Every year, doctors together handle millions of cases worldwide. They are accustomed to seeing patients with so many different illnesses and disorders that they are rarely surprised by any medical condition.

But what if some medical conditions have left even the doctors startled and baffled?
Yes, such cases exist. In some cases, it took them years to diagnose the condition. Other cases remained unsolved. With no concrete explanation, these cases left the medical officials confused.
A miracle or coincidence? No one knows!

We have put together a list of 10 such extraordinary medical cases that surprised even the doctors.

1 A man was punched on his left eye. Nine months later, he visited a doctor. The doctor was surprised to see a star-shaped cataract. This rare condition is called “rosette cataract.”

Due to his eyesight deteriorating, a man fixed an appointment with an eye specialist in Austria. When the doctor tested his eyesight, he was surprised to see a star-shaped cataract, also known as “rosette cataract.” On probing more, the man revealed that nine months back, he was punched in his left eye.

According to the doctor, when the punch hit the man’s eye, his face created shock waves, and those waves traveled into his left eye. This affected the usual arrangement of fibers and proteins found in the lens and led to the cataract.

This condition was later rectified by doctors with a procedure called “phacoemulsification.” Sound waves were used to break the opaque part of the lens. That opaque part was removed with a vacuum. Finally, the lens was replaced with an artificial lens. The New England Journal of Medicine published a report about this incident on 4 April 2013. However, the patient’s identity is not mentioned in the report. (1, 2)

2 Gloria Ramirez, a cancer patient, was admitted to a hospital in Riverside, California. Soon, all the six medical staff members that came in contact with her started fainting. Later, a report revealed that she had a huge amount of dimethyl sulfone in her body. Dimethyl sulfone is a toxic substance and probably the reason behind the convulsions.

Gloria Ramirez was an advanced cervical cancer patient. On 19 February 1994, she was rushed to a hospital in California. She was not breathing properly and had a rapid heartbeat. During the treatment, a nurse noted an oily gleam on her entire body. Her priority was to save Gloria’s life, and therefore, she ignored it. Soon, other medical staff smelled an odd, fruity-flavored fragrance coming from her mouth. Even when they took her blood sample, it smelled like ammonia.

A few moments later, one after the other, six medical staff members treating her started fainting. One of them developed breathing issues. Nobody had any idea what was happening. Finally, Gloria died. This incident baffled the medical fraternity worldwide. The media named her as “toxic lady.”

Medical officials conducted three autopsies on her body. Her toxicology report indicated that she had a large quantity of dimethyl sulfone in her blood, and probably this was the reason behind the convulsions. However, in a conclusive statement, officials declared this as a case of mass hysteria.

Months later, Dr. Pat Grant claimed that Gloria covered her body in dimethyl sulfone to cure her cancer, and therefore, the medical staff fainted. However, he had no proof, and it just added on to the list of theories around Gloria’s death. (1, 2)

3 Kyrie and Brielle Jackson were born 12 weeks premature. Immediately after birth, they were kept in intensive care. However, Brielle was struggling to breathe and turned blue. The nurse tried an unconventional method, and she placed the twins in one incubator. Kyrie put her arm around Brielle. Afterward, Brielle’s condition began to stabilize.

Twin sisters Kyrie and Brielle Jackson were born on 17 October 1995, in Massachusetts, almost 12 weeks before the expected delivery date. At that time, to prevent the infection, twins were placed in separate incubators. The same happened with Kyrie and Brielle. While Brielle was born healthy and gaining weight, Kyrie was quite weak. In November 1995, Kyrie was struggling to breathe. Due to the lack of oxygen, she turned blue.

With no option left, the nurse in the intensive care took a completely different route. She placed both the twin sisters in the same incubator. Moments later, Brielle cuddled up Kyrie. Brielle’s condition began to stabilize, and she started breathing. Kyrie wrapped her arm around Brielle and dozed off. They soon left the hospital. Today, both the sisters are living a healthy life and share a strong sister bond.

Putting together twin babies in the same incubator is also known as “co-bedding.” Today, it is a standard practice in hospitals as it creates an opportunity for skin-to-skin contact between the twins and enhances developmental care. (1, 2, 3)

4 Suffering from severe OCD, George attempted to commit suicide. He stuck a gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger, but the doctors saved his life. Surprisingly, after the incident, George no longer showed any symptoms of OCD. The bullet damaged the part of the brain responsible for OCD.

Due to his OCD, George had to first drop out of his school and later, quit his job. He was treated by Dr. Leslie Solyom, a psychiatrist at Shaughnessy Hospital in Vancouver in 1983. According to the doctor, he treated George for a year. However, George was still depressed. One day he was extremely irritated. He went to the basement and attempted to commit suicide. He bought a 22-caliber pistol, stuck it in his mouth, and pulled the trigger.

Thankfully, the doctors saved his life. The most surprising thing happened next. The gunshot damaged the left frontal lobe of the brain, and that part was responsible for his OCD. After the incident, he no longer suffered from OCD. His IQ was still the same as before the incident. Even five years later, he was living happily with no symptoms of OCD. (1, 2)

5 The doctors informed Stamatis Moraitis, a cancer patient, that he had only nine months to live. After a few years, he went back to the hospital to meet the doctors. Shockingly, he had outlived all his doctors. Stamatis continued to live a healthy life for nearly four decades.

Stamatis Moraitis, a Greek war veteran, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1976. Nine more doctors in the US checked his report and confirmed the same diagnosis. They prescribed chemotherapy, but Stamatis refused. Finally, the doctors gave him only nine months to live. He went back to his homeland, Greece. He was worried about the high cost of the treatment and the funeral in the US.

A few years later, he was still alive. He went back to meet the doctors. Strangely, he had outlived all the doctors who diagnosed him. While there was no scientific explanation for this, some doctors claimed that in his homeland, he stayed in a toxic-free environment with little psychological stress.

He interacted with his friends and shared happiness with his family members. This could be a reason for him outliving his doctors. Eventually, Stamatis died on 3 February 2013. He lived on for almost four-decade after the diagnosis. (source)