A father-of-six from rural NSW was told by paramedics he had food poisoning after he was unable to stop throwing up, but it was later found to be a brain aneurysm.
Robert Miller, 34, from Silverton near Broken Hill had been feeling a slight headache during the day and was in the bathroom about 11pm on July 17 when it intensified and he collapsed and bumped his head.
His wife Kerrieann James said he was then ‘uncontrollably vomiting and shaking’ so she called paramedics who suspected it was a ‘stomach bug’ and gave him an anti-nausea injection.
Despite bouts of passing out, he declined to go to hospital and paramedics were confident enough to allow him to stay at home.
However, the following morning his symptoms did not improve and so a neighbour, who is also a paramedic, insisted he go to hospital.
Doctors at Broken Hill hospital suspected meningitis but after ‘hours of tests and scans’ he was rushed to the ICU when the brain bleed was discovered.
He was then flown to Royal Adelaide Hospital where he underwent surgery and spent weeks recovering.
‘Myself, my mum and four of our kids travelled to Adelaide to be with him,’ Ms James said.
They have recently returned home but Ms James said with her husband unable to work, the family has been struggling with six school-aged children.
‘We’re both casual workers … (rent is) $435 per week … we’re just managing, I pulled some money from my superannuation to cover us for a bit,’ she told 7 News.
Mr Miller is still experiencing some memory loss and weakness on the right-side of his body.
Doctors believe stress led to the swelling of a blood vessel, known as an aneurysm, which then ruptured.
‘I’ve got a pretty big scar on my head and everyone is staring. I lost a lot of weight in the process as well, I dropped down to 47 kilograms,’ he said.
‘I’m trying to go to school to pick the kids up, and you can see all the little kids are scared, so I try and cover my head.’
Mr Miller is continuing rehabilitation but it will be months before he can return to work.
The family has launched a fundraiser asking for financial help.
According to the Mayo Clinic an aneurysm is a bulging of a blood vessel that resembles a berry on a stem.
‘Most brain aneurysms aren’t serious, especially if they’re small, and most don’t rupture,’ the medical school explains.
‘They usually don’t cause symptoms or cause health problems. In many cases, brain aneurysms are found during tests for other conditions.
‘However, a ruptured aneurysm quickly becomes life-threatening and requires medical treatment right away.
‘If a brain aneurysm hasn’t ruptured, treatment may be appropriate in some cases. Treatment of an unruptured brain aneurysm may prevent a rupture.’