What disease you've learned about freaks you out or scares you the most?

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Geekchick921

Geekchick921

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I'm sure the people that have already gone through second year will have better answers than the people that just finished MS-1 (or the incoming students have changed their status to medical school before they even start...).

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva this year freaks me out. That sounds awful. Also... I've seen locked-in alive mentioned on SDN and that is pure nightmare fuel.
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Brain aneurism.... they can strike at any time!
 
The heavy hitter degenerative neuro disease like Alzheimers. Quite terrified of losing my mind when I'm older and scaring away my family after being such a successful, tall dark and handsome man with chiseled pecs for so many years.
 
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chagas disease... what's worse, that fcker trypanosoma cruzi has been spotted in the US this year.
 
CassieBagley said:
The heavy hitter degenerative neuro disease like Alzheimers. Quite terrified of losing my mind when I'm older and scaring away my family after being such a successful, tall dark and handsome man with chiseled pecs for so many years.
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One of my professors had a great line about dementia. He said not to worry about it, because if you get it, you'll be the last to know.

My answer would be viral myocarditis. You can be a perfectly healthy person, and, bam, you're in heart failure and worrying about a transplant.
 
Fournier's, bowen's disease (or full blown penile cancer), toxic epidermal necrolysis, penile fracture.
 
Schizophrenia
 
trigeminal neuralgia; traditionally considered one of the most painful conditions known to man
 
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Persistent M.S. would scare me (imagine Multiple insidious CNS lesions)

Also full blown AIDs and Aggressive Herpes scare the hell out of me so I avoid body fluids..

**By the way, good question for a Friday night!!
 
Locked in syndrome or Stiff Person Syndrome sound terrible... Anything that causes paralysis. Also, Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva, and any kind of Necrotizing Fasciitis are just plain terrible...
 
I think I'm the most scared of teratomas (tumors derived from pluripotent stem cells that are capable forming any tissue including teeth, eyes, etc.). I'm worried I'll come across one that has developed not only teeth but enough brain tissue to become sentient and ornery.

Teratoma.jpg

4597857_f520.jpg
 
Stevens-Johnson
Harlequin babies
 
mjl1717 said:
Persistent M.S. would scare me (imagine Multiple insidious CNS lesions)

Also full blown AIDs and Aggressive Herpes scare the hell out of me so I avoid body fluids..

**By the way, good question for a Friday night!!
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I keep forgetting it's even Friday since we had Monday off. Besides... I'm not going anywhere.

Dapado33 said:
I think I'm the most scared of teratomas (tumors derived from pluripotent stem cells that are capable forming any tissue including teeth, eyes, etc.). I'm worried I'll come across one that has developed not only teeth but enough brain tissue to become sentient and ornery.
Click to expand...
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWispEM3900[/YOUTUBE]

pkwraith said:
Stevens-Johnson
Harlequin babies
Click to expand...
Yeah, that is a... disturbing condition.
 
Primary amoebic encephalitis, eats through your brain and kills you in days, IV amphotericin is the only decent treatment, which has <1% chance of working.

Fatal Familial Insomnia - Progressively worse insomnia not helped by sleeping pills, fatal after a year or so

CJD - progressive degenerative neurological disease caused by prion, kills more quickly than ALS or other degen neuro diseases
 
Fournier's gangrene--necrotizing fasciitis of the penis.

And...penile cancer.

Ah yea and fatal familial insomnia.
 
Last edited:
Dapado33 said:
I think I'm the most scared of teratomas (tumors derived from pluripotent stem cells that are capable forming any tissue including teeth, eyes, etc.). I'm worried I'll come across one that has developed not only teeth but enough brain tissue to become sentient and ornery.
Click to expand...

I'll second you there. I'm dreading seeing one.
 
drizzt3117 said:
http://www.dailygossip.org/chagas-disease-considered-to-be-the-new-aids-of-the-americas-3498

What a deceptive article; cleverly forgets to mention it can't be transmitted person to person exc thru breastfeeding.
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Yeah, and it neglects to mention the symptoms whatsoever. And the AIDS comparison? wtf.

For me, the thought of an innocent-looking bug bite leading to severe heart failure and/or toxic megacolon is enough to make me want to wear a bubble suit 24/7.
 
Necrotizing pancreatitis
Fournier's gangrene
bad peripheral vascular disease
bad Crohn's
Hepatitis C
 
Locked in or Lesch Nyan. Any dz that starts with an L sucks.
 
total locked-in syndrome is terrifying. Certain parasite infections (ascaris, guinea worms, screw flys, or candiru) might top locked in though.
 
