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Whenever I start thinking that my life sucks (rats ate my car, can't focus, vision deteriorating, etc...), I often come across something so much worse that it knocks me straight, at least for a while.
Schadenfreude: (n): enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others
This is not quite right, because there is little 'enjoyment' to be had with what follows. Just putting things into a different perspective, seeing things from a different point of view.
There is so much horribleness in the world, that you'd have to be incredibly self-centered not to see something. In case you need inspiration, here is some.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schistosomiasis
TLDR: You know those pictures of starving children in Africa, with huge bellies? The cause is worse than starvation.
https://cdn.loveachild.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/jackson.jpg
A parasitic flatworm, released from freshwater snails, swims through contaminated water and attacks the skin of bathers, en masse, leaving a rash, and sometimes itchy and painful pockmarks at entry sites (referred to as 'swimmers itch'). As schistosomulae migrate through the bloodstream, through the lungs to the liver, a variety of symptoms is experienced: dry cough, fever, fatigue, muscle aches, headache, malaise, abdominal pain, diarrhea, enlargement of liver and spleen, hives. The parasites lay eggs which escape through the urinary or gastrointestinal systems, and infect freshwater snails.
After 2-8 weeks, you may feel better.
In chronic/acute cases, proteolytic enzymes released by the eggs help them migrate to the bladder and intestines to be shed. The inflamation ensues in organs targeted by the eggs, which may be any combination of liver, spleen, lungs, intestines, bladder or spinal cord and brain.
In the gastrointestinal tract, the eggs cause pain, blood in stool, diarrhea, and the narrowing of the colon and rectum, causing obstruction and characteristic 'potbelly' bloating.
In the liver, eggs cause fibrosis and permanent damage in 4-8% of the infected. In the meantime you may enjoy liver-related portal hypertension, splenomegaly, the buildup of fluid in the abdomen, and potentially life-threatening dilations or swollen areas in the esophagus or gastrointestinal tract that can tear and bleed profusely (esophageal varices).
Portal hypertension secondary to hepatosplenic schistosomiasis can cause vessel connections between the portal (liver and gut) circulation and systemic circulation to develop, which creates a pathway for the eggs and worms to travel to the lungs.[!!!] The eggs can be deposited around the alveolar capillary beds and causes granulomatous inflammation of the pulmonary arterioles followed by fibrosis. This leads to high blood pressure in the pulmonary circulation system (pulmonary hypertension), increased pressure in the right heart, enlargement of the pulmonary artery and right atria, and thickening of the right ventricular wall.
Should the parasites get to the bladder, they reproduce rapidly, producing 3000 eggs per day. However up to half the eggs are trapped in the surrounding tissues, causing granulomatous inflammation, polyps formation, and ulceration of bladder, ureter, and genital tract tissues. 10-12 weeks later, expect fibrosis, obstruction of the urinary tract, and eventually kidney failure and possibly bladder cancer.
CNS lesions occur should the worms or eggs find their way to the spine or the brain via the circulatory system. Irreversible scarring may cause seizures or even flaccid paraplegia as neural tissue is destroyed.
So next time you feel sorry for yourself, consider some less fortunate alternatives. Me -- I feel better already.
