A Student Lived With A Horrible Roommate And It Ruined His Life

Summary

The script recounts the tragic story of AC, a graduate student whose health rapidly deteriorates due to the malicious actions of his roommate, Jason. Jason, harboring resentment, poisons AC's water with N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a chemical from his lab known to cause tumors. AC's liver fails, leading to brain damage and death. The narrative serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of toxic relationships and the importance of resolving conflicts peacefully.

Takeaways

• 😷 AC, a 24-year-old graduate student, experienced severe health issues including abdominal pain, nausea, and bleeding, which led to his hospitalization.
• 🗣️ AC's roommate, Jason, had a habit of making loud noises by slamming doors, which was a source of conflict between them.
• 🤬 AC and Jason's relationship deteriorated into a hostile environment, with AC intentionally making noise to disrupt Jason's sleep before exams.
• 🚿 AC discovered Jason had used his toothbrush to clean the toilet, which explained his recent ill feelings while brushing his teeth.
• 🔍 A water bottle that AC had been drinking from was suspected to be tampered with, possibly containing a harmful substance.
• 🏥 AC's health rapidly declined with symptoms indicating liver failure, which was unusual for someone his age without pre-existing conditions.
• 🧪 Medical tests revealed hyperammonemia and the presence of N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in AC's water bottle, a chemical known to cause liver damage and cancer.
• 🔎 The investigation pointed towards Jason, who had access to NDMA through his work as a research assistant in a lab conducting tumor experiments.
• 🚨 Jason was arrested and later convicted for poisoning AC with NDMA, leading to AC's death due to liver failure and brain hemorrhage.
• 💡 The story serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of resolving conflicts peacefully and the potential dangers of toxic substances in unexpected places.

Q & A

What was the main issue between AC and his roommate Jason?

AC and Jason had a conflict due to Jason's loud and disruptive behavior, such as slamming doors and stomping around, which AC found intolerable. AC's requests for quieter behavior were ignored, leading to escalating hostilities.

How did Jason retaliate against AC's request to be quieter?

Jason retaliated by slamming doors extra hard, especially when AC was sleeping, and by using AC's toothbrush to clean the toilet, which caused AC to feel ill when brushing his teeth.

What was the significance of the water bottle incident in the story?

The water bottle incident was significant because AC discovered that Jason had tampered with it, possibly by contaminating it with a harmful substance, which led to AC experiencing severe health issues.

What health symptoms did AC experience after consuming water from the bottle?

AC experienced symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, diffuse bleeding, sweating, feeling hot, lightheadedness, and eventually severe liver failure, which were indicative of a toxic substance affecting his body.

What was the role of N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in AC's health crisis?

NDMA was identified as the toxic chemical that Jason had used to poison AC's water bottle. It caused severe liver damage, leading to liver failure, and was responsible for the rapid deterioration of AC's health.

How did the doctors determine the cause of AC's liver failure?

Doctors determined the cause of AC's liver failure through blood tests that showed a rapid increase in liver enzymes, a liver biopsy that revealed specific patterns of cell death, and the discovery of NDMA in the water bottle.

What was the outcome of the police investigation into AC's poisoning?

The police investigation led to the arrest and conviction of Jason, who was found guilty of poisoning AC with NDMA, resulting in severe and fatal liver damage.

How did the presence of NDMA in AC's system affect his body's other organs?

The presence of NDMA in AC's system caused his liver to fail, which in turn affected his body's other organs. The liver's failure to produce clotting proteins led to diffuse bleeding, and its inability to process proteins resulted in hyperammonemia, which impaired brain function.

What was the significance of the 'nutmeg appearance' of AC's liver mentioned in the script?

The 'nutmeg appearance' of AC's liver indicated that blood flow was congested, and many parts of the liver had been starving of oxygen for a long time before his death, which was a result of the extensive liver damage caused by NDMA.

What is the message conveyed by the narrator at the end of the script regarding roommate conflicts?

The narrator emphasizes that while many people may have disagreements with their roommates, it's crucial to control one's own actions and seek peaceful resolutions, such as moving out, rather than resorting to harmful or violent behaviors.

