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this instant headache can KILL (neurologist explains)

NeuroWorld-MD

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The Worst Headache of Your Life? Why You Should NEVER Ignore a Thunderclap Headache. Hey everyone! I’m Dr. Parker Bohm, a board-certified neurologist with a subspecialty in neuro-ophthalmology who completed residency at the Mayo Clinic in Florida and fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis. In this video we discuss when people experience sudden, agonizing headache. In neurology, we call this a thunderclap headache, and knowing what to do could be the difference between life and death. In this video, I break down why a sudden-onset, severe headache is a medical emergency. As a board-certified neurologist, I explain the various life-threatening causes of these headaches—from brain aneurysms to rare syndromes like RCVS and pituitary tumors causing apoplexy.

I also dive into a critical point: Why a CT scan does NOT rule out a stroke. I share a real-life case study of a young patient whose stroke was missed in the ER, and what you need to know to advocate for your own health.

In this video, you’ll learn:

The difference between Icepick Headaches and Thunderclap Headaches
Information about about Brain Aneurysms
What happens during a Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
How blood clots (CVST) and arterial tears (dissections) may cause thunderclap headache
Links between marijuana, certain medications, and RCVS

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Video Timestamps:

0:00 – Intro: A life or death situation
0:55 – What is a Thunderclap Headache?
1:48 – Thunderclap vs. Icepick
2:40 – Brain Aneurysms
5:19 – What happens at the ED
07:00– "Sentinel Headache" and other causes of brain bleeds
10:20 – Blood Clots in the Brain (CVST)
12:37– Arterial Dissections: A tear in a blood vessel
13:23 – Case Study: The 20-year-old girl
15:50 – Pituitary Apoplexy & PRES
17:44 – RCVS, marijuana as a trigger?
20:43 – if tests are negative
21:28 – Q&A Invite

The information on this channel is educational in nature and intended for a general audience. It is not intended or implied to be professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment given 1) every person is unique and may have specific, individual health considerations and 2) no medical evaluation is taking place or doctor-patient relationship formed given the one-way nature of the video content. Any content produced on this channel (including text, video, graphics audio, etc.) does not replace a consultation with your own doctor/health professional. If you have concerns regarding how this channel’s content applies to your health, please discuss with your own doctor/health professional. If you are concerned that you are having a medical emergency, contact emergency medical services immediately. Any content regarding patients' clinical cases may be fictionalized or have specific details changed without any intent to alter the overall educational goal.

#ThunderclapHeadache #Neurology #StrokeAwareness #Aneurysm #BrainHealth #MedicalEmergency #NeuroworldMD #HealthTips #medical #medicaleducation #nursing #medicalstudent

19 Comments

@NeuroWorld-MD Creator 5 months ago Pinned

Thanks for watching!! If you want to see more content about neurologic topics, please like the video and subscribe to the channel by hitting that "bell" icon. I am planning on making another video with a Q&A at some point, so please ask some questions in the comments. They can be completely random and off-the-wall topics 😂

@nancyperault3769 1 month ago

Talk about cluster headaches please. That's my affliction and it is BRUTAL!

@cindymonk6994 1 month ago

More headache content, please! This is so very helpful!

@deidrescott1556 1 month ago

My husband had a cerebellum occipital stroke at 48 years of age. When we went to emergency they did a CT scan and said he might have had a TIA or it was an old head injury. They sent us home with instructions to see the Neurologist in the coming days. He actually became worse over those couple of days and when he had the MRI the following Tuesday I had gone with him and his mother. I had to return to work afterwards however I wasn’t there an hour and the Neurologist called saying take him directly to emergency as he was at imminent risk of having another stroke! He was hospitalized for 7 days and spent months doing various rehabs. He was able to regain almost all his pre-stroke abilities but was left with deficits and is on permanent disability! The CT did not show the stroke.

