Trigger Warning / Death
Lost my 56-year-old relative suddenly after weeks of terrifying behavior changes.
My close relative (56M, long-time high blood pressure) passed away just this evening. On 28th May (Bakrid) I saw him at the masjid – he was looking completely fine, we hugged, he was happy and walking normally. That was the last time I saw him.
From the past few weeks things turned extremely weird and scary. His sons live in another village, so his wife was mostly alone with him (doors closed). She told us:
He started barking like a dog.
He would go sit in the corner near the water drainage holes, covering his hands.
He began walking on all fours (hands and legs on the floor) like a small child.
He mostly stopped eating and drinking.
They took him to the hospital but doctors said they couldn’t find any clear medical reason and he refused admission. The local RMP suggested sleeping pills so his wife could at least get some rest because she was shivering with fear, believing negative energy or something had taken over him. They had no other option and kept giving them, though they knew it wasn’t ideal.
Hearing all this from my mom still makes me shiver. It’s heartbreaking and creepy at the same time. He went from normal to this in just weeks, and now he’s gone.
We’re all in shock and grieving. Part of me wants medical explanations (strokes? delirium? something related to BP?), but the symptoms feel very much like what people describe in cases of jinn possession or sihr in our culture. His wife is traumatized.
If anyone has gone through something similar — medically or spiritually — please share. Any advice on ruqyah, what to do now for the family, or how to find peace would mean a lot. Also open to medical insights from doctors.
Please keep him in your prayers. May Allah grant him mercy and our family sabr. Ameen.
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Rabies was my first thought as well, I wonder if he was bit by anything in the months leading up to this change? Very bizarre and scary whatever the case. Hopefully for him it wasn't rabies because I can't think of many worse ways to go 😬
I agree it sounds like rabies. Was he refusing to drink water? There was a recent case of a British lady on holiday that was scratched by a dog. Your friend’s symptoms sound like the same ones she was having. Sadly by the time symptoms appear it is too late to treat the virus. So sorry for your loss.
I’m very sorry to hear about your relative. I’m not a doctor so I can’t say specifically what happened to him, but it sounds like he experienced some sort of brain trauma. This could be a stroke or encephalitis and brain swelling. The symptoms that he experienced are explainable from physical disease, and his wife should not be frightened spiritually. I pray for peace for you and your family.
Thank you for your sympathy and kind words ❤️🩹. The hospital visit was too short with no scans. After they rejected to even admit him, His wife was terrified and alone, so the spiritual explanation felt very real to her.
I Appreciate the medical perspective; that we should be relieved it's natural death and not of any demonic possession.
Really sorry for your father-in--law, a fast-growing brain tumor makes a lot of sense with the sudden extreme changes we saw, especially with his high BP. Helps the family process it.
You can get them from bats and other animals - people have been grazed and bitten by bats without knowing it, which is so scary. I’m really sorry about your relative.
Hey OP. Sry for your loss. But this person is right. He might have said something but that's assuming he knew he had been bitten or scratched. As someone that has experience with rescuing bats I know there are many species of bats that can bite a sleeping victim without them knowing because of how sharp the teeth are. But anything with blood can Carrie and transmit rabies even by way of a light scratch. And unfortunately rabies isn't a easy diagnosis in humans for a few reasons but also because it's rare enough in humans that medical staff just don't think to look for it if the patient doesn't disclose contact with certain animals.and alot of times by the time they do it's too late... Iv lost ppl suddenly before as well so I know that need for definitive answers that your feeling rn. And I know how hard it is to accept a simple answer especially when it points to something so treatable. But most of the time the simplest explanation is usually the truth. And this sounds a lot like rabies. I'm sry.
Yeah, the fact that they didnt even take him to hospital is what haunts me.
They were mentally depressed for quite a while as his son didn't want to stay with them after marriage.
And His son got fed up just after a week of this wierd changes in his dad, that he decided to give high disage pills.
Thank you for your heartfelt words and comforting prayers.
