You were / are truly blessed…
My fiance had ALL the risk factors - heredity (his grandmother and aunt died of brain aneuryisms and an uncle survived surgery of one), smoking, stress and alcohol. 
I'm going to say my boyfriend had all of the above, stress, high bp, smoking, genetics... He was on so many medications because he has had heart attacks at a young age the doctors couldn't believe all of his medical history. The doctors said that there was no real way to tell what caused his to rupture, I think it had to do with the fact that he was on blood thinners and smoking and just the stressful way he dealt with life. I've told him though he is so lucky to be alive that if he ever tries to smoke again I'll just kill him myself so I don't have to see him in the hospital anymore, I'm joking, sort of... We are all going to be getting healthier in my family here as soon as this baby comes more exercise less stress and going to eat better too just to keep all health problems out of this house...
You didn't answer though did they say what caused yours?
No. They did not say what caused mine. I lead an unhealthy lifestyle. I smoked, and sometimes drank. I had high bp. I am overweight and was taking adipex for weightloss. It is classified as an amphetine. I feel that adipex combined with these factors caused the rupture. I will never no for certain. I wonder if anyone else that had a brain aneurysm was taking it?
You ARE lucky! My fiance had coiling in Nov. 2009 and it came back, so had clipping done in Nov. 2010. Both recoveries were rough…major headaches and couldn’t return to work for 2 months. He had a wide neck, so has 3 clips in his head PLUS the coils as the surgeon couldn’t remove them. He still has pressure probably from all the hardware in his head. I’ve read that other people experience that as well, so have tried to reassure him that he’s not alone. He continues to smoke which saddens me greatly, but all I can do is pray that one day he’ll quit. He wasn’t a smoker when we met 2 1/2 years ago (he had quit for several years), but started back up in April of 2009.
My neurosurgeon told me it was the cigarettes. The day my aneurysm ruptured was the last day that I smoked.
For me it was clearly linked to stress - increased high blood pressure. There was no annie when a CT scan had been done a few years before my rupture. After changing jobs and then the intense amount of stress and pressure from the job the annie ruptured. I have absolutely no other risk factors, no genetic factors, and since not working the blood pressure is way down and headaches gone. I’m just a little over a year post-recovery from two coiling surgeries and still monitoring for a wide neck remnant. All feels great and this will be my continued path for a blessed life!
YAY for Daphne and Karen!!! Members of the formers mokers club!
I think that is one thing that they cannot really determine, what caused it. They estimated that I had my ‘leak’ for a year. But in theory, it could have been when I was hit in the head 10 or 20 years ago. No family history of them, elevated blood pressure my entire life (probably from smoking), but never enough for them to give me Meds for it. Stress never bothers me, I get rid of it with a scream now and then. I personally think that there is not much I can do to decrease the chances, except for quit smoking, but even that, they say that may not even help, as I will still have the history of smoking and that I can’t undo. I think for me, it is being aware of the symptoms, and also have my family and others close to me to know what they are. I wrote off my symptoms as getting older (54 in July), and since this was my 1st time getting old (it sort of snuck up on me), I just wrote it off as that. I did have the coil put in place, 3 weeks in Intensive Care, 1 week in recovery and 2 more at home and I have NO side effects and have my brain back to the way i twas before my adventure. It will be 2 years since it happened in two weeks.
Husband went to doc two weeks before a ruptured annie. Doc said, “You have high blood pressure, but we will just watch it. No medicine at this point.” Of the 8 people in the brain unit with annies, only my husband lived.
You are truly lucky to still be here. My fiance is as well as his aneuryism actually bled, then sealed itself off. He was in a hotel room alone when "the worst headache of his life" happened and he passed out. If it hadn't sealed, he wouldn't be here today. I wish he'd feel as lucky as I do that he's still here and quit smoking, but I know that's something I have no control over. As for stress, I keep telling him to do what I do, "Let go and let God". There are some things we can control and some things we can't, so there's no point in stressing over them. The only thing we CAN control, is how we react to stress. Unfortunately, he doesn't have my faith.
I believe it can be a combination of things… For me I believe it is genetics… I lost my grandmother and great grandmother to an aneurysm… trying to get my brothers and sister to get tested
Heidi...
Yes, I know many believe the symptoms cause the aneurysm...and, I question is a developing aneurysm (the pressure on the brain) causes the other symptoms... This gets finely detailed and I will attempt to reduce it...
When someone has a tumor...benigh or malignant...the first thing(s) that may be done are surgical removal...or chemo/rad...to shrink the tumor to reduce the pressure on the brain...
I asked one neuro-rad md who told me an aneurysm does not have the same affect/effect...and, I personally have not been able to accept that response... pressure in the brain is pressure in the brain...
Congresswoman Giffords has been more than blessed with care (and, which I would never want denied to her) ...tho, none of us get near what she has received and the humanitarian, thoughtful care associated with, behind her hideous injury...and, the injuries we may receive are not addressed. brought out, as hers has been .... She is a magnificent woman in her leadership position and I certainly do not deny her any...do pray that we may get a fraction of it...
