Is stress a factor with brain Aneurysm

My lovely bride of 22 years over the past two years complained a lot about work and that
It was stressing her out. Her last doctor visit about 1weeks before she pasted
Stated that she appeared healthy and just complained
About the stress she is having at work. The doc gave her some
Anxiety medication to help keep her calm.

So has anyone heard of stress causing something
Like this to just take my bride away from me and my 2 lovely
Daughters?

Thanks for anyone listening

Thank you Ellen for such a quick response. My bride did have
High blood pressure, yet no type dizziness or chronic
Headaches or even had any frequent headaches.

I was told that if this was caused and can be proven that
It is work related other things may be done.

You said yours was work related were you able to
See anything from that?

Thanks again Ellen.

To be fair I am not saying stress doesn’t play a part but I wasn’t under any at all I loved going to work loved my job and everything so not sure what caused mine it was 10yrs ago now and I am fine. Jess.xxx

Hi Vince,
Earlier this year, I asked this same question of the neurosurgeon who performed my recent angiogram. He told me that stress is not a significant factor. I tend to agree with him, based on my own experience.

I’ve had unruptured aneurysms for 43 years and I’ve just retired from a rather stressful 39 year career. The last 7 years were probably the most stressful with “exciting but challenging” work projects, 50% travel for 3 of these years plus doing double duty as chair person of the building committee for our new church (a stressful undertaking in itself) for three of those years. It’s exhausting just to think about that period but still ver satisfying :slight_smile:

I had not been diagnosed as having high blood pressure. However, recalling the advice given years earlier about controlling my blood pressure being key to managing my unruptured annie’s, I discussed my stress levels with with my PCP ~7 years ago and he agreed to give me a small dose of high blood pressure medication as a cautionary measure. This addition, and God’s grace, has worked well for me, thus far. The results of my angiogram were no new annies and no significang change in size or quality of the annies I have for almost 35 years. BP 112/76.

On the other hand, I was 19 when my annie ruptured. I had no history of high blood pressure or illness. :-(.

Only God knows what tomorrow will bring.

Carole

I think stress can raise your blood pressure possibly and that can "help" the growth of the Aneurysm. Mine however was believed to be because of a weak spot within my artery, and had been slowly growing since birth. Weakness in the artery cannot be seen until a growth appears along it. Unfortunately there are no definitive answers to why these quiet killers grow. Maybe someday they will find better ways to diagnose them earlier. But with no symptoms it does make it difficult to see them. I am so sorry for you and your daughter's loss.

Oh, Vince---my heart bleeds for you and your daughters--shocker is an understatement....

To echo Ellen, I am not a doctor... I did have high BP + I smoked- that being said, I was an active person and (seemed to be) always on the go....it also seemed like life was fairly stressful during the months prior to my rupture- business (both Realtors+ self employed and hit hard by the economy) coupled with the fact that my husband and I were trying to set up his father at a care facility by us--86 years trying to recover form a broken hip-4 months prior---used to living by himself with his 2 dogs- VERY resistant to everything going on--that was tough....It is my belief that my aneurysm was always there (genetic) and that life and lifestyle choices and maybe just not heeding warning signs exasperated it- ultimately causing rupture--this is my take on my situation---please be mindful of that

I also believe that every situation is unique

Again, I am so sorry that your daughters lost their mother and you, your wife

Vince,

Please accept my condolences for the loss of your lovely bride, the mother of your children...

When you note last doctor visit generates interest in how long she had been having visits and over what time frame at the beginnning of symptoms.

My personal, non-degreed, non-licensed, opinion is that women are commonly diagnosed as menopausal, depressed, stressed, and/or anxiety ridden..."here, take a pill" ... before any appropriate diagnostic testing is done; particularly, if there is a specific change/cause in symptoms.

To compare, your wife was put on anxiety med...w/no apparent testing; nor referral to a psychiarist, psychologist or other counselor or appropriate agency to help her deal w/stress caused at work / other.

Following two MVAs in four months vs work stress...no testing; records note mild headaches and referred this anxiety-ridden woman to a psychiatrist w/a 10-14 day supply of anxiety med...BP never had been an issue...

It is far more than sad, w/such varied med care, we both ended up w/ruptured aneurysms...

Many prayers to you and your children...

Pat

Hi Pat,

I want to join you in emphasizing that we, as women, must make our voices and concerns heard about how, espescially as we “age”, our symptoms are often dismissed as not being serious. We should not be hesitant to change doctors should we feel that we are not being heard or that the underlying cause of our symptoms is not being addressed.

Over the years I’ve had several conversations with physician friends about my own misdiagnosis of a ruptured aneurysm. Various reasons were given, e.g., unexpected in someone of that age, the risk and expense of an arteriography,etc. We can also partially excuse them for the lack of technology at that time. However, what i found during my recent research is that ER doctors are still often “reluctant” to consider an aneurysm rupture to be the cause of a patient’s headache.

Vince, I want to express my heartfelt condolences to you and your family on the loss of your wife and your children’s mother. I know that each of us who reads your post can’t help but experience both fear and sadness.

Carole

Carole I agree. My pcp kept trying me in antidepressants because of dizzy spells…for 8 months. I kept saying I was not depressed. Finally she sent me to a ENT. I git that appt. 3 months later. He tested hearing and for vertigo. Negative. Finally he sent me for an MRI. He was checking for inner eat problems. That’s when they foud mine. That all panicked then! Sent me to Neurisurgeon right away. It took over a year for someone to listen to me. I know my body and knew there was something going on. We have to be persistant. If I wasn’t, I might not ve here now. Doctors are reluctant to look deeper. I kept pushing.

Hi Vince...I am so sorry about your bride...Bless your Heart...~ I think stress can be a contributing factor in rupture, but not the only factor...and the reason I say this, (I have 1 annie coiled and 1 they are watching)...anyways...I am told to avoid unnecessary stress...by my Neurologist...

We are listening ... Prayers your way ~ Colleen

i tend to disagree with the general consensus here-my stress was years before my sah (deaths of my father, sister)(looking for a job for 6 months)etc. My rupture was while i was sitting on vacation after a 2 hr drive, our sincere condolences to you and yours, may God Bless