A 13-year-old Texas boy was forced to undergo multiple brain surgeries and have a tube placed inside his skull after developing a life-threatening illness while swimming.
Christopher Bryant spent most of his summer diving with friends when suddenly, more than a week ago, he complained of “a horrible earache.”
His mother, Kendra Smith, said that during the night, the student’s earache soon progressed to a severe headache and he woke up with a swollen eye.
blacksmith said NBC: ‘It happened so fast. It was surreal for me. It was scary. Then one day he came home from a swim and said he had a terrible earache.
“And the next morning he woke up with his eye swollen. He couldn’t even open it.”
Christopher Bryant, 13, was forced to undergo multiple brain surgeries and have a tube placed inside his skull after developing a life-threatening illness while swimming.
The concerned father rushed him to a neighborhood emergency room as he continued to be in pain and could barely speak. Officials referred him to Children’s Medical Center of Dallas for treatment.
“I just figured I’d be in and out maybe a day or three after we got here,” Smith said.
But doctors at the medical center soon diagnosed Bryant with sinusitis that had spread to his brain, forcing him to undergo two skull surgeries.
Surgeons also inserted a tube inside his head to help with recovery.
Despite numerous surgeries and a tube in his head, Smith remains grateful that her son made it out alive.
“He means the world to me. He actually saved my life,” she said. “So he’s my best friend.”
His mother, Kendra Smith, said that during the night, the high school student’s earache soon progressed to a severe headache and he woke up with a swollen eye.
The concerned father took him to a neighborhood emergency room because he was still in pain and could barely speak. Officials redirected him to Children’s Medical Center of Dallas for treatment.
Doctors at the medical center soon diagnosed Bryant with sinusitis that had spread to his brain, forcing him to undergo two skull surgeries.
Dr. Lasya Challa revealed that Bryant had developed an abscess behind his eye and pus on his brain that could have cost him his life.
He added that a severe case of sinus infection can cause severe headaches, swelling or pain in the face, redness around the eyes and eye pain, drainage that does not improve, and sometimes seizures.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and PreventionSinus infections occur when fluid builds up in the air-filled sacs of your face. This fluid allows germs to grow on your face.
Although most of the time these infections are caused by viruses, they can also be caused by bacteria.