Ok, I know an aneurysm is a is an abnormal widening or ballooning of a section of a blood vessel. I know when one ruptures you get all kinds of neurological symptoms if it is in the brain, most notably "the worst headache of my life". But can they present atypically?
I am curious because my mother had a strange episode. She is late 50's, heavy smoker, drinker, hyperlipidemic, is on antihypertensives for high BP. Family hx heart disease, CHF, CAD, TIA, diabetes, etc. Anyhow, she was straining during a bowel movement and felt a powerful, painful popping sensation in her head, around occipital area, kindof behind an ear. At the time she even thought she was having an aneurysm and really thought she was going to lose consciousness (so it was powerful enough to scare her). For the next week or so she started feeling "under the weather" as she describes it with some head pain and pain radiating into her neck. She went to the doctor (after I really got after her lol) and he said she had bronchitis, gave antibiotics, and said she had a pulled muscle behind her ear. He gave her a muscle relaxant for that. Told her if she didn't feel better with a couple of weeks to come back. Well, she has been applying heat to the site and she says that heat makes it hurt more but that applying pressure with her hand to the site alleviates the pain. I told her maybe she should go to the ER, they could do a CT scan since her doctor ordered no imaging studies. She thinks I am blowing it out of proportion because she said her doc said that if it was an aneurysm she would not be able to talk. I know that could be one of the symptoms but not the only one.
I am trying to get her to go back to her doctor or go to the ER. What I am wondering though is have any of you soon aneurysm/bleeding in the brain/etc that started slow and the patient wasn't that affected? Can it start that way and do I have reason to be concerned. She is totally blowing me off.:uhoh21: I am a new grad so of course I have no clue. I am not asking for medical advice what I am asking is should I be worried about this?? Thanks!
I am not asking for medical advice what I am asking is should I be worried about this?? Thanks!