Hi! I am new to the community. I had a pipeline embolization almost 10 weeks ago, In my 4th to 5th week, I started getting headaches. Feels like my head was being squeezed from side to side and top to bottom. Over the last couple of weeks, the headaches more frequent and more intense. They are constant - getting dull and then back up again. I wound up going to the ER. They did a CT scan and everything was fine. I am seeing a neurologist who specializes in headaches but doing some research, it seems like itās a common for people to experience this a few weeks after the procedure. I would love to know if anyone else has had similar experiences and wondering how you managed. Thanks!
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Welcome and thanks for starting a new topic! Iāve got a different stent and I ruptured so a bit different but similar since the blood flow has been changed in our brains. I know for each time I saw my Neurosurgeon, sheād say Hydrate, eat protein, rest, hydrate some more and repeat. I call it her mantra. Try it and see if it helps. I have to have a minimum of 90 gms of protein each day, I use protein shakes and protein yogurt that come with 30 gms each. Check with any of your doctors about what you should be doing. Another thing I learned from one of my Neurologists is not to take NSAIDs or Acetaminophen more than 3 times a week due to secondary headaches. I hope more members, especially those who havenāt ruptured come share their experiences. Again, thanks for starting a new topic!
Hi! Thank you for the tips. I did read on another thread about staying hydrated and boosting protein. I am making a much greater effort to drink more water and rest. The headaches were completely unexpected and exhausting. I was told the same thing about NSAIDs. Did your headaches ease up or completely disappear?
Eventually yes, my headaches are pretty much a thing of the past except when I forget to hydrate enough or get my protein intake high enough for whatever Iām doing. I didnāt realize there was a correlation between the two. I also tried various medications with my Neurologists. Merl with @ModSupport often reminds us that thereās not one cure all for everyone. Seems we all have to figure out what works for us. I truly believe when Dr. Q-W found a stent that would work for my aneurysm location, it helped the best. I also do a lot of things Iām not supposed to do, like lift over 40 lbs. Iām under a 20 lb weight limit because I did something to my wrist. Why these medical professionals put weight limits on me is beyond my understanding. I told the OT I donāt carry a scale around with me but I know not to lift the bags of dog food or cinder blocksš
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I am so grateful for this community because I am learning so much. I was not expecting the headaches or fatigue. That has just started. Medical information on recovery is very simple - about seven days and you will be back to work! Thereās truth to it but it really is a journey. I will having coiling for a much smaller aneurysm in August. I am guessing recovery timeline will be similar. Thank you for all support!
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Hey @annv11,
Iām Merl from the modsupport team and I required a few neurosurgeries, not for an annie but rather another little nasty growing in my head and for me, none of the surgeries or recoveries have been the same. That fatigue, wow, itās beyond just tiredness. My body tells me āLay down or Iāll put you downā, if I ignore those signs it puts me down hard, with headaches like I need to rip my eyeballs from my skull just to relieve the pressure behind them. Nasty bad.
And I couldnāt agree more, sounds simple enough for sure. Look, for some that 7 day scenario may work OK, but for others it can take longer and for some much, much longer. For me, each time theyāve operated Iāve been left with what I call āgiftsā or side effects. Sometimes they donāt just add up, they multiply each other. The medicos love their ātheoriesā, itās just that our bodyās donāt always conform to those theories 
The āBoy Scoutsā have a motto āBe Preparedā and through my journey Iāve learnt how to set things up for a case of 'What if āXā happens or 'What if āYā happens". I donāt think I have all of my ābases coveredā but Iām not starting from zero either.
The medicos gave me a timeline too, which I pushed myself to meet. I pushed too hard, too soon, something went āPOPā and I ended up back on the surgeonās table. Donāt be doing that. Listen to your own body. It will tell you, but you have to listen. I didnāt listen. I convinced myself I was building stamina by pushing my limits.
Merl from the Modsupport Team
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I ruptured and whilst in NSICU, some woman had me returning to work. 
. Hindsight says she mixed me up with someone else.
Hello, Iām Kirsten Iāve had a carotid artery dissect. When they went in not only a rip a couple inches long but more damage up top. I have two stents. It is a journey but itās mine and Iām doing great. I have learned so much about myself. I have had those terrible headaches you described (so sorry). Unfortunately so bad one night I went to the emergency room. I explained.how everything was fine you know the run down no heart pain no stroke just a fuming head pain. Maybe I was just lucky but my doctor listened I asked for a steroid shot in the top of my head. Instant relief. I had researched and asked primary doctor for pain management. After consults I started getting occipital nerve blocks. I get shots in both sides of my head and it kinda feels like it lifts my skull off the damaged parts in my head. I know everyone is different but for me it helps. Four times a year like clockwork. This is my 5th year. It provides enough relief to concentrate on what matters like diet sleep exercise. Wishing you the best:)
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Yepā¦about 7 days per every one day youāre in the hospital or so. The fatigue is unreal and unlike any other fatigue Iāve ever experienced. I just thought that I was tired before.