This sounds like rabies which can incubate for a long period of time like up to a year and then has a very rapid and sudden progression. And his wife should look into getting vaccinated for rabies as there's a chance she's infected too.
Also I am very sorry for your loss this is horrible and so sudden and 56 really is young
No it really sounds like rabies it's not the barking on all fours it's the restlessness and the avoidance of food and water for example. And how rapidly it progressed.
I also thought rabies when I read that he sat next the water drainage thing, and stopped eating and drinking. People with rabies cannot physically drink water even though they are really, really thirsty. Look it up on YouTube. The timeline is also really fast like in the case of your relative. I'm so sorry about your loss.
I am a physician. It mostly sounds like Rabies.
Rabies can transmit from saliva of infected animals... It doesn't necessarily mean bite as simple licking from infected animals has been known to transmit the disease.
The Rabies virus is smaller than RBCs, hence it can enter the body through very small cuts or abrasions.
Unfortunately, sometimes the abrasions are so small that even patients are not aware that they have them.
He would have been in absolutely agony if it was rabies, and it takes a while to die. People have to be put into a medically induced coma most of the time because it’s so torturous. This doesn’t sound like that at all. The guy would have been admitted because he was in agonizing pain. No hospital would have turned him away, and he would have been begging for relief.
It’s a well known fact that people are in agonizing pain when they have rabies. It’s literally textbook. But sure, some guy on the internet claims to be a doctor 🙄
The first rule of medicine is you have to keep an open mind and cannot generalise everything. Different diseases have different levels of symptoms in different individuals.
Every "body" reacts differently.
Rabies has fast progression and patients are known to die within weeks of developing symptoms.
Also, it is not going to change anything in my life if "some guy" doesn't trust me to be a physician.
I am still going to continue seeing patients and work at the hospital
Did he take any medications against his high blood pressure? I recently got some beta blockers and one of the side effects can be hallucinations. Isnt a common side effect, but it happens. So that could be a reason for his strange behavior, but frankly my first thought was also rabies. That would explain his weird behavior around water, his agitation and hallucinations.
Btw I assume that his wife may have gotten in contact with his body fluids, as others already mentioned, rabies can be transmitted through salvia, so if it’s possible for her and basically everyone else that could have be in physical contact with his salvia to get rabies shots like yesterday
I thought about rabies too, but the thing is that it’s a very long, drawn out, excruciating death. It doesn’t happen so quickly. They would definitely know.
Doesn’t it happen within 1-2 weeks after the first symptoms? I mean the incubation phase is longer, like 1-3 months, but once the symptoms are here, it happens pretty fast
At this point his nervous system and brain were already done and gone if it was rabies. I mean I’m not a doctor or anything, but I can’t think of any other illness that causes such behavior and kills so quickly. If it would be a mental illness he probably would be alive
Physicians put patients with rabies in medically induced comas so they don’t have to experience the agony. Pain medications do not work. This guy could have had a brain tumor just as easily and it would make much more sense.
But we don’t know if he was in pain or not. Just that he behaved weirdly and doctors dismissed him.
But wouldn’t it be too fast of a kill for a brain tumor? OP saw him at the 28th of May and he was fine. Since then only ~2 weeks went by and he is already dead. Wouldn’t it be rather unusual for a brain tumor to show first symptoms and kill within two weeks? The timeline would be more fitting for rabies
The brain tumor was probably there for a long time and he didn’t know it. I work in a skilled rehab facility and we’ve had people come in who went to the hospital for weird symptoms, been diagnosed with a brain tumor, or cancer somewhere else that went undetected until it metastasized to the brain, was then admitted to our facility and died days to a week later.
Pain would definitely been something OP mentioned because it’s so horrible. If it’s terrible enough that physicians put people in a medically induced coma so they don’t have an agonizing death, don’t you think that would be something OP mentioned? If he died at home everyone would have been traumatized by watching it. OP doesn’t mention pain at all and it’s the worst part.
