Question: Do you know anything about comas? If you are sitting a hospital room with someone and they go into a coma, what would that look like? Is it a sudden thing, or does it happen gradually? Could you know the difference between going into a coma and merely losing consciousness?

Answer: "In a slowly developing coma, patients may be only mildly confused and drowsy in the beginning, and/or their personality may change. If the underlying cause is an infection in the central nervous system, patients may feel a headache or other bodily discomfort, a fever, rash, muscular pains, or dizziness, before the actual coma develops. As time passes, they may begin to show signs of lethargy and obtundation, during which they are not quite unconscious but are not responding to external stimuli.\n\nSometimes a person who is falling into unconsciousness may not recognize what is happening and may not be able to complain. Or, it may happen so quickly that they don't have time to notice and complain.\n\nAfter a person has entered into a state of unconsciousness, they tend not to respond to external stimuli, depending on how deep the coma is, and/or they show abnormal body movements. An unconscious person may lie still and not respond to anything. They may move spontaneously; these movements include shaking, tremors, and jerking movements. The eyes may move abnormally. If the breathing muscles are affected, a person's breathing may be irregular, and they may need to be put on a respirator."
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