Outlines

00:00

😖 Roommate Conflict Leads to Hospitalization

The narrative revolves around a 24-year-old graduate student, AC, who is admitted to the emergency room with severe symptoms including abdominal pain, nausea, and bleeding. His condition is traced back to a hostile living situation with his roommate, Jason, who has a habit of making loud noises that disturb others. Despite AC's polite requests for quieter behavior, Jason continues his disruptive habits. Matters escalate when Jason deliberately slams doors and uses AC's toothbrush to clean the toilet, leading to AC's deteriorating health. AC retaliates by disrupting Jason's sleep, causing him to fail exams. However, the situation takes a grave turn when AC starts experiencing symptoms that suggest poisoning, possibly from contaminated water, which is later confirmed to contain a toxic chemical.

05:01

🚨 Rapidly Deteriorating Health and the Discovery of Liver Failure

AC's health takes a drastic turn for the worse as his liver begins to fail rapidly. Blood tests reveal a sudden and severe increase in liver enzyme levels, indicating extensive liver damage. Despite no history of liver issues, the medical team deduces that AC must have ingested a toxin. His condition progresses to include hyperammonemia, a condition where the liver's inability to process proteins leads to a dangerous buildup of ammonia in the blood. AC's neurological functions are compromised, as evidenced by symptoms like metallic taste, gum bleeding, and eye hemorrhaging. A liver biopsy suggests the presence of a toxin that targets and destroys DNA within cells, leading the medical team to suspect foul play and involve the authorities.

10:02

🔍 Unraveling the Mystery: NDMA Poisoning and Its Consequences

The investigation into AC's poisoning leads to the discovery of N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in his water bottle, a chemical known to cause liver damage and cancer. Authorities find a vial of NDMA in Jason's possession, linking him to the crime. It is revealed that Jason, who works in a lab where NDMA is used, intentionally poisoned AC's water in retaliation for their conflicts. The narrative explains how NDMA works within the body, causing both immediate cell death and long-term DNA damage that can lead to cancer. Despite the medical team's efforts, AC succumbs to the poisoning, with his autopsy confirming the extensive damage caused by NDMA. Jason is arrested and put on trial for his actions, highlighting the tragic consequences of the roommate feud.

Keywords

💡Nausea

Nausea refers to an uneasy feeling of the stomach that often precedes vomiting. In the video, the student AC experiences nausea as one of the symptoms of his poisoning, which is a common reaction to ingesting harmful substances. The script mentions 'nausea' as part of the initial symptoms that led AC to seek medical attention at the emergency room.

💡Diffuse bleeding

Diffuse bleeding, also known as uncontrolled bleeding, is when blood leaks from multiple points in the body. In the context of the video, AC suffers from diffuse bleeding due to the liver's inability to produce clotting proteins, which is a severe consequence of liver failure caused by the toxin NDMA.

💡Hyperammonemia

Hyperammonemia is a condition characterized by an abnormally high level of ammonia in the blood. The liver typically metabolizes ammonia, but in AC's case, liver failure due to NDMA poisoning results in hyperammonemia. This condition is critical as ammonia is a neurotoxin that can impair brain function, which is depicted in the video through AC's deteriorating neurological symptoms.

💡N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA)

NDMA is a chemical compound that can be both a byproduct of certain industrial processes and a laboratory chemical used in cancer research. In the video, it is identified as the toxin that Jason uses to poison AC's water bottle. NDMA is particularly dangerous because it can cause DNA damage, leading to liver failure and other severe health issues, as seen in AC's case.

💡Liver failure

Liver failure is a serious medical condition in which the liver is no longer able to perform its functions, such as detoxifying the blood, producing proteins, and metabolizing drugs. In the video, AC's liver failure is a central theme, as it is caused by the ingestion of NDMA and leads to a cascade of life-threatening complications, including brain dysfunction and diffuse bleeding.

💡Toxic chemical

A toxic chemical is a substance that can cause harm or even death to living organisms when ingested, inhaled, or absorbed. In the video, NDMA is described as a toxic chemical that Jason uses to poison AC. The script highlights the devastating effects of such chemicals on human health, emphasizing the importance of handling them with extreme caution.

