I got two kids, man. And I know. We are very blessed that we are compatible, healthy, and fertile enough to not have difficulty bearing children."
"That being said. We’re two for two, dammit. And we weren’t even really trying. I’m tired of my spec ops semen c4’ing their way into existence at every damn opportunity. We’re both so done with the new born baby stage so in an effort to maintain status quo my wife’s pleasure palace has been transformed into a wartime bunker. Fml."
squirrelbeanie
"It's gives you more control. Why would you want to risk it by relying on the other person to take bc? What if they.miss a day or want to trap you with a baby?"
aloeattack580
It's really the responsibility of both parties to protect themselves in any kind of sexual conduct. Whether or not the magical pill comes around for men, they should already be taking precautions to safeguard themselves, along with their partners.
Still, it's fun to dream about the future.
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