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Doctor warns of red flags you should never ignore after 23-year-old influencer nearly dies in Bali
A doctor revealed the potentially life-threatening symptoms people should never ignore after a 23-year-old fitness influencer came close to losing her life to a brain infection while holidaying in Bali.
Australian fitness coach Khiana Smith was admitted to intensive care after waking up with an excruciating headache that she initially struggled to explain.
Doctor reveals red flags and what not to ignore
Her condition quickly worsened, eventually leaving her unable to speak properly or remember basic things, with Khiana revealing: "I couldn't even get out of bed," Smith recollected. "It was so intense I couldn't even open my eyes properly."
Now, California-based emergency physician Dr Alfred Joshua has outlined the warning signs that should prompt people to seek urgent medical attention, explaining that some forms of meningitis can become fatal within hours.
"When symptoms are progressing in a more complicated manner with neurological dysfunction, do not wait and try to see this out," he cautioned.
Smith, an online fitness coach from Australia's Gold Coast, had spent two weeks travelling around Europe before heading to Bali for an intended seven-day break.
The health-conscious influencer had no idea that her dream holiday would end with her fighting for her life in an Indonesian hospital.
Her ordeal started when she woke up one morning with an unusually painful headache.
"I don't know what happened, like I seriously don't, I just woke up one day and I just had the worst headache," she explained.
The intense pain was accompanied by dizziness and an extreme sensitivity to light, making it difficult for her to even open her eyes.
"I couldn't stand up without falling over," she remembered.
Despite the severity of the headache, Smith initially decided to wait and see whether her symptoms would settle, but when she woke up the following morning, she felt "10 times worse,” with her condition continuing to decline, with blurred vision and slurred speech adding to her symptoms.
Eventually, an ambulance took her to Bali International Hospital, where doctors carried out a CT scan and started administering antibiotics within hours of her arrival.
She was diagnosed with meningitis, an inflammation of the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
Initially, doctors were reportedly unsure whether the infection was viral or bacterial. However, they treated her for bacterial meningitis as a precaution, with subsequent reports describing her illness as bacterial.
Her health problems did not end there. While in hospital, Smith also developed pneumonia and fluid began accumulating in her lungs.
"Now I've got pneumonia and fluid on my lungs as well, so that's not great," she told her followers.
"But I guess it's all part of fighting an infection and being literally bedridden for eight days straight. My body's just like shutting down."
Speaking to Fox News Digital on November 6, board-certified emergency physician and former chief medical officer Dr Alfred Joshua explained why Smith's symptoms were particularly concerning.
"She started having symptoms of severe headache, having difficulty with light," he said. "And then she started having difficulty walking, and then eventually slurred speech."
Joshua explained that meningitis can cause a range of symptoms, including severe headaches, fever and a stiff neck.
Sensitivity to light, medically referred to as photophobia, is another potential warning sign, particularly when it occurs alongside an increasingly painful headache.
However, he stressed that changes to a person's neurological function are especially worrying, as they can indicate that the infection is affecting the nervous system.
The doctor also explained the difference between viral and bacterial meningitis. Viral cases are often less severe and can sometimes resolve without specific treatment, whereas bacterial meningitis is a medical emergency requiring immediate antibiotics.
Certain bacterial infections can progress at an alarming speed, with the doctor explaining:"Certain strains over a couple of hours [can cause] the person [to] get really, really sick.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also warns that some bacterial infections responsible for meningitis can become fatal within hours.
Khiana discusses recovery
After spending approximately 10 days in hospital, including five days in intensive care, Smith was finally able to share some positive news with her followers.
In an update reported on Wednesday, November 4, she announced that she had been discharged: "Guys, we are alive! We're alive, out of hospital, we are feeling so much better. Still really slow and weak, it's going to be a long road to recovery [but] we're so happy to be out of hospital and to be OK."
She also revealed that she had developed a rash during her hospital stay, which she attributed to the humidity, and had experienced symptoms of "Bali belly", a common term for gastrointestinal illness affecting travelers.
As of November 8, Smith was still in Bali, concentrating on rebuilding her strength while waiting for medical clearance to travel back to Australia.
"The next few weeks will seriously just be about getting my health back and just looking after myself," she explained.
Reflecting on how quickly her circumstances had changed, she previously told her followers: "Life is so precious, one minute I'm healthy travelling the world, living my dream life and the next I'm bed bound in an ICU in Bali with a brain infection that could have k*lled me."
The influencer also shared a message urging others not to take their wellbeing for granted.
"Don't take your life or health for granted," she admitted.