A 14-year-old boy suffering from severe headaches and fever was turned away by doctors twice before it was finally discovered he had meningitis and an abscess on his brain.
Hunter Peterson, from Wauchope, south-west of Port Macquarie, spent the eve of his 14th birthday on an operating table as doctors worked desperately to reduce swelling on his brain after another life-saving procedure went wrong.
He woke up on his birthday morning in the ICU with half his skull missing.
Family friend Sonia O’Bree-Smith told Daily Mail Australia that before Hunter and his family were plunged into this nightmare, he was just a “normal teenager”.
“He’s a happy, healthy, fun-loving kid,” she said.
“He has a great sense of humor. He loves basketball. He is very kind, cheerful and outgoing.”
Hunter, who has a younger brother and sister, had been enjoying the school holidays before suffering a fever and migraine on July 17.
Hunter Peterson (pictured right) was a “healthy and happy” 14-year-old when he began suffering from migraines and fever. Within a week, surgeons had to remove almost half of his brain.
The teenager faces a long road to recovery and has to wear a helmet to protect the “soft” section of his head where his skull was removed.
His grandmother took him to Kempsey Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a viral infection and sent home without antibiotics.
Hunter’s condition worsened and his father took him back to the hospital later that night, but doctors sent him home with the same diagnosis.
“She was suffering from a sinus problem, very much like a cold, and when she came to the hospital, unfortunately they didn’t detect the sinus infection,” Ms O’Bree-Smith said.
Three days later, on Saturday, July 20, his mother noticed that his condition had worsened.
“He just wasn’t himself, he didn’t want to eat and he wasn’t very talkative,” said close family friend Ms O’Bree-Smith.
Hunter, who has a younger brother and sister, had been enjoying the school holidays before suffering a fever and migraine on July 17.
He was eventually diagnosed with sinus meningitis and was transferred to the John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, where he underwent surgery to drain the abscess in his sinus cavity.
‘His mother described him as being delirious and continuing to complain of headaches and migraines, as well as having a constant fever.
“And then as she was checking him out, she noticed his lips were starting to turn blue and she just said, ‘Let’s get in the car, we’re going to the hospital now.’”
“They had almost reached the hospital door when Hunter started having a seizure and vomited.”
Doctors were horrified to discover he had a temperature of 42 degrees and called an ambulance to rush him to Port Macquarie Base Hospital.
There he underwent a CT scan, blood tests and a lumbar puncture and doctors discovered he had an abscess in his brain and sinus cavity.
He was diagnosed with sinus meningitis and was transferred to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, where he underwent surgery to drain the abscess in his sinus cavity.
At the time, doctors hoped the abscess on his brain would respond to antibiotics.
He was having problems with his IV lines, so doctors decided to insert a peripherally inserted central catheter to prevent any blockage.
But the procedure was delayed several times, meaning she went without food for 36 hours.
“Naturally, this had a very severe emotional impact on our little friend, when he was already in a very delicate state,” Ms O’Bree-Smith said.
Hunter spent the eve of his 14th birthday on an operating table as doctors worked desperately to reduce swelling in his brain after another life-saving procedure went wrong.
He woke up on his 14th birthday to the news that a large portion of his skull had been removed. While he speaks, he has damage to the nerve in his right eye and will have to learn to walk again.
The surgery left him without response or movement on his left side and a scan showed he had swelling in his brain.
It was then that doctors made the decision to remove a large part of his skull.
“Hunter woke up on his 14th birthday with much of his skull removed, a drain in his skull and his right eye unable to open due to nerve damage,” Ms O’Bree-Smith said.
‘The extent of the nerve damage is unknown at this time, and only time will tell whether or not he will be able to use that eyelid.’
The teenager faces a long road to recovery and is being helped by a team of specialists, including a speech therapist, an occupational therapist, a physiotherapist and a psychologist.
Hunter was described as a “normal teenager.” “He’s a happy, healthy, fun-loving kid,” said Sonia O’Bree-Smith, a close family friend. “He has a great sense of humor. He loves basketball, he’s very kind, cheerful and outgoing.”
He has to wear a helmet to protect the “soft” section of his head where his skull was removed.
“He actually speaks very well, but he walks with great difficulty, so he is receiving rehabilitation therapies for that,” Ms O’Bree-Smith said.
His family is hopeful he can soon be transferred to Port Macquarie Base Hospital so he can be closer to home.
If all goes according to plan, Hunter will have a plate placed in his head to replace the missing part of his skull in six weeks.
Ms. O’Bree-Smith created a GoFundMe Page who has so far raised nearly $10,000 for his long rehabilitation.
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