Life is incredibly precious. It’s why people say to live each day to the fullest.
However, it is also unpredictable.
With so many illnesses in the world, it can be difficult to know what symptoms are worth going to the doctor for. But it’s always best to err on the side of caution and see a doctor whenever something isn’t feeling right.
A brain aneurysm is something that many people struggle with knowing how severe it really is. Because a brain aneurysm feels very much like a bad headache or a migraine, it is oftentimes overlooked.
An aneurysm is a bulge in the wall of an artery.
According to WebMD, “It happens when the pressure of blood passing through has forced a weakened part of the artery to balloon outward.”
Thus, a brain aneurysm is a bulge in a blood vessel in the brain. When they rupture, which isn’t very common, they can be quite deadly. In fact, a ruptured brain aneurysm can be fatal in about 50% of the cases.
Unfortunately, one family in North Carolina was forever changed when a brain aneurysm took the life of their beloved Lee.
41-year-old Lee and her husband, Eric, were a happy couple. They had four kids together and were planning for Lee’s upcoming 42nd birthday.
However, one day after they had discussed Lee’s birthday plans that morning, Eric received a text from Lee while he was at work.
She asked for him to come home because she was experiencing the worst headache of her life.
Though Lee had suffered from hereditary migraines since she was 8-years-old, they knew that this one was different.
Eric raced home to take his wife to the ER. Unfortunately, she died due to complications from the aneurysm.
What made the news all the more devastating was that the doctors had told the family prior to her death that they would be able to fix the aneurysm. But just two hours later, they were told that there was nothing that they could do for her.
Lee bled out and was classified as brain dead.
After the story was published in People magazine, they reached out to a neurosurgeon asking how to spot the difference between a brain aneurysm and a headache.
Dr. Howard A. Riina of the NYU Langone Medical Center said that a brain aneurysm is often described as the worst headache of someone’s life.
According to Mayo Clinic, signs of an unruptured brain aneurysm are:
- Pain above and behind one eye
- A dilated pupil
- Change in vision or double vision
- Numbness of one side of the face
However, a ruptured brain aneurysm will feel vastly different.
The symptoms for a ruptured brain aneurysm include:
- Sudden, extremely severe headache
- Nausea and vomiting
- Stiff neck
- Blurred or double vision
- Sensitivity to light
- Seizure
- A drooping eyelid
- Loss of consciousness
- Confusion
These symptoms are vary greatly from a typical headache. Still, if you feel that you’re experiencing a sudden and extreme headache, go and see a doctor immediately!
It just might save your life.
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