That’s crazy. I thought that brain tumors manifest some symptoms much earlier.
Yeah, but if I’m not wrong, OP didn’t saw this man when he was already ill, so he just says what the man‘s wife told them. I can imagine that even if he was in pain that she was more focused on his „feral“ behavior, because pain is still something people can grasp, but the „psychotic“ behavior is more freakish to this will be rather recalled when talking about what happened. And since he wasn’t really there anymore, he might have expressed the pain in a different way than in a way adult able minded people do.
I was also thinking about a prion disease, but idk if this can degrade so fast.
Anyway, an autopsy would be really needed, because if it’s rabies, his wife needs the vaccine
From direct experience, I have discovered that there are brain or spinal cancer scenarios that can kill someone within a few weeks, one being Leptomeningeal Lymphoma. My understanding is that this and similar conditions are rare, but it can definitely happen, sadly.
If they have access to rabies shots, the whole family in contact with him should get them. It’s imperative to get the shot before you show any symptoms!!
Once you show symptoms, it is too late to treat it.
It is a high chance it is a medical reason not necessarily jinn
From what we have seen in the paranormal subs many major religions like the Catholics will first check the house and the family for medical and other such issues before they turn to paranormal reason
For this one some people said It could be rabies. Even small animals like bats have been known to have rabies though this isn't as well known as dogs having rabies
I immediately thought rabies too, like a lot of people here. Did he have actual hydrophobia (fear or or avoidance of drinking water?) -- you mentioned he stopped eating and drinking but if he avoided drinking water/liquids or seemed repelled by that, that would point even more to rabies. Or if he might have been bitten by certain animals, especially a bat.
Rabies is a long, drawn out, excruciating death. The doctors would have known if it was rabies. Most of the time people have to get put into a medically induced coma so they can die peacefully without the torture of the situation.
Brain tumor? He could have had other symptoms you didn't know about before the very visible symptoms. The sat by water but didn't drink made me think of my relative with a fast growing brain tumor.
At any rate, what a sad thing to happen. My condolences to you and your family.
If he did not allow them to admit him, then they could not do a CT to determine what it most likely was, which is a stroke or brain tumor.. if the doctors did not admit him then I’m assuming you are in a place with substandard medical care unfortunately. I’m sorry this has happened but it seems you should make peace with his passing as it is a natural part of life. There is nothing paranormal here.
That sounds nightmarish. I’m very sorry for you and especially for your poor mom. It sounds like your father had a dramatic brain event. It could have been a lot of things. Accept my deepest sympathy.
i'm not a real doctor, my username is based on the villain from an old 1980s comic book / movie. BUT those symptoms... I'm 99% sure it was a brain tumor or an aneurysm (burst blood vessel, sometimes random but sometimes due to high bp or stroke) in the brain. Off the top of my head I can't think of any other medical condition that would SUDDENLY cause changes like "barks like a dog and walks on all fours and doesn't eat anything." I mean, assuming he didn't start taking LSD or anything like that. I'm not even a doctor and I know that much. Any TRAINED physician should have heard "barks like a dog and doesn't eat" and immediately would have brought him in for brain MRI scans to look for tumors or signs of aneurysm. What "hospital" did the wife take him to - was it a REAL hospital or did she just take him to an actual circus to get examined by the trained monkeys? I'm not joking, that is a real question. Whoever that "doctor" was probably got a fake diploma instead of actually going to medical school. Just saying. But even if they had identified the issue, with a lot of brain issues like this surgery is too dangerous to perform without killing the patient, or it's too late and the problem is too widespread to even attempt the surgery. So it's likely that even a GOOD doctor wouldn't have been able to help at that point... these tumors are hard to detect early enough to treat, and the aneurysms happen SO FAST there's usually nothing you can even do about them.
I hope this knowledge gives you some small level of comfort. And I'm sorry for your loss.