💡Roommate conflict

Roommate conflict refers to disagreements or hostile interactions between individuals sharing living space. The video script revolves around the escalating conflict between AC and his roommate Jason, which ultimately leads to Jason's decision to poison AC. This keyword is central to understanding the human drama and motivation behind the tragic events of the story.

💡Intentional poisoning

Intentional poisoning is the act of deliberately administering a toxic substance to cause harm or death. The video describes how Jason intentionally poisons AC's water with NDMA, illustrating a malicious and premeditated act. This concept is key to understanding the criminal aspect of the story and the legal consequences Jason faces.

💡Autopsy

An autopsy, also known as a post-mortem examination, is a medical procedure that involves a thorough examination of a deceased person's body to determine the cause of death. In the video, an autopsy is conducted on AC after his death, revealing the extent of the damage caused by NDMA poisoning and confirming the cause of his multiple organ failures.

💡Legal consequences

Legal consequences refer to the outcomes or repercussions that follow a person's violation of the law. In the video, Jason faces legal consequences for his actions, which include being arrested, tried, and sentenced for his crime. This keyword highlights the video's message about the importance of personal responsibility and the justice system's role in addressing criminal behavior.

Highlights

AC, a 24-year-old graduate student, experiences severe abdominal pain, nausea, and diffuse bleeding.

Roommate Jason's disruptive behavior, including slamming doors, causes tension.

AC's polite requests to Jason to be quieter are ignored.

AC retaliates by screaming during Jason's exam preparation, causing Jason to fail his exams.

AC discovers Jason used his toothbrush to clean the toilet.

AC experiences a sudden and severe decline in health after drinking from his water bottle.

AC's liver function deteriorates rapidly, with lab values increasing twentyfold.

Doctors suspect a toxin causing AC's liver failure due to the absence of viral infections.

AC's roommate's potentially hostile behavior is noted in his medical records.

AC develops hyperammonemia as his liver can no longer process proteins.

AC experiences bleeding gums and eyes, a sign of liver failure affecting blood clotting proteins.

Liver biopsy reveals specific areas of liver cell death, suggesting a targeted toxin.

Authorities suspect Jason, who works in a lab, may have access to harmful chemicals.

Jason is found with a vial of N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a chemical that can cause liver damage and tumors.

NDMA is found in AC's water bottle, confirming it as the source of poisoning.

NDMA's breakdown by the liver results in a more reactive compound that damages DNA.

AC's rapid decline and death are attributed to a massive dose of NDMA, equivalent to eating over a billion pieces of bacon's worth of NDMA.

Jason is arrested, tried, and found guilty for poisoning AC with NDMA.

The video concludes with a message on handling roommate conflicts safely and legally.

Transcripts

A Student Was Matched With An Insufferable  Roommate. This Is How His Organs Were Shut Down.

AC is a 24 year old man, presenting to  the emergency room with abdominal pain,  

nausea, and diffuse bleeding. By  the time the ambulance showed up,  

AC was only dry-heaving, because  there was nothing left to come up.

AC was a graduate student. He lived  in the dorms. His roommate, Jason,  

had the awful habit of slamming doors  shut. And he’d stomp around everywhere  

like weights were tied to his feet.  This noise got on everyone’s nerves.  

Jason was disliked by everyone,  and he had no self awareness.

AC nicely asked Jason if he could maybe quietly  close the doors because the slamming was loud,  

kind of obnoxious. He told Jason that  the sound would shake his soul out of  

his body. But as the weeks passed, it didn’t  seem like asking politely was going to work.

One evening, AC went to bed early and Jason came  home late. He saw AC sleeping, and slammed the  

door extra hard. That’s what you get for trying to  tell me what to do, he thought. This woke AC up.  

Enraged, he yelled back, but Jason just couldn’t  be bothered. And the hostilities started to boil.

AC would scream at video games, especially on  the nights before Jason had important exams,  

just to get back at him. The screaming wasnt very  long. They were short and loud bursts of emotion,  

just enough to wake Jason up, but not enough  for him to know that his roommate was screwing  

with him. And every time this happened,  Jason would fail the exam because he didnt  

sleep well the night before. In his mind,  AC was a meddling, insufferable roommate,  

trying to control his life, and it was  time to do anything to get rid of him.

