Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
I was sent away from the hospital twice ..then Specsavers helped spot brain bleed Dad tells how optician was crucial in detecting potentially fatal condition
YESTERDAY
“But there was no change again and my partner Amber had to ring up again and they eventually got me an appointment at the Antrim Area Hospital for direct assessment.
“At this stage, it had been going on for over a week and when I got to the hospital, I could barely stand up.
“I was screaming for pain relief and was given more painkillers – this time they put it down to a sinus infection.
“I couldn’t believe it but I was sent on my way again and told not to contact them for at least seven days.
“I couldn’t walk out of the hospital, my partner’s dad had to wheel me out to the car in a wheelchair.
“The strong painkillers did start to take the headache away and I was hoping it was me on the mend but shortly after that, I took the worse headache I have ever taken and was restricted to my bed again.
“I had nowhere to turn and the only thing we could think of was if it was a problem with my eyes. I didn’t hang about, I was just desperate for the pain to go away, so
I booked an appointment with the local Specsavers.”
Darren, who was suffering from double vision at this point, said even walking through the shopping centre to the opticians was a challenge.
He added: “I had to hold my partner’s hand, I couldn’t see and I was completely disorientated.
“I got an optician called Karen who sat me down, did some tests and listened to what I had to say. And after 15 minutes she was able to tell me there was something wrong and told me to go to Antrim Area Hospital and don’t leave without a scan.
“She wrote me a report and told me to go straight away.”
Darren attended the hospital again and following a CT scan, he was told he had suffered a bleed on the brain. He said: “I was in total shock, I couldn’t believe it. I feared the worst and I began to get quite scared. “I tried to stay strong for Amber and my children but at one point I feared this was going to kill me, I was panicking.
“They told me it was a significantly large bleed to the brain. I didn’t think they could get that wrong that many times.
“As soon as they figured out what was wrong they started to treat me straight away with IV steroids to reduce the swelling.
“I felt better straight away but it has now been over a month and I still can’t work or drive and I continue to feel disorientated daily.
“I spent over a week in this pain and I went to the hospital for help and even after all the assessments, they sent me home with a suspected migraine and sinus infection. They told me not to contact them for seven to 10 days and looking back, I could have been dead by then.” The Northern Health and Social Trust said: “The Trust will investigate the circumstances surrounding this case.” Meanwhile, Darren is urging people suffering from the same symptoms to fight for their health. He said: “Don’t neglect any problems with your vision. “People deserve the proper treatment and they shouldn’t stop until they get it.
“If I hadn’t gone to Specsavers I don’t know what would have happened.”