As a Texas medical malpractice lawyer, I have handled a number of cases where clients went to the hospital with a brain aneurysm, but the doctor misdiagnosed it. The results can be devastating and life-threatening.
Generally speaking, an aneurysm is a bit like a hernia of a blood vessel. It is a spot in the wall of a blood vessel that is weak, and causes a bulge. Aneurysms most frequently occur in the aorta, an artery near the heart, but also commonly happen in the brain.
Small brain aneurysms that have not ruptured produce no symptoms at all in most people. But other symptoms are telltale signs of a ruptured aneurysm, and knowing them may help prevent a botched diagnosis by the doctor.
Symptoms of a brain aneurysm
When a brain aneurysm ruptures, there is usually bleeding into the subarachnoid space, causing a subarachnoid hemorrhage. That unusual leakage of blood into the space around the brain can cause a sudden onset of symptoms.
In all of the brain aneurysm cases that I have handled, my clients consistently described their main symptom as the worst headache that they ever had. Unfortunately, some people think the headache is just a severe migraine and do not seek treatment.
Experts recommend going to the hospital immediately if you suddenly have some or all of these symptoms of a ruptured brain aneurysm:
· The worst headache of your life
· Stiff Neck
· Loss of consciousness
· Nausea/Vomiting
· Blurred or double vision
· Pain above/behind the eye or difficulty seeing
· Change in mental status/awareness
· Trouble walking or dizziness
· Weakness and numbness
· Sensitivity to light (photophobia)
· Seizure
· Drooping eyelid
Treatment of a brain aneurysm
The key factor in a good outcome is being diagnoses and treated quickly after the symptoms begin. When a brain aneurysm ruptured, treatment is focused on surgically stopping the bleeding by closing off the aneurysm by a clip or a coil.
We are here to help
I have experience in handling cases where my clients went to the emergency room with textbook signs and symptoms of a brain aneurysm. Yet, they were misdiagnosed and discharged and sent home from the hospital, only to have to come back with more profound and severe brain damage, or worse—to die.
If this has happened to you or someone you care, call 281-580-8800 for a free consultation with a medical negligence attorney at Painter Law Firm.
