Quadriplegia due to 'pleasure' of laughing gas

At the Poison Control Center – Bach Mai Hospital, a 36-year-old man from Hanoi sits quietly on a hospital bed, next to his wife – a 32-year-old woman who is being assisted by medical staff with physical exercises. Both are struggling with the after-effects of paralysis, numbness in the limbs and sensory disturbances after a long period of inhaling “laughing gas”.

The man first tried laughing gas when he and his wife went out on Nguyen Hue walking street (HCMC). From a few balls “for fun”, he gradually became dependent on the feeling of excitement that N₂O gas brought. “ Every time I inhaled it, it was like being lost in another world . The more I played, the more I got hooked. Once, I spent nearly 20 million VND in two days to buy balloons ,” he said.

The man's hands were numb and had no feeling.

The woman said that the couple often “played” in a private room, hidden from the children and the maid. Whenever they were tired or stressed, they would turn to laughing gas to feel happier. There was a period when they used 6-8 bottles a day, each bottle containing about 40 balls.

After nearly 10 months of use, their bodies “sent out distress signals”. One day, the man felt numbness in his hands, and thought it was due to lack of sleep. A few days later, the numbness spread to his legs, and he fell down when he stood up, until he could no longer lift his legs and went to the hospital.

The wife also had similar symptoms, numbness in the feet, feeling like ants crawling in the body, and staggering when walking. MRI results showed that both were cervical spinal cord injury due to N₂O gas poisoning, affecting motor and sensory nerves.

“ Before, we had stable jobs and a comfortable life. Now everything is upside down. Every night we have to massage each other’s feet because of the excruciating pain ,” the wife said in tears.

They are undergoing intensive rehabilitation treatment, combined with physical therapy. According to doctors, the recovery process can last for many months, and even a full recovery is not possible if the spinal cord injury is too severe.

Image of spinal cord injury in a patient with N2O gas poisoning.

Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen, Director of the Poison Control Center (Bach Mai Hospital) said that N₂O gas in laughing gas balloons is a strong neurotoxin that can cause deep damage to three organs: the nervous system, the blood system, and the reproductive system.

Neurologically, laughing gas destroys the myelin layer – the insulation layer of nerve fibers, causing the brain and spinal cord to “lose contact”. The consequences are paralysis of the limbs, sensory disturbances, and even stopped breathing. Some patients were paralyzed and unable to sit up by themselves.

N₂O gas also causes anemia and bone marrow failure similar to toxic chemicals, and also reduces sperm count. endocrine disorders, decreased libido in both sexes.

“ Laughing gas has an addictive mechanism like drugs. Users have to continuously increase the dose, from a few to dozens of balloons per day. Some people recover and then relapse. This is a disguised drug, both toxic and addictive, with no safe dose ,” said Dr. Nguyen.

Doctors recommend that N₂O gas should never be inhaled directly. Just a few consecutive inhalations can cause acute neurotoxicity, leaving lifelong sequelae.

“ Laughing gas is not fun. It is a poison that is silently destroying the brain, spinal cord and future of young people. Don’t let a minute of being high turn into a lifelong tragedy ,” Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen emphasized.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/liet-tu-chi-vi-thu-vui-bong-cuoi-5063240.html