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I just found this article. I didnāt even know PICS existed https://consultqd.clevelandclinic.org/neuro-post-icu-syndrome-largely-unrecognized-vastly-impactful
Wel ok, I knew we all have issues, after leaving NSICU, I didnāt know it had a label that anyone was looking into studyingš
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Praying for relief from the headaches 
Iām not sure if this works with coiling and aneurysms (I am new to this type of condition, as my mom recently had a ruptured aneurysm, and Iām still learning through my research everyday)
Iāve heard a long time ago that magnesium helps with headaches. It is best absorbed through the skin, so Epsom salt baths are really the best to boost your levels.
They also sell CBD cream with magnesium in it.
Just a suggestion to try and see if it helps 
Epsom salt baths are also a great detox 
Maybe coffee or dark chocolate could help as well? I have a MRA planned tomorrow because of the family history now, and I smoke, and I also used to get severe migraines in college. Instead of taking Excedrin, I would drink a cup of coffee, and it helped A LOT.
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When we rupture, we get a list of rules that I donāt always follow, the less caffeine rule is definitely one of themš. I had forgotten about the magnesium, my second Neurologist had recommended it, but in a pill form at a high enough dose, it was kept behind the pharmacy counter and we had to to tell the pharmacist who the doctor was before you could purchase it. I forget what type of magnesium, my body didnāt like it but if you needed cleaned out thatās the otc for you.
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I read that too. Does coffee make anything worse for you though?
I remember when my dad had a heart procedure I asked the Dr about caffeine for him bc heās a coffee drinker, and they said anything is ok in moderation.
I had a dream of my mom since this happened and I said to her letās get a cup of tea or coffee and she smiled at me in the dream and said coffee sounds really good. It was on my conscious I guess after I read about caffeine and wondered if she could drink it in the future after she wakes up
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Hi Melissa,
Iām a coffee drinker and was worried about coffee as well due to my elevated BP post rupture. My PCP said caffeine is alright so long as you were used to it and not terribly sensitive. So far, Iāve found that to be the case, but itās likely different for everyone.
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For me personally, not that I can tell. One thing we did have to do and it may have been more because we are getting older was switch to decaf after 2:00 pm. We used to have a wonderful place to get coffee beans and their decaf choices were excellent. Sadly, they went out of business when they sold the farm.
Every morning I start my day with an hot cup of tea and then help BH with the pot of coffee. On Sundays we might have two pots of coffee. In the winter I drink a lot of hot tea and if I donāt feel well hot tea is my go to remedy (thanks to Grandma). When I have to go see my neurosurgeon we stop at a tea shop and I pick up a few different teas for me and a friend. Except of course when sheās had to add some more coils, then we go straight home.
Alcohol has way more effect on me now. I rarely drink alcohol anymore. One of my cardiologists years ago told me to drink a glass of red wine every day. My then PCP said not on the days you work . I worked nights and weekends a lot. My neurosurgeon also said everything in moderation. Which reminds me, I forgot to have my Irish Coffee on St. Paddyās Day!
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Yep, I have decaf in the afternoon and have started drinking hibiscus tea in the evening, which is good for a myriad of things. It does taste a little tart and looks like cranberry juice, but itās definitely not that tart, thank god! 
Iād forgotten about hibiscus teas which I usually order at a local restaurant, they make it with honey. After I helped the new husband of a friend set up drip irrigation, he took me to a gardening group (I think they were preppers) and the main group leader was going on about hibiscus tea, bringing us all a taste - no sugar, no honey it was pretty dang tart! But he used Rose of Sharon which grows abundantly in our Zone 7A which I think has gone down to Zone 8. It was my first public outing without BH since Iād ruptured, so a big deal. Of course I told the guy he needed honey in it.
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Thatās amazing. I add honey to mine at home. I use Equal packets for coffee, but add honey to the tea. Sure does make it taste much better! 
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I like to put honey in coffee. Sugar substitutes give me a splitting headache so I avoid them now.
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Ohh, donāt worry. I had a few for you My ānieceā who now lives in Ireland was here in Oz, so we had to welcome the day, just āto be sure, to be sure, to be sureā
Merl
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