A young Brazilian man who suffered from severe headaches after celebrating New Year's Eve with friends reportedly discovered that the cause was not alcohol, but rather a stray 9mm bullet lodged in his skull without he noticed it.
“If it had landed a few millimeters lower, the case could have been more serious,” neurosurgeon Flavio Falcomet told local radio la100 last week, according to French media L'indépendant.
On December 31, 21-year-old Mateus Facio was celebrating the New Year on Cabo Frio Beach in Rio de Janeiro when he reportedly suffered a serious blow to the head, which he said was caused by a rock.
But he didn't worry and continued the celebrations before waking up the next morning with a stabbing headache that he attributed to the day after that.
However, after four days of the pain, the young man began to experience cramps in his right arm, so much so that he finally decided to see a doctor.
At the time, tests revealed that there was a 9mm lead bullet lodged in his skull.
“Part of the bullet entered his brain, causing compression in that area and involuntary movements in his arm,” his neurosurgeon told Brazilian media.
Fortunately, a delicate operation allowed the bullet to be removed and the young man is doing well, according to la100. An investigation would also have been launched to clarify the circumstances that led to the impact.