Months into the semester, AC thought brushing  his teeth felt kinda weird. One morning,  

he thought the toothbrush smelled really bad. It  made him feel ill. Everything about the experience  

was horrible, and he didnt know why. But a few  days later, AC walked into the bathroom and he  

saw Jason kneeling at the toilet, like he was  cleaning it. AC saw Jason scrubbing the toilet  

with HIS toothbrush. Suddenly, it made sense  to him why brushing his teeth the last few days  

was so awful. When he confronted Jason, there  was no explanation other than “the toilet was  

dirty. it really needed to be cleaned. and the  toothbrush was the only thing laying around. I  

swear to God I thought it was mine.” This kind  of blatant malice transcended the boundaries  

of typical disrespect that Jason normally  showed, but, Jason still wasn’t finished.

One day, both students were cramming for upcoming  exams. AC opened his water bottle. He wasn’t sure  

if he smelled something, and he thought this was  a brand new bottle. It shoulda been sealed, but it  

wasn’t. He didn’t remember opening it earlier, but  maybe he did and forgot. When he examined closer,  

it seemed like everything was ok. He took a sip.  It didnt really taste different than before,  

so probably nothing, he thought. But  something horrible was about to happen.

As the hours passed, AC felt the room was getting  warm. He was sweating. Thinking of cooling down,  

he took more sips out of the bottle but he  just really couldnt put his finger on what  

was wrong. It tasted fine. It looked fine. But  something about it wasnt fine. He just wasnt  

sure if there was a smell or not, but the room  was just so hot and the water was refreshing.

AC took a nap at his desk but when he woke up,  he felt a dull, hollowing sensation emanate from  

his stomach. He felt like he was in a sweltering  room, boiling up. He thought maybe he could try  

changing the position of his body. That standing  up would help a little bit to get blood flowing  

around. But then he started to get lightheaded,  and it felt like his guts were getting dragged  

into the ground, as he was brought down to the  chair. AC could feel blood rush into his head  

as his vision became dark. He was in a  world of hurt, and he didn’t know why.

Jason turned around and asked, “oh no, what’s  wrong? Are you okay?” When AC asked Jason if  

he thought it felt hot in the room, Jason said  “oh, no. not at all. Maybe you’re just playing  

too many games on that laptop, and it’s firing you  up.” But then AC started dry heaving. “You ok man?  

maybe you wanna get that checked out. Oh no. Do  you need me to call a doctor for you?” Jason said.  

AC tried to go to bed that night, but at 3am,  he was in the bathroom, in a world of hurt. He  

felt like his insides were getting scooped out  like ice cream. And with every heave, his eyes  

would squeeze a little bit more out of his skull.  And when nothing more could come up, AC collapsed  

to the floor. An ambulance was called and he’s  brought to the emergency room where we are now.

At examination, the medical team  notes that AC is in distress and  

he has severe abdominal pain that radiated to  his back. Aside from intense pain and nausea,  

that’s everything that was wrong. Except,  a blood test finds that something might  

be happening to his liver. The lab  numbers were just a little off, so,  

maybe nothing serious. At least not yet. As  time passes in the hospital, AC has 20 minute  

periods where he’d seem ok. Nothing was wrong.  But this would be followed by a massive surge in  

pain. And every time this happened, the periods  where he’d feel better started to get shorter.

Two days earlier, AC was at the same hospital. He  thought he had food poisoning, but he also told  

the doctors about his roommate brushing the toilet  with his toothbrush. At the time, doctors gave  

him IV fluids. And he seemed to feel better. They  told him to come back if he still felt sick. And  

now that he’s here again with similar symptoms,  they thought this was just a continuation of the  

same illness. But, AC started to get confused in  the hospital bed. Another blood test shows that  

whatever was happening to his liver earlier,  was very quickly getting worse. Parts of his  

liver have died, and are now floating around in  his blood. These lab values were right at the  

upper limit of normal the first time, but a couple  hours later now, they are now twenty times higher.

This massive, sudden increase indicates  that something terrible is happening,  

but what could it be? This is both easy and  difficult to pinpoint. AC is 24. He didnt have  

any known health problems. At this age, sudden  onset liver failure doesn’t happen out of nowhere.  

