Expecting your first child can be a joyous time in life, but for this couple, it also coincided with a terrifying event in their lives.
Brianna, pregnant with her first child, received a call one day that dad-to-be Austin “had an accident.” Her mother-in-law’s call was confusing and terrifying all at once.
Brianna then drove 2 hours to the hospital to see Austin, and what she discovered was shocking.
She learned that Austin had had a brain hemorrhage, with an unexpected cause. It turns out that he had been relying heavily on energy drinks to get through is long work days and commute. The doctors told Brianna that this is what had caused the nearly-lethal brain hemorrhage.
Brianna wrote on Facebook, “Being pregnant is supposed to be one of the most amazing journeys you will ever embark on. You’re creating a new life. You are experiencing unconditional love for someone you have not even met. Austin and I were so excited to meet our little boy. To bring him home. To be a family.”
After the event, Austin suffered from strokes, seizures and swelling, and had to undergo multiple surgeries as well.
“After two weeks of living in a hospital, wondering if he would survive or be taken from us, we made our way back home,” Brianna wrote on Facebook. “The time had come for me to deliver our baby.”
Last year, Science Daily published a case study of a similar situation, in which a man drank an energy drink and had severe and life-threatening side effects. The summary of the case study states, “The man reported that his symptoms began about 15 minutes after drinking an energy drink, the first time he had consumed this particular product, as he was about to do yard work,” said Anand Venkatraman, M.D., from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
“This particular drink contains several supplements for which we have little understanding of their potential interactions with each other or with caffeine,” Venkatraman said. “One is structurally similar to amphetamines, and several are known to stimulate the sympathetic nervous system.”
There will undoubtedly be more research into the linkage of energy drinks and severe reactions in users.
Since Austin’s brain hemorrhage, Brianna has been working hard, both raising her new baby, and helping Austin recover and make strides through his physical therapy and rehabilitation efforts. We hope Austin makes a full recovery and admire Brianna for her strength and perseverance!
