We humans are full of contradictions.
On one hand, we’re fragile to the point of absurdity. We bruise from the slightest bump, catch colds that wipe us out for days, and stumble over nothing at all.
On the other, we can survive things that seem downright impossible. Proof of that came in a Reddit thread where doctors shared the most shocking cases they’d ever encountered—patients who endured so much that even professionals were left wondering how they were still alive. Keep reading for their most unforgettable stories.
#41
IANAD, but I do work in an ICU. We had a patient who was in a motorcycle accident and slammed face first (no helmet) into a guard rail. His jaw was literally turn 90 degree. It was basically going vertically up the side of his face. His tounge was also ripped out by the root in the accident.
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8points
#42
Saw a 65 year old man who'd broken his femur falling off a roof he had been fixing, landing on a fence and basically snapping. He couldn't move and was rushed to hospital. Once he was stable I asked for his history:
1969, driving a motorcycle in a motorcycle - truck collision, broke back and hips
1970, leg was destroyed by a machine gun in a riot in his home country, immobilised for 2 years and became infected
1980, involved as a passenger in two head on car accidents, within two months of each other, everyone else died in each event, he broke his hips and knees again both times
1997 fell off another roof and broke his back
2003 shooting a shotgun on a farm, it exploded in his hands and now can barely move his left hand
2010 workplace accident broke his back
2013 fell off a small cliff and broke his back
2017 his wife tells him to be sensible, then has current accident
We're getting there with his rehab.
1969, driving a motorcycle in a motorcycle - truck collision, broke back and hips
1970, leg was destroyed by a machine gun in a riot in his home country, immobilised for 2 years and became infected
1980, involved as a passenger in two head on car accidents, within two months of each other, everyone else died in each event, he broke his hips and knees again both times
1997 fell off another roof and broke his back
2003 shooting a shotgun on a farm, it exploded in his hands and now can barely move his left hand
2010 workplace accident broke his back
2013 fell off a small cliff and broke his back
2017 his wife tells him to be sensible, then has current accident
We're getting there with his rehab.
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8points
#43
Blood glucose of 5, with a CD4 count of 0, and a hemoglobin of 3, bal of .6. This is what happens when HIV meets chronic/acute alcoholism with a GIB from a Mallory-Weiss tear.
Edit: To clarify, that is a very low blood sugar level that causes coma/seizure, a CD4 count that low means his HIV was out of control and can likely be infected with pretty much any fungal/viral/bacterial thing anywhere in his body. Hemoglobin is your ability to carry oxygen, anything less than a 7 is considered a reason to give blood back. A blood alcohol level of .6 is very high, most people are brought to the hospital for a fear of d**th by friends at .35-.4. A gastrointestinal bleed caused by that type of tear is due to forceful vomiting for quite some time. It causes a tear in the esophagus that usually can't entirely heal on its own and a LOT of blood can be lost rapidly. If you aren't intoxicated to the point of d**th/coma you'll usually notice that your vomit looks like coffee grounds or straight up blood and seek medical attention.
So this person likely is infected with everything, is very tolerant of alcohol, hasn't eaten anything substantial in a long time, and has no blood. It's amazing because any one of these will likely put you in the hospital for treatment. When combined you end up with something weird: The infections aren't really "felt" because you can't make an immune response, the alcohol stopped him from seizing in the acute hypoglycemic state, and his low blood sugar basically made him go into a coma and stop moving which likely prevented death from such a low hemoglobin as his oxygen demand was incredibly low.
Edit: To clarify, that is a very low blood sugar level that causes coma/seizure, a CD4 count that low means his HIV was out of control and can likely be infected with pretty much any fungal/viral/bacterial thing anywhere in his body. Hemoglobin is your ability to carry oxygen, anything less than a 7 is considered a reason to give blood back. A blood alcohol level of .6 is very high, most people are brought to the hospital for a fear of d**th by friends at .35-.4. A gastrointestinal bleed caused by that type of tear is due to forceful vomiting for quite some time. It causes a tear in the esophagus that usually can't entirely heal on its own and a LOT of blood can be lost rapidly. If you aren't intoxicated to the point of d**th/coma you'll usually notice that your vomit looks like coffee grounds or straight up blood and seek medical attention.
So this person likely is infected with everything, is very tolerant of alcohol, hasn't eaten anything substantial in a long time, and has no blood. It's amazing because any one of these will likely put you in the hospital for treatment. When combined you end up with something weird: The infections aren't really "felt" because you can't make an immune response, the alcohol stopped him from seizing in the acute hypoglycemic state, and his low blood sugar basically made him go into a coma and stop moving which likely prevented death from such a low hemoglobin as his oxygen demand was incredibly low.
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7points