Your friend/fiancee (whatever the status) is blessed to have you beside him...
Pat
Linda...have such a strong interest in a CT that did not reflect an annie...I cannot believe an annie is formed in a short time frame...unless possibly by injury ...What symptoms instigated a CT scan?
My reason for asking...is that so many of us did not receive testing when we attempted to secure them based on symptoms...before major ruptures...
Pat
I think for my little sis (age 29) it was also a combo of factors, smoking, drinking, stress, lots of caffeine, maybe high BP, lots of risk factors and maybe there were some genetics there too. We even speculate that a head injury as a child when she fell backward on the driveway at the age of 5 could have contributed to this. We just don’t know for sure and probably will never know. We obviously wish this never happened to her, what a horrible thing for a young woman to face in the prime of her life. We certainly do not blame her at all but hope that if given a second chance at living a healthier lifestyle, she will do her best to eliminate some of those risk factors. We love her too much!
Please read the following: This info just came out today:
Article: Activities that raise Blood Pressure appear to cause Rupture
Activities that raise blood pressure appear to be the cause, researcher suggests
Posted: May 5, 2011
By Randy Dotinga
HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, May 5 (HealthDay News) -- If you have a brain aneurysm, drinking coffee, having sex or even getting angry may boost the risk of it rupturing, a new study suggests.
Although the risk is extremely small, people who have aneurysms should be careful, said Dr. Sahil Parikh, assistant professor of medicine at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland.
"For those patients who do have aneurysms, it would be advisable to avoid those behaviors," said Parikh, who's familiar with the study findings.
Aneurysms occur when the wall of an artery weakens and bulges out. They can occur anywhere in the body, but are particularly dangerous in the brain, where they can cause a hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke if they burst.
In the study, published online May 5 in the journal Stroke, researchers asked 250 patients who had suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm about their exposure to 30 possible triggers before the hemorrhage.
The investigators found that being startled raised the risk of burst aneurysm in someone who already has an aneurysm by the highest level -- 23-fold. Anger boosted the risk by 6 times. Other things raised the level, too: Coffee (2 times), cola (3 times), straining for defecation (7 times), sexual intercourse (11 times), nose blowing and vigorous physical activity (both 2 times).
The cause seems to be higher blood pressure, said study lead author Dr. Monique H.M. Vlak, since all eight activities cause blood pressure to rise.
Vlak said about 2 percent of the population has a brain aneurysm. They are often symptomless and frequently harmless.
"You shouldn't be scared because the likelihood of this happening is extremely rare," said Parikh. "I would encourage patients not to worry excessively about it and consult with their doctor if they feel at risk of an aneurysm."
Even if you do have an aneurysm, it's unlikely to bother you. "We think most aneurysms never rupture," said Vlak, a neurologist at the Utrecht Stroke Center at University Medical Center in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
"Most aneurysms are discovered incidentally, since they hardly ever cause symptoms before rupturing," she added. "If they do cause symptoms, most often it is double vision or an incredibly severe headache, which is maximal within less than a minute. The latter is often a small leak and is called a 'warning leak.'"
People with known aneurysms should avoid caffeine, Vlak said, and use laxatives if they're constipated.
As for exercise, Vlak said its positive effects on the body outweigh the extra risk among those patients.
More information
For more about brain aneurysms, visit the Brain Aneurysm Foundation.
http://health.usnews.com/health-news...-rupture-study
More from ABC NEWS with Video
Video: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/HeartDi...ry?id=13526369
Great information…I had started having high Bp the last few years…and it was being overlooked…when I had the bad headache, they put me on Bp meds…and it is monitored by my neurologist…it seems that Doc’s need to have more of this information…I suffer from IBS/constipation…and this is a big problem…and I read your article and thought wow…when I first came out of surgery and could finally go to the potty…they (nurses) kept yelling donot…donot strain…and never said…“why?”…I think I had symptoms of brain annie for about 5 years prior…(things were starting to happen)…but of course, I am a women…it was all overlooked…again…thank you for sharing…healing thoughts your way…Colleen
Colleen...thanks for sharing your thoughts / experience... somehow I think your experience is a
lot more common...and, female patients are readily treated as anxiety ridden or depressed...well, at least this one was following two MVAs... when the headaches/pressure began...and also balance / dizziness issues... Pat
The research is going to take a long time. And not to be to smart-a… I’m waiting on a book, Aneurysm for Dummies. I have 78 platinum coils in my head and I know that each of us are different. I may give up coffee, exercise that’s strenuous, but sex, well I’ll take my chances. All this information is more art than science. 2003 many hospitals were waiting on stent approval. Allegedly on all statements. Researches are trying to do their best but this is still pioneer.
Pat…and a big Thank ~ you… I learn alot from you … you are very knowledgable and helpful…I know things are not easy for you healthwise…and yet you always “give back”…you remind me of the movie…“pay it forward”…Have a beautiful day…! Cyber ~ hugs Colleen