@Agata-u7k 1 day ago

What could be the cause of a thunderclap headache if it was immediately followed by anhedonia, depression, difficulty thinking, brain fog, psychomotor slowing, and a complete lack of energy or motivation to do anything? My MRI with contrast and CT scan came back normal.

@lovepugs5gmail.comLovepugs 1 month ago

What would I do? Well the very stupid thing I did was lay on my couch for a week before going to urgent care. Who then sent me to the emergency via ambulance. Ruptured brain aneurysm. I am very lucky to be alive. I would say the headache had a lot of noise

@tamihartlaub2497 1 month ago

I have had 1 ocular migraine that was very similar to what you describe. But when I was still working (I’m retired now) I used to get them almost on a daily basis, but only when my alarm woke me up for work. They were very evident because my alarm went off at 4:45 in the morning and it was still dark. I would see double rounds of “fireworks” in my eyes, but only for an instant and it was gone. The eye doctor sent me to a neurologist. I had an MRI of my brain. All was well. Never had any pain with any of them. They decreased a lot when I retired. My own assessment is they may have been stress induced, since they dropped so drastically. I rarely get one now, but got them almost every day I worked. I was a staff nurse in a hospital, so it was pretty high pressure.

@DawnStevens-dm1lf 1 month ago

Good acting. Thanks for the information

@7armedoctopus69 1 month ago

Great content and explanation but the music was very irritating and I noticed myself becoming irrationally angry despite being interested in the discussion. Please consider omitting it from future vids.

@lisanidog8178 1 month ago

Gosh I love medical stuff!

@Skelloween 1 month ago

I liked your acting.

@lindaabsher2244 3 days ago

❤❤❤

@dalehargreaves966 1 month ago

I had this in May 2018. I recognised it straight away as 7 family members have died from them. I was taken to local hospital by ambulance where I had a CAT scan. Immediately the flying doctors came and flew me across the 4hrs to Melbourne (Australia) and into MRI. It was a subarachnoid haemorrhage and had 8hr surgery and a stroke. I have 7 metal plates in my head and I now have a large dent in the left side of my scalp. Yet I still live. Best wishes 🌿

@wholeNwon 2 months ago

One of the first things I did for myself when they became available was to have an MRI/MRA of my brain done. Mine was normal. I encouraged friends to do the same thing. One had 2 A-V malformations. Remember Sen. Biden's 2 berry aneurysms? One was leaking producing severe headache.

@ketobygeorge7763 1 month ago

What causes them and how to treat? I have them from time to time but I do not know what triggers them or how to heal them.

@teresascaggs7804 2 months ago

I had a,thunder clap headache. So far they are not sure what the cause. My blood-pressure was high but i see my gp every 3 months. Not sure if the headache cause the high blood-pressure or other way around. But i wake up with a headache on a regularly bases.

@shelliehargrove1558 4 months ago

Hi Dr. Parker. Thank you so much for putting this information out there. If you don't mind, I would like to ask a question? I am a 64 year old woman who has experienced headaches and typical migraines most of my life (pain, aura, etc), however, about a month ago I got a sudden horrible headache that came on suddenly after some exertion (carrying items up and down stairs). It was painful and it almost felt like my head was going to explode (i could feel my heartbeat in my head). This lasted quite a while, and then started subsiding. A few days later, the same thing happened. Now it seems like any time i exert myself in the least bit, i will develop this head pain. Could this be a cause for concern? My blood pressure will also rise. My normal BP has always been low, but during these episodes, my BP has gotten up to 160/73. I know that is not extremely high, but for me it is not normal. After resting, my BP does return to normal (118/60 for me is pretty normal). There is a family history of TIA's (my mother) and i had a paternal aunt that died from a brain aneurysm. Thank you for any insight you can provide.

@gremode 2 months ago

This may not relate but does gooning can do Thunderclap headache ?

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@Stacey-tb6vq 2 months ago

I have a tumor on my pituitary gland next to carotid artery and this last year til now i just started to have high blood pressure. Do you think that the tumor is growing into carotid artery and that is making my blood pressure to go up?