A 26-year-old woman from Northern Ireland may have experienced blindness as the result of her 28-Red-Bulls-a-day drinking habit. The mother of three reportedly consumed 3,000 calories a day from the energy drink alone, according to the Daily Mail, and drank so much liquid that the size of her brain swelled.
Lena Lupari's health problems peaked when she collapsed on June 18 and was taken to the hospital. Lupari told the Daily Mail that her diet and health had suffered for many years due to pressures at home.
"I used to drink 28 cans of Red Bull in a day and I'd only have a meal at night, but it would usually be something fast-food like a takeaway or a packet of pasta," she said. "I've got three young children, one with special needs, and didn't have time to make thing."
Lupari said she had experienced migraines for five years, but had largely ignored her symptoms—until one day she couldn't see. "Then my vision went and I could even lift my head off the bed and I ended up in the hospital for six days."
In the hospital, doctors diagnosed her with idiopathic intracranial hypertension, a disorder that causes increased pressure in the skull. It is common among overweight women. Lupari, who weighs 364 pounds, said she must lose 70 pounds to be healthy.
"Losing the weight doesn't mean it will go away forever but it means I won't need surgery," she said. Lupari has lost 28 pounds so far by cutting Red Bull out of her diet completely.
[via the Daily Mail]
