Woman Has Sudden Headache, Moments Later She’s Fighting for Her Life

U.S.NewsPoliticsAI PoliticsTechFact CheckSportsGlobalIran WarRussia-UkraineMiddle EastChina And AsiaLive BlogBetter PlanetAll World NewsLifestyleFamily & ParentingEntertainmentTravelPetsAutomotiveRelationshipsScienceHealthPersonal FinanceBetter WorkplacesReaders ChoiceOpinionMy TurnAll OpinionRankingsHealthCorporate ResponsibilityFinanceProductsEducationWorkAll RankingsWatchThe 1600The Royal ReportUnconventionalFrom The PaddockNewsmakersSocialFacebookInstagramYouTubeRedditTikTokTwitter/XExtraNewslettersDare to DreamEventsEssaysPodcastsVantageInsightsMagazineCEO CircleAnnouncementsLeadershipDev Pragad It was just like any other working day when Julie Nashawaty returned home during her lunch break. But the 46-year-old never made it back to work. On July 27, the cat sitter suddenly developed a headache unlike anything she had ever experienced before and felt her body temperature soar. "Out of nowhere, it felt like my brain was exploding," Nashawaty, from Boston, told Newsweek. As her condition rapidly worsened and she "stopped making sense," her husband called 911. Within 30 minutes, she was in the emergency room. She went on to spend 25 days in intensive care. Doctors discovered that a 3-millimeter brain aneurysm, a weak, bulging spot in a blood vessel in the brain, had ruptured. According to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation (BAF), an estimated 6.8 million people in the United States are living with an unruptured brain aneurysm, while approximately eight per 100,000 people experience a ruptured aneurysm each year. "I knew something was wrong because it felt like nothing I had ever experienced," Nashawaty said. "I didn't know it was an aneurysm, but the sudden pounding, feeling so hot, and needing to lie on the floor were completely out of the ordinary." Symptoms of a Ruptured Brain Aneurysm A ruptured brain aneurysm is a medical emergency that requires immediate treatment. According to BAF, the symptoms can include: Causes of a Ruptured Brain Aneurysm Brain aneurysms often develop without symptoms. While some people may inherit a tendency toward weaker blood vessels, most aneurysms are thought to form gradually through wear and tear on the arteries over time. BAF notes that several factors can increase the risk of a brain aneurysm, including smoking, high blood pressure, a strong family history of aneurysms, being over 40, certain genetic disorders, drug or excessive alcohol use, infection, and severe head trauma. Brain Aneurysm Treatments To treat the ruptured aneurysm, Nashawaty underwent an endovascular procedure. The treatment involves doctors inserting a catheter through an artery in the arm or groin to either place tiny coils inside the aneurysm or insert a stent to redirect blood flow away from it. Brain Aneurysm Recovery "Treating the aneurysm was only the beginning," Nashawaty told Newsweek. "I developed significant vasospasms, meaning blood vessels in my brain were narrowing." She said doctors administered medication through a drain in her head and, on three separate occasions, entered her arteries to deliver medication directly to the affected blood vessels. "I spent 25 days in the hospital," she said. After being discharged, Nashawaty received physical therapy and occupational therapy, while nurses regularly visited her at home. "The first two weeks were terrible. I was dealing with post-intensive care syndrome, the physical weakness from losing muscle during those 25 days in bed, brain fog, emotional stress, difficulty sleeping, and feeling overwhelmed. "It felt like my brain was trying to figure everything out again while my body was trying to get stronger. Being home didn't mean I was suddenly better." Now, more than three months later, Nashawaty, says she is getting stronger every day. "Doctors also found a second aneurysm that hasn't ruptured. The plan discussed at my follow-up was to do more scans and likely treat it with a flow diverter, a small device placed inside the artery to redirect blood away from the aneurysm. So recovery is still an ongoing process," she said. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Sirena Bergman and Tony Phillips.By Lucy NotarantonioSenior Reporter

0ShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberSee more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.It was just like any other working day when Julie Nashawaty returned home during her lunch break. But the 46-year-old never made it back to work.

On July 27, the cat sitter suddenly developed a headache unlike anything she had ever experienced before and felt her body temperature soar.

“Out of nowhere, it felt like my brain was exploding,” Nashawaty, from Boston, told Newsweek.

As her condition rapidly worsened and she “stopped making sense,” her husband called 911. Within 30 minutes, she was in the emergency room. She went on to spend 25 days in intensive care.

Doctors discovered that a 3-millimeter brain aneurysm, a weak, bulging spot in a blood vessel in the brain, had ruptured.

According to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation (BAF), an estimated 6.8 million people in the United States are living with an unruptured brain aneurysm, while approximately eight per 100,000 people experience a ruptured aneurysm each year.

“I knew something was wrong because it felt like nothing I had ever experienced,” Nashawaty said.

“I didn’t know it was an aneurysm, but the sudden pounding, feeling so hot, and needing to lie on the floor were completely out of the ordinary.”

A ruptured brain aneurysm is a medical emergency that requires immediate treatment.

According to BAF, the symptoms can include:

Brain aneurysms often develop without symptoms. While some people may inherit a tendency toward weaker blood vessels, most aneurysms are thought to form gradually through wear and tear on the arteries over time.

BAF notes that several factors can increase the risk of a brain aneurysm, including smoking, high blood pressure, a strong family history of aneurysms, being over 40, certain genetic disorders, drug or excessive alcohol use, infection, and severe head trauma.

To treat the ruptured aneurysm, Nashawaty underwent an endovascular procedure. The treatment involves doctors inserting a catheter through an artery in the arm or groin to either place tiny coils inside the aneurysm or insert a stent to redirect blood flow away from it.

“Treating the aneurysm was only the beginning,” Nashawaty told Newsweek. “I developed significant vasospasms, meaning blood vessels in my brain were narrowing.”

She said doctors administered medication through a drain in her head and, on three separate occasions, entered her arteries to deliver medication directly to the affected blood vessels.

“I spent 25 days in the hospital,” she said.

After being discharged, Nashawaty received physical therapy and occupational therapy, while nurses regularly visited her at home.

“The first two weeks were terrible. I was dealing with post-intensive care syndrome, the physical weakness from losing muscle during those 25 days in bed, brain fog, emotional stress, difficulty sleeping, and feeling overwhelmed.

“It felt like my brain was trying to figure everything out again while my body was trying to get stronger. Being home didn’t mean I was suddenly better.”

Now, more than three months later, Nashawaty, says she is getting stronger every day.

“Doctors also found a second aneurysm that hasn’t ruptured. The plan discussed at my follow-up was to do more scans and likely treat it with a flow diverter, a small device placed inside the artery to redirect blood away from the aneurysm. So recovery is still an ongoing process,” she said.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Sirena Bergman and Tony Phillips.