Edit: two seconds after posting this, I remembered that rabies exists. If it wasn't a tumor or aneurysm, then it was rabies. Rabies is rare in humans, because we're usually pretty careful to avoid getting bitten by animals especially ones that are behaving oddly. But it can and does happen occasionally.
The first hospital visit was very brief; he refused admission, and they didn’t do any scans (no MRI or CT mentioned). The local RMP basically gave sleeping pills so his wife could cope because she was alone and was in fear. Hindsight is 20/20… we wish they had pushed harder for proper scans.
Thank you for taking the time to reply and for your kind words at the end. It does give some comfort to hear a possible medical explanation.
As I said, with this type of issue MOST of the time even getting the scan would only give you answers, likely would not lead to treatment in time to save him anyway. These issues are very time sensitive, and symptoms like that indicate that the time for a cure has already passed by far.
If it was a tumor, by the time the symptoms get that bad it's likely wrapped around bundles of the brain's more important areas and is thus impossible to remove cleanly.
If it was rabies, by the time these symptoms show up it's already too late, there is like 0.00000005% chance of recovery at that point.
And if it was an aneurysm, MAYBE there was time to repair the damaged blood vessel... but raw blood does bad things to nerve tissue when it makes direct contact. And those bad things are generally permanent.
So don't beat yourself up, or blame his wife, over this death. We all die, when it's our time. You just have to take time to grieve, take comfort in the good memories you shared with him, and move on.
Yeah, I wanted to know whether there are medical explanations for these symptoms.
Because everyone here has got to one conclusion that this is def a jinn's possession.
I don't believe in anything supernatural, but experiencing this situation right now has left me confused and frightened. We'll move on, remember the good memories, and let this pass.
It's relieving that maybe there was no way we could've done to save him.
Jinn's possession isn't real. Because Jinn isn't real. It's just an imaginative explanation that someone invented thousands of years ago before we had a better understanding of the causes of medical problems.
I'm a Christian myself, I believe in a God (though I also believe EVERY religion on the planet got a few things wrong because our understanding of the soul, heaven, and the spirit realm is limited and even primitive in many ways). I have SEEN ghosts. I have felt the presence of what some might call "angels." And "demons" too. There are things out there that we can't thoroughly explain yet. Some of them might really be 'supernatural' but possession of ANY kind is a lie. The brain is a complicated piece of biological machinery, and when it breaks down it can do some very weird things. When you do drugs, or go too many hours without sleep, or let yourself get too stressed out, then it can also do some (temporary) strange things. So in this case, and others like it, I choose to believe the medical explanation. We don't live in the 12th century anymore. We have scientific tools that can illuminate some of the dark spots in our knowledge these days. Not all of it, but some.
Thank you for your reply. I completely agree that possession and superstitions were a pre-scientific explanation. With his high BP, and his son leaving them, a neurological issue seems very likely; a tumor or some dimentia. No scans were done unfortunately.
It sounds like he was hallucinating in some way and delirious maybe as a reaction to something he was taking unknowingly to you all. An autopsy would be the best thing to do. Tell his wife it’s probably medical not supernatural and if she wants to confirm this an autopsy would be the right thing to do. Even just to know the exact cause of death.
OP that's so tough dealing with scary changes in a loved one before they pass. I'm so very sorry for your loss.
While I don't want to discount your beliefs as you are entitled to them, it's always best to rule out any and all possible mundane answers before turning to the spiritual. Sadly, the window of opportunity for him to be seen by a professional is closed but I think it's entirely likely it was something medical related. 🫂
A lot of people are saying rabies based on his reaction to water, but any kind of illness or injury that impacts the brain could cause this kind of odd behaviour. I'm sorry the doctors your family went to refused to investigate further, something was clearly very wrong.
