A father of six from rural New South Wales was told by paramedics he had food poisoning after he couldn’t stop vomiting, but it was later discovered he had a brain aneurysm.
Robert Miller, 34, of Silverton, near Broken Hill, had been experiencing a slight headache during the day and was in the bathroom at about 11pm on July 17 when it intensified and he collapsed and hit his head.
His wife, Kerrieann James, said he was “vomiting and shaking uncontrollably” at the time, so she called paramedics who suspected a “stomach bug” and gave him an anti-nausea injection.
Despite fainting spells, she refused to go to the hospital and the paramedics trusted her enough to allow her to stay home.
However, the next morning her symptoms did not improve, so a neighbor, who is also a paramedic, insisted she go to the hospital.
Doctors at Broken Hill Hospital suspected meningitis but after “hours of tests and scans” he was rushed to ICU when they discovered the brain bleed.
He was then transferred to the Royal Adelaide Hospital, where he underwent surgery and spent weeks recovering.
“My mother, four of our children and I travelled to Adelaide to be with him,” Ms James said.
Paramedics thought Robert Miller had food poisoning, but it was later discovered that he had a ruptured brain aneurysm.
The family of eight is struggling to make ends meet after Miller spent weeks in the Royal Adelaide Hospital and is unable to return to work for another three months.
They have recently returned home, but Ms James said that with her husband unable to work, the family has struggled to care for six school-aged children.
“We’re both casual workers… (the rent is) $435 a week… we’re barely getting by, I took some money out of my pension to cover us a little bit,” he said. 7 News.
Mr. Miller still suffers from some memory loss and weakness on the right side of his body.
Doctors believe the stress caused a blood vessel, known as an aneurysm, to swell and then rupture.
“I have a pretty big scar on my head and everyone looks at me. I’ve also lost a lot of weight, I now weigh 47 kilos,” he explains.
‘I’m trying to go to school to pick up the kids, and you can see all the little kids are scared, so I try to cover my head.’
Mr. Miller is continuing his 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 bulge of a blood vessel that resembles a berry on a stem.
“Most brain aneurysms are not serious, especially if they are small, and most do not rupture,” the medical school explains.
‘They usually do not cause symptoms or health problems. In many cases, brain aneurysms are detected during tests for other diseases.
‘However, a ruptured aneurysm quickly becomes life-threatening and requires immediate medical treatment.
“If a brain aneurysm has not ruptured, treatment may be appropriate in some cases. Treatment of an unruptured brain aneurysm may prevent a rupture.”
