My crippling headache was the only symptom of deadly brain aneurysm

After many years of ‘paralysing’ headaches, Megan Jackson was used to just grinning and bearing it. 

But when the busy mother-of-two, 27, from Sunderland, found that one particular headache simply wouldn’t shift, she decided to pay a visit to her GP and discovered that she was living with a potentially fatal brain aneurysm. 

Ms Jackson said: ‘Knowing I have something in my brain that could instantly kill me is terrifying. 

‘I fear my children growing up without their mum and also leaving behind my husband.

‘It’s so scary; there’s a ticking time bomb in my head that could go off at any point.’

Ms Jackson, who works as a nurse, had been dealing with headaches ever since she was diagnosed with high blood pressure in 2020.

But in March 2025, she was left bedbound due to the agonising pain in her head. She assumed it was down to having high blood pressure coupled with daily stresses.

But this was far from the actual nightmare.

She said: ‘The doctor noticed my left pupil was bigger than my right.

‘I was sent to hospital for an emergency same-day scan.

‘It was confirmed I had a brain aneurysm and it was inoperable due to its size.

‘Me and my husband, Liam, burst out crying. I could see the pure sadness in his face.’

A brain aneurysm is a swelling in a blood vessel in the brain. Risk factors include smoking, heavy drinking, old age and high blood pressure.

They are relatively common, with around three per cent – roughly two million people – in the UK living with an unruptured aneurysm.

Most brain aneurysms are small and do not cause symptoms, meaning that many people who have them are not aware of it, unless they undergo a brain scan for another condition.

However, larger aneurysms may cause symptoms such as a headache, pain above or around the eyes, changes in vision, dizziness and balance problems, numbness or weakness on one side of the face, difficulty concentrating and memory problems.

Ms Jackson has a 5mm aneurysm, and if the blood-filled bulge ruptures, it’ll cause a subarachnoid haemorrhage that will kill her instantly.

To help lower her risk, and eliminate stress, she’s taking various medications to help lower her blood pressure.

Ms Jackson is currently on sick leave from her role as a nurse, which has followed her maternity leave after giving birth to little Albie, three months. She is also mum to Georgie, two. 

She said: ‘If things keep progressing like they are, I won’t be returning to nursing.

‘Every time I open my eyes, I’m grateful I’m still alive so I’m trying to live each day like it’s my last.’

During this period, she’s taken up baking, which has brought her a sense of relaxation and she has opened a cake shed which sells out every weekend.

And hopes this will offer a new future for her, which will allow her to spend more time making memories with her family.

Aneurysms are diagnosed in hospitals using specialised imaging tests which allow doctors to get detailed images of the brain and blood vessels.

These include CT, MRI or MRA scans – which Kim is having in The Kardashians trailer- and lastly a cerebral angiography.

This is when dye is injected into the arteries to provide clear, detailed pictures of the blood vessels in the brain and highlight any aneurysm.

Whilst most aneurysms remain stable, around one in every 100 will rupture – —often without warning – causing a brain bleed known as a subarachnoid haemorrhage, a rare but life-threatening type of stroke.

The main symptom is a sudden, severe headache that’s sometimes described as a ‘thunderclap headache’.

The haemorrhage can happen at any time, but it may be more likely when a patient puts strain on their body—either by coughing, lifting something heavy or engaging in sexual intercourse.

Each year, an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 people in the UK will suffer a ruptured aneurysm, with around half of these cases proving fatal.

But, not everyone who has a brain aneurysm will need treatment, according to the NHS.

This is because they often do not increase in size, and have a relatively low risk of bursting, especially if they’re not causing symptoms.

Low-risk aneurysms will be monitored by doctors for growth or abnormalities.

Doctors will consider the location, size, shape and a patient’s family history to determine whether they need treatment.