My daughter grew up with migraines so thought them "normal" but at a party she suffered "the worst, most painful migraine of her life". She went to Hospital E.R. and she mentioned ongoing life w/migraines. They sent her home with Vicodin cuz they felt it was simply a migraine.
They did no investigation even tho she had given them important, life-saving information. She said that she had felt numb over half the side of her body (extremely impt symptom), she had vomited, and...she'd had that migraine for a week (the normal migraine is up to 72 hours only.)
From then on (after ER visit) she got worse. Luckily she'd be taught to drink electrolye water or she cld have dehydrated --- death usually follows. At the end of that week a friend advised another visit to ER --and shockingly she got the same diagnosis : "A Migraine"
A day later she blacked out and hit the floor! She was taken to another ER and her fiance insisted on a SCAN -- whch immediately told of the emergency -- A "BRAIN BLEED" She was diagnosed with an "AVM" which had caused an Aneurysm to build--and it popped !
(You can read her story on Maples Aneurysm Narrative site- -- her story is under the AVM choice, on page 4 under the heading "Painful Journey" --but it was a triumphant journey.
I write to any Headache or Migraine site i could find to tell them to be alert to "Stroke signs" because a certain percentage of headaches and Migraines are Hemorrhagic Migraines....as are hits to the head as discovered in the very sad and shocking case of the actress and the simple fall on snow. Very sad that all over the world people should be trained/alerted in signs of brain bleeds for whatever reason.
Ucla now uses their medical students (once trained in diagnosing possible hemorrhages) to work Emergency Rooms and to be immediate in their response to scanning and treating possible brain bleeds--saving lives!
My daughter was very lucky. We knew to get second opinion and had acted as quickly as we knew to do in getting help and treatments. Essential is to ascertain best and most experienced and highly recommended Neurosurgeon, or Neurologist, or Interventional Neuroradiologist.
Always get a second opinion! Always go to computer and do as much research as possible. We had a Neuro from San Francisco giving us directions on how to handle my daughter in San Diego! and the famous Dr Spetzler in Arizona looking at her scans to advise us for the best treatment. And Maples Aneurysm Narrative webside to support us as well as give us their experienced information!