Initially, it was brain aneurisms. But recently it dawned on me: they tend to kill instantly, so if I get one I'll never have to know.

Locked-in syndrome is pretty scary, though. And brain tumors.
 
Dapado33 said:
I think I'm the most scared of teratomas (tumors derived from pluripotent stem cells that are capable forming any tissue including teeth, eyes, etc.). I'm worried I'll come across one that has developed not only teeth but enough brain tissue to become sentient and ornery.

Teratoma.jpg

4597857_f520.jpg
Click to expand...

I dont think that's what this is.... stem cell tumors lack the polarity signals so while it may yield a "tooth" you don't get anything a Dentist would recognize. I think this pic is a tumor of adult tissue of the jaw which resulted in removal of the matured jaw.
Or Photoshop....
Wait.... its late and I just got done w dinner at macaroni grill w some peeps (house wine etc....) you may not be being srs....
 
Going into Peds: Harlequin Ichthyosis. The worst thing is there really isn't much of an early warning system: you either get paged to the delivery room on no notice or, even worse, just get handed what looks like a severe burn victim during what you thought was going to be a normal C-section.

The upside is that if you treat them right they can live well into adulthood. I still REALLY don't want to be the guy who deals with it, though.
 
SpecterGT260 said:
I dont think that's what this is.... stem cell tumors lack the polarity signals so while it may yield a "tooth" you don't get anything a Dentist would recognize. I think this pic is a tumor of adult tissue of the jaw which resulted in removal of the matured jaw.
Or Photoshop....
Wait.... its late and I just got done w dinner at macaroni grill w some peeps (house wine etc....) you may not be being srs....
Click to expand...

Yeah, most of them just look like a jumble of biological garbage. Hair, keratin, bone fragments, etc. But once in awhile you get something really put together. Like dentist-worthy teeth. Or a decently formed eye. That's when you know you've struck gold.
 
Perrotfish said:
Going into Peds: Harlequin Ichthyosis. The worst thing is there really isn't much of an early warning system: you either get paged to the delivery room on no notice or, even worse, just get handed what looks like a severe burn victim during what you thought was going to be a normal C-section.
Click to expand...

Jesus Christ, how many of these have you seen?
 
Gut Shot said:
Jesus Christ, how many of these have you seen?
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I've seen a harlequin baby. Horrifying. Wasn't as bad as some google pics, but still....gave me nightmares. *shudder*

There is a long list of things that I don't want.
Guinea worm is definitely near the top.
 
Perrotfish said:
Going into Peds: Harlequin Ichthyosis. The worst thing is there really isn't much of an early warning system: you either get paged to the delivery room on no notice or, even worse, just get handed what looks like a severe burn victim during what you thought was going to be a normal C-section.

The upside is that if you treat them right they can live well into adulthood. I still REALLY don't want to be the guy who deals with it, though.
Click to expand...
Oh dear lord. I forgot what this was until I google imaged it. AHHH AHHH AHHH. Ugh ugh ugh sigh sigh sigh blahhhhhhhhhhh
 
Smurfette said:
I've seen a harlequin baby. Horrifying. Wasn't as bad as some google pics, but still....gave me nightmares. *shudder*

There is a long list of things that I don't want.
Guinea worm is definitely near the top.
Click to expand...
You don't want a guinea worm? The ultimate infection. I mean, how else would we have the rod of Asclepius? ;)
 
Perrotfish said:
Going into Peds: Harlequin Ichthyosis. The worst thing is there really isn't much of an early warning system: you either get paged to the delivery room on no notice or, even worse, just get handed what looks like a severe burn victim during what you thought was going to be a normal C-section.

The upside is that if you treat them right they can live well into adulthood. I still REALLY don't want to be the guy who deals with it, though.
Click to expand...

I've seen a lot, but that is by far the most disconcerting condition I have ever seen.
 
^^^^^ ALL OF IT! But locked-in and Alzheimer's are first to pop into my mind. Slow suffering = worse than acute.
 
and now...... i am going to google all of these... and probably have nightmares. thanks guys!:eek: :scared:
 
Are we talking only about diseases we may get or are we also talking "dodged bullets" i.e. terrible developmental things. Lesch nyhan would suck... uncontrollable self mutilation. Do not want
 
Not counting any of the gross stuff, I would say the ALS, Huntington, Parkinson's, locked in variety truly scare me.
 
Locked-in. Rapidly progressive MS. Pancreatic and Ovarian CA.

If I develop Dementia/Alzheimer's I hope I'm one of those happily demented people always reliving happy times in my life and always smiling.
 
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