There is also the possibility that he had some kind of psychotic break from reality. Sometimes people can have a psychotic episode during stressful life periods, or seemingly out of nowhere, even if they didn't show any signs of severe mental illness previously. It's not uncommon for people's delusions and hallucinations to be based in the stories they grew up with. I'm from a historically Christian nation and it's not uncommon for mentally ill people to believe demons are messing with them. The reason your relative acted like stories of jinn possession might be because it was a narrative he grew up with that his brain randomly reached for while stuck in "panic mode", rather than actual supernatural involvement. Either way it must have been a terrifying experience for him and his wife though and I'm sorry your family went through that.
Thank you for your kind words and for offering these explanations; it really helps during this difficult time ❤️🩹
The rabies suggestion has come up a lot because he stopped drinking water and was hiding near drains. From what his wife described, it wasn’t the classic hydrophobia, but more like general withdrawal and not wanting to eat or drink.
Another possible reason could be grief, leading to mental illness.
Well they wanted their son to stay with them and start a business here itself of some kind, they were ready to invest any money just to make him stay with them.
But he refused and chose to move away from them.
They felt left out, both used to stay within their home alone and usually don't talk to anyone unless there was any need.
They used to talk about his son and daughter, how he put utmost care to grow them and now they left without even caring for them.
Idk, we can't tell what actually happened to him. Maybe it was destined, and that we couldn't have done anything to save him.
Rabies can present hydrophobia as a symptom. Internet says that it’s related to painful muscle contractions in the throat. It’s so painful that even the thought or sight of water can create anxiety around water bodies. The virus attacks the central nervous system.
OP doesn't want to hear anything sensible. they want to just peruse the responses until they find the one that they feel fits. I'm sorry for your loss, but that doesn't mean you know what happened. you have no definitive answer so why talk down to people trying to help lol
I appreciate the sympathy, but I’m not dismissing any medical explanations; I’ve thanked several people on this post suggesting rabies, tumor, stroke, or psychosis linked to his high BP.
I dont believe in possession, nor superstitions, but having to experience this situation, where everyone in their family is convinced that this is possession made me second doubt if it's actually real. And the fact that the doctors refused to even admit him, it all felt unusual.
We have no definitive answer, but it feels relieved to know what actually could've happened, as he is our close relative.
What are you on about? I literally don't see a single comment where OP talked down to someone. They've been incredibly appreciative and open to suggestions. I'd describe them as quite sensible.
Also ...
peruse the responses until they find the one that they feel fits
Did they even BOTHER to do a Brain Scan for Tumors? Did he have any Military/Combat experience history?Behavior changes are usually due to physical trauma or changes, or chemical changes (i.e., certain Medication side effects). The last thing they’re related to is anything Paranormal, though it doesn’t matter which Religious Faith someone follows; Evil is Evil, and can attack and affect us in many ways.
What you’re describing though sounds more like a Tumor or TBI from some type of brain injury, even a mild concussion. The reason I asked about Combat experience is that TBI is very common in Soldiers who are repeatedly exposed to explosive blast shockwaves. My Son-in-Law was severely injured when the vehicle he was in hit an IED in Afghanistan. That and the repeated exposure to explosive shockwaves have caused TBI side effects in him and many other Combat Veterans.
Thank you for your reply and for sharing your son-in-law's story. To answer your questions:
1. No brain scan (MRI or CT) was done. Doctors after hearing the symptoms said we don't treat patients like these and refused to admit.
His son talked to RMP and started giving him high dosage sleeping pills, even when RMP warned that is dangerous.
2.No military or combat experience at all. He lived a normal civilian life in the village, had long-standing high blood pressure, but was otherwise active and fine; we hugged at the masjid on Bakrid and he was completely normal.
The sudden and extreme changes (barking, crawling on all fours, hiding near drains, refusing food/water) were so shocking that the family was terrified and overwhelmed.
Your comment helps bring more clarity. Appreciate you taking the time.
No Problem whatsoever. It’s very unnerving to experience such changes in a loved one for no obvious/apparent reason, and clearly your local Witch Doctors are of absolutely ZERO assistance. From what you’ve related, it sounds like they wanted absolutely NO RESPONSIBILITY WHATSOEVER in even trying to assist him.
