The term brain aneurysm is likely to make you feel a bit uneasy, as most of us have heard of incidents that have occurred with no warning signs whatsoever. An aneurysm is something that most certainly can sneak up on you with deadly outcomes, however; it doesn’t have to be that way, and neurosurgeons are urging you to be knowledgeable when it comes to some warning signs that could save your life.

Unfortunately, a 41-year-old mom lost her life far too soon when she died from a brain aneurysm after she suffered a horrific headache. North Carolina resident, Lee Broadway was no stranger to migraines, but one day her headache was so bad that her husband Eric immediately took her to the hospital after she complained of having the worst headache of her life. It didn’t take long for the doctors to confirm that Lee had suffered a brain aneurysm and she died just two days later.

Doctors are urging patients to seek attention if they have the following warning signs:

Seizures

Blurred or double-vision

A painful headache like you’ve never had before

Over-sensitivity to light that can come on suddenly

An instant stiff neck

Constant feeling of nausea and the urge to vomit

Drooping eyelids

Losing consciousness

Feeling numb in the face

A stabbing pain above or behind a single eye

Hearing noises that are similar to gunshots or explosions

While it can be hard to determine whether you are simply having a migraine, these added symptoms should be a sign to get immediate help. The result of a ruptured brain aneurysm is an extreme headache that can be felt immediately, which was the case with Lee. Unfortunately, for someone who has migraines frequently, this pain can be quite familiar and hard to detect.

A brain aneurysm is a bulging, weak area in the wall of an artery that supplies blood to the brain. In several cases, a brain aneurysm doesn’t produce symptoms that go noticed and in rare cases an aneurysm releases blood in the skull, causing a stroke.

The result of a ruptured aneurysm is a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which can lead to brain damage or death if it’s severe enough.

While some are prone to inherit the tendency to form aneurysms, there are other risk factors that can cause them. If you’ve had an aneurysm in the past, then you are more likely to have another one. Race is another risk factor that plays a role and African Americans are more likely to have aneurysms than Caucasians. People who have high blood pressure are more prone to them and smoking, which also leads to high blood pressure, can certainly be a risk factor for a ruptured brain aneurysm.

As with most things, it’s always best to stay educated on trends and statistics about certain conditions, as they could help save your life and the lives of those you love. While we are sometimes hesitant to go to the doctor, it’s always the safest bet to get checked out if something doesn’t feel right.