Doctors had tested AC for viral infections,  like hepatitis. Those can destroy the liver,  

but he didnt have any of those. That means then,  it’s likely, he consumed something that caused  

this. That’s the easy part. The hard part is  figuring out: what exactly did he consume?

Using a toothbrush that cleaned the toilet is  gross, but it’s not something that will cause  

a life-threatening illness. The doctors  did note a possibly hostile roommate  

in his record. But no one else  thought anything more of this.

As the hours pass, AC starts to become  somnolent. Another blood test finds that  

he has hyperammonemia. Hyper meaning  high. Ammon referring to ammonia,  

a result of protein metabolism in the body,  and -emia meaning presence in blood. High  

ammonia presence in blood, because his  liver can no longer process proteins.

Ammonia is a neurotoxin. It impairs  the brain’s electricity. It brings  

other chemicals into the brain. AC’s liver  failure is shutting down his brain now,  

but this wasn’t the only thing happening to him.

While he could still talk, he suddenly told  doctors that he could taste something metallic  

in his mouth that got more and more intense. His  gums were bleeding. When doctors looked at him,  

they noticed that the whites of his  eyes were red. They were bleeding.

Normally we have proteins that will  make blood clots, stopping bleeding.  

But these proteins are made in the liver,  something that doesnt function inside AC,  

because large parts of it are dying, so  he doesn’t have these proteins anymore.

A couple days after AC had presented to the  emergency room, and before he fell unconscious,  

doctors stuck a needle into his abdomen to take a  sample of his liver to look at under a microscope.  

The images showed that very specific areas of  his liver had died. The pattern that emerged,  

suggested maybe a specific kind of toxic  chemical that deliberately destroys DNA,  

somehow got into AC’s body, maybe intentionally  put there by something or someone. And knowing  

that AC was having a bad time with his  roommate, someone who knew intimate  

details of his living arrangement, the  doctors got on the phone with police.  

Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe this was an  accident. But someone needs to look deeper.

The authorities quickly got involved. AC  was a medical student doing his coursework,  

so he didnt have access to any laboratories.  But, Jason was employed as a research assistant  

in a lab. One that does experiments on  tumors. Chemicals in labs like this,  

have the ability to cause the kind of specific  illness and permanent organ damage that AC was  

experiencing. Authorities had a suspicion that  Jason might have an idea of what was going on.

But Jason was at the hospital. He  walked right in without anyone noticing,  

and he got into AC’s room. “Hey buddy, how’s  it goin? How ya feelin? Oh you can’t talk,  

that’s ok. I brought you a gift.” He said.

But AC was unconscious. The pupils will  constrict so as to limit the amount of  

light coming in. This reflex is normal. It  should happen when the brain is intact. But  

when doctors shine a light into AC’s eyes, his  pupils didn’t respond. His brain might not be  

in tact anymore. It’s possible the bleeding in  his gums and his eyes might now be in his brain.

Earlier in his admission, doctors sent a needle  into his spine to draw out some fluid that  

cushions and protects the brain. Looking at  it would give doctors some clues as to what’s  

happening. That fluid isn’t supposed to have blood  in it, but when they look, blood was everywhere,  

indicating that his brain was bleeding. A CT  scan finds a giant mass of blood swelling in  

his brain. All of this happening because his  liver has completely shut down in his body.  

But something’s wrong. Right next to the liver  are so many other organs. None of them seem to  

be affected, directly. If anything is wrong  with them, it’s because his liver is dying,  

not because a toxin is acting on them.  But what kind of toxin does this?

Police obtained authority to enter AC and  Jason’s dorm room to see if they could find  

things. Before he became incapacitated, AC  had mentioned to doctors that he thought  

something was wrong with his water  bottle. It was still on his desk.

In the lab, they tested the water bottle  and they found what appeared to be the  

chemical N-Nitrosodimethylamine NDMA. And this  explains to them what was happening to AC.

The liver breaks down chemicals that  aren’t supposed to be in your body,  

neutralizing them. This protects your body. A lot  of chemicals are reactive. Another way of saying  

that is that the chemical is unstable, and it’ll  react with substances and structures in the body,  

by either: shoving parts of itself  onto those substances and structures,  

breaking them, or by taking parts  from those substances and structures,  

destroying them. Reactive chemicals need to be  neutralized quickly before they can do damage,  

and the liver has all the tools necessary  to handle this. Except, NDMA is different.