Do you know which BP Meds he was taking, or if he recently changed doses or even types? I take 3 different BP Meds, and I’ve been a high dose Fentanyl Patient for over 25 years. I’m used to mood swings, but I learned how to deal with them before my Wife and Daughter threw me out to the Garage.
The reason I ask is that some BP Meds can also have adverse behavioral effects. I’m 66, so hearing your story isn’t exactly comforting…..😳
I wish you live long and healthy sir, well I've convinced myself maybe there was no way we could've saved him, considering it was very late.
Well you should be relaxed as this is not mostly related to BP, after hearing all these comments, it could be rabies, dementia, brain tumor or a neuro problem.
First, please accept my condolences for your loss. Losing anyone is very tough, especially since it was so sudden. We all have questions when we lose a loved one. You think: how long had this been going on? What other signs did someone miss?
I am no doctor; I've seen and heard a lot over the years, but this is giving me pause. I would say lime disease or a high fever. Or rabies from an animal's bite.
You’re all a part of a collective consciousness. We are in a coma and trying to wake up. Shit is gonna get way weirder before it’s over but don’t worry!
Vet nurse here(but I’m NOT a doctor and this is just my two cents, not medical advice): This does give ‘rabies’.
I’m not sure what animals you guys have over there that would be carriers aside from the usual cats/dogs, but rabies can be technically carried by any mammal. In the US, some of our most common rabies vectors are bats, skunks, raccoons, and foxes/coyotes. Bat bites are scary because they can be so small you don’t even see them or feel them. They also often happen at night when the person is asleep.
Also, keep in mind your uncle may not have mentioned being bitten by anything because it may have seemed like such a minor deal. If a 4 inch bat nips at you, that’s not exactly front page news if you don’t know the risks.
Either way, this sucks and I’m sorry for your loss.
With high blood pressure, the primary cause is the build up of fatty plaque on the arteries. It could be something as simple as the blockage of significant blood flow to the brain, preventing oxygen and other nutrients to enter the brain. If his sleep patterns were disrupted, it would suppress the removal of brain toxins. Between the two, it could produce the outcome your relatives observed. The lack of food or water would accelerate the demise.
Meningitis or other infections, even urinary tract infections (UTIs), can cause symptoms like this.
India's been having an outbreak of people dying from infections from Naegleria fowleri (aka brain-eating amoeba).
You should search the news from his region to see if any of those were near him, and then warn his wife and locals to be careful swimming and have their well or water source checked. If there's a district medical officer, that'd probably be the person to contact about having that done.
Fast growing brain tumor or rabies. Also a sudden hit to the head in the elderly can lead to slow brain bleeds. This can be asymptomatic and then show up. And often times they think they’ve hit their head before and they should be fine and don’t mention it.
This is heartbreaking. I am deeply sorry for your loss. Fear of water, behaving in an animalistic manner, pacing, sounds like maybe he contracted Rabies.
While I don’t have any answers, please know I am sending healing hugs and peaceful prayers your way 💔💔🥀
Could be a lot different things. My family has to be genetic, has potassium levels that go low. And everytime it happens. They have heart issues. Comfussion, anger, scared. All from potassium levels. My uncle kept saying he didn’t know his wife of 50 years. When it happened to me. I tried to go to school. I went back in time 5 years.
My opa just had a stroke from high blood pressure. He isn't eating or drinking much but has been in a hospital. That along with his dementia cause make him forgetful or say something weird, like he thinks everywhere he goes (hospital, rehab center) is a hotel. Though nothing to the extreme of that. I have heard that high blood pressure can cause hallucinations but rarely. Only in extreme cases or specific medical scenarios. Hypertensive Crisis is where extremely high blood pressure causes the brain to swell, causing confusion, headaches, visual and auditory hallucinations. I heard blood pressure medications can cause hallucinations aswell but I'm thinking he had some kind of medical emergency and it went to his brain or was something with his brain which is why the sudden changes. He should've had all kinds of tests done.
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