I’m a lifestyle and pet writer with over a decade of experience in copywriting, covering viral animal moments, well-being topics, and lifestyle trends.

Warning: This post contains detailed descriptions of serious illness, death, suicide, self-harm, and severe injuries.

"My brother-in-law had this. Apparently, he was just a bit sore, asked his girlfriend to have a look, and found his taint was black. She literally dragged him into the emergency room, right then and there. When they saw it, he was in surgery within 30 minutes. They saved his life and junk! Sounds like he was very lucky."

"My grandmother had the slow-moving type. It moved from her extremities towards the trunk of her body. It took 10 years post-diagnosis for her to succumb to ALS, and only because she refused a feeding tube. 

We cared for her at home for years. We all had training to care for her since she was bedridden, her trach, and the signs of whichever organ (heart, liver, or kidneys) decided to go. Ultimately, it took 2 weeks of starvation, and I was there when her kidneys gave out around 3 am. It was another 2 days before her heart stopped. She was 64."

"Hard agree. I had a relative who died due to rabies. He got a dog bite and never got vaccinated for it. By the time the symptoms arrived, it was too late to save him, and I wish such things would never have to happen again."

"A coworker's son had it, and the photos she showed me were horrific. For those unaware: your skin detaches from your body. His finger and toenails fell off. He couldn't even be touched without his skin sloughing off."

"I'm looking after a patient with that now. He went into acute respiratory failure this morning, and we have to intubate him and then put in a tracheostomy. He will likely be with us (ICU) for a long time (unless he dies — which is also not unlikely)."

"I'm not a doctor but a patient who used my eating disorder as a suicide attempt — it FUCKING SUCKED! The worst pain of my life. Do not wait until you are shitting out your intestinal lining because your body has nothing else to shit before you get help.

Also, fuck you to the admitting nurse who chastised me for seizing on the floor of the ER, telling the security guard trying to lift me up that I was just drug-seeking and that she could always tell. I live to spite you. Shoutout to the ultrasound technician who was the first person to treat me with kindness in literal years. I live because of you."

"I lost a cousin to this. She threw up her entire body’s blood in front of her children. I’m so sorry for them. They struggled with her alcohol use for years, and that end was so awful."

"Working at the hospital, I hear parents question the vitamin K shot too often. I don’t know how the doctors stay sane. 

One time, a dad was questioning the potential side effects of the shot. The doctor said, 'Yes, there may be some side effects such as swelling or redness, but the potential side effect of not getting it is death.' That quickly put it into perspective for him."

Newborn baby boy sleeping peacefully in a hospital bassinet, wearing a diaper and a small blue cap

"I'm a severe burn victim. I was wearing a T-shirt and boxers. I was not exposed to the fire directly; only the heat burned the entire front part of my legs and the whole hand, after the T-shirt sleeve was burned. My palm got burned also because of turning the roasted metal doorknob open

I was put into a coma for 2 weeks, bedridden for 2 months, and it took almost 2 years to fully recover, meaning I can be exposed to the sun (I'm in a hot country in Asia). It took 3 years before I could stand still for more than 5 minutes without my leg scar itching. But I'm back to work within 8 months, though.

I was transferred to a private hospital because the government hospital couldn't put me to sleep when they did the dressing. It was hell on earth when they tried to do the dressing.

I've been to multiple physios to learn how to walk again and clench my fist.

I would rather die if a similar thing happens again. If only my country had medical assistance in dying (MAID), I would opt in instantly."

"It’s frightening for me to see just how long these patients stay alive with terrible quality of life.

I’m an allied health professional, and I often think, 'You’re not looking so good, John Doe. This might be the last time I see you,' but a year goes by, and they’re still alive, but barely able to breathe."

"I'm not a medical professional, but this one scares me. I watched an astute and lively woman deteriorate right before my eyes. Mid-conversation, she'd just suddenly lose the ability to communicate and sometimes would unexpectedly crumple to the floor.

In a matter of weeks, she got to the point where she would just have a piece of paper in the window to indicate that she was unable to think or speak that day, and you had to come by another time."

Note: Responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.

Dial 988 in the United States to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The 988 Lifeline is available 24/7/365. Your conversations are free and confidential. Other international suicide helplines can be found at befrienders.org. The Trevor Project, which provides help and suicide-prevention resources for LGBTQ youth, is 1-866-488-7386.

The National Eating Disorders Association helpline is 1-800-931-2237; for 24/7 crisis support, text “NEDA” to 741741.