When a sinus infection turns serious

When Jaime Andre's 14-year-old son, Chase, woke up claiming to feel unwell in early January, she initially thought it was typical teenage reluctance. However, as the day progressed, Chase's symptoms worsened, culminating in a high fever, severe headache and nausea.

Andre took Chase to the Emergency department, where the team assessed his symptoms and sent him home with the most likely diagnosis: He had some kind of stomach bug or viral illness.

Still, Andre’s gut told her something was seriously wrong.

“I knew my son well and felt that the diagnosis didn't fit his symptoms,” she says.

Over the next few days, Chase's condition deteriorated. He experienced intense stomach pain, hallucinations and the feeling that there was a welt on the top of his head (even though none could be seen or felt by his mom).

Andre sought a second opinion at another Emergency department, before coming to IU Health Arnett Hospital in Lafayette, Ind., where Chase was seen by IU Health Arnett Family Medicine Residency physician Shawn Brar, DO.

Brar's examination revealed what Andre’s intuition had said all along: Chase's symptoms were the result of something more severe than initially thought. Chase couldn't move his neck and shoulders, and his pain was excruciating.

“When you see a 14-year-old unable to sit up on their own, you know something is wrong,” says Brar.

Brar suspected a possible brain infection and ordered imaging, which confirmed his fears: Chase had a severe sinus infection that had spread to his brain, causing a dangerous pus pocket inside of his skull, called a Pott’s Puffy Tumor.

The situation escalated quickly. Chase was flown by helicopter from Arnett Hospital to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis for emergency surgery to remove the infection and relieve the pressure on his brain. Andre's world turned upside down as she gave consent for the surgery over the phone while Chase was still mid-air.

For his part, despite the fear and uncertainty, Chase remained remarkably calm throughout.

"I was a little scared, but I knew I was gonna be okay, because they found it before it could have got any worse than it already was,” he says.

And he was right. Today, Chase is back to his active self, participating in track and looking forward to football season. (“I feel 100%, really amazing,” he says.)

The importance of listening to your gut

Andre knows that her strong advocacy—trusting her gut and pushing for answers—was a key factor in Chase’s positive outcome.

“If I hadn't pushed and taken Chase to the doctor as many times as I did, I don't know if he would be sitting here right now," says Andre.

That’s what she wants parents to take away from her story: Go with your gut and keep advocating.

She and Chase also hope that sharing their story will build awareness around Pott’s Puffy Tumors as a potential—albeit rare—complication from a sinus infection. Early intervention can make all the difference.

“This kind of case puts medicine in perspective and makes you say, ‘This is why we do this,’” says Brar. “I can see 100 kids who are healthy or who have a minor cold or stomach flu, and then you see one patient, one case that reminds you: I really need to keep listening to what parents are telling me, what kids are telling me, because you never know.

“In medicine we have a saying: When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras. And that’s true, but we always have to keep those zebras in the back of our minds. We can’t just treat numbers, we have to treat our patients.”