When the liver breaks it down, the result is  something that’s even more reactive. It gets  

into cells, and inserts itself into  DNA. There’s 2 scenarios here. First,  

In small amounts, enough DNA is changed that  when the cell reproduces, those changes persist  

into subsequent generations. Over time, these  changes can continue to evolve, and if enough  

cells acquire certain changes, a tumor can start  to develop. But (second), in very large amounts,  

the cells just die, fitting the pattern that  was happening to AC’s liver, but there’s more.

When doctors looked at the  images from the microscope,  

they noticed a pattern where the cells around  the vein taking blood out of his liver,  

were all dead. This explains why his liver shut  down so quick. It explains why it stopped making  

blood clot proteins causing diffuse bleeding,  and why it couldn’t process proteins anymore,  

causing ammonia to spill into his  blood, shutting down his brain.

But how did NDMA get into AC’s water  bottle? When authorities checked the room,  

they found a vial on Jason’s desk.  Knowing that he did research on tumors,  

and knowing that NDMA causes tumors, they  checked this vial, and in it was… NDMA.  

This isn’t a common household chemical. Regular  people aren’t going to have this sitting around  

their dorm room. And it doesn’t just magically  find itself in someone’s water bottle. The  

police contacted Jason’s laboratory and found  receipts showing that they did purchase NDMA  

for their experiments. And this is where  they figured out exactly what happened.

Jason smuggled NDMA out of his lab. He wanted  to get back at AC for telling him what to do.  

For waking him up and causing him to fail  his tests. Brushing the toilet with AC’s  

toothbrush wasn’t enough. He knew NDMA would  cause damage to AC, because in his research,  

he used it to induce tumors. He knew it would  do that to AC. But growing a tumor takes a long  

time. By then, they won’t be roommates anymore.  And no one would know because NDMA is entirely  

undetectable in the blood after a few days,  but it hangs around in the liver continuously  

causing damage. Even in small amounts. He  thought this was going to be something easy.

But, he emptied the entire vial into  AC’s water bottle. NDMA mixes in water,  

and so it was hard to tell anything  was wrong. Because in the hospital,  

doctors were monitoring AC’s brain activity. It  was becoming low. His heart rate was slowing down.

Even if doctors found NDMA earlier, the moment  that AC took his first sip of the water,  

it was done. There’s no known antidote  for this. And even in medical literature,  

theres only a handful of descriptions  of poisonings in this amount. And the  

tumor causing ability of this chemical  has been well documented for decades.

Something you might find in literature  if you search N-Nitrosodimethylamine,  

and I dont want you to be scared about  this, is that it appears in cured meats,  

including bacon and ham. That’s why some  meat packages will say that they don’t  

contain nitrates and nitrites, because foods  that have those, will form nitrosamines when  

cooked. One of which is NDMA, and that’s why  you’ll see reports saying things like bacon causes  

cancer. But if you notice, the levels are so low  that are reported in bacon are parts per billion.  

That’s not to say there’s no risk, just be aware  of this. And know that AC was given a massive,  

direct dose, equivalent to if he ate more than  a billion pieces of bacon’s worth of NDMA.

As the days passed, AC’s brain activity on  the monitor, was gone. His heart rate was  

zero. At autopsy, they found that  fluid had swelled into his brain,  

and bleeding was all over the right side. Every  organ in his body showed signs of hemorrhage.  

His liver had a nutmeg appearance,  meaning that blood flow was congested,  

and that many parts of it had been starving of  oxygen for a long time before it was all over.  

And they were able to confirm that this was  from a massive N-Nitrosodimethylamine poisoning.

Authorities gathered enough evidence. Jason  was arrested. He was put on trial. He was  

found guilty of all charges, and he was sentenced.

A lot of us have had roommates we really  don’t like. I was pretty lucky that I’ve  

always had very good ones. But I remember  seeing others having problems. If you have  

unreconcilable differences with your roommates,  you can only control your own actions, and the  

best way is trying to find any way possible to  physically move yourself out of that situation,  

not to do anything to them, needless to say  permanently remove them, like what happened here.

Thanks so much for watching. Take  care of yourself. And be well.