First, ANSWER: No. If you take a bath with a fever, make sure the H2O is atleast room temp. No colder. Dangers of taking a cold bath with a high temp include systematic shock, seizure (due to rapid change in body temp), bradycardia (slow heart rate) from vagal response, and I */believe but am not 100% sure/* a possibility of going into V-Tach/V-Fib (lethal cardiac rhythm).

Second off, an Aneurysm is /NOT/ a blood clot. And Emboli/Embolus (Stationary) or Thrombi/Thrombus (Moving) are blood clots. An Aneurysm is a weakened section of an Arteries wall, which can cause a 'ballooning' out of that vessels wall. Commonly seen in the brain and on the Aorta (the main artery in the body).

Causes of an aneurysm can be chemical consumption (Alcohol/Drugs/Nicotine), poor diet, to birth defects and poor genes.

Just because you have an Aneurysm does not mean you are going to die. If the aneurysm RUPTURES, then there is a very good chance you will die.

Third: No, if you have a fever >101 oF, you do not have to immediately go to the ER. Go to an urgent care clinic or your regular family physician. If you have a fever >103/104 oF, then you should consider Emergency Medical care. Please note: You can take Anti-pyretics for fevers. Motrin (tm), Tylenol, etc. Then work wonders for fevers. Guess what, that's what the ER is more than likely going to do for you.

Danger for the fever comes in when you get above that 103/104 -OR- when your fever come on RAPIDLY (<30-60min). IE: Your temp is 98.7 and within an hour you shoot up to 102. If this occurs you will more than likely have a febrile seizure.

-FireMedicX, Flight Paramedic

An abdominal aortic aneurysm is when the large blood vessel that supplies blood to the abdomen, pelvis, and legs becomes abnormally large or balloons outward.

Aneurysm - aortic; AAA

The exact cause is unknown, but risk factors for developing an aortic aneurysm include:

• Smoking
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Male gender
• Emphysema
• Genetic factors
• Obesity

An abdominal aortic aneurysm can develop in anyone, but is most often seen in males over 60 who have one or more risk factors. The larger the aneurysm, the more likely it is to rupture and break open.

Aneurysms develop slowly over many years and often have no symptoms. If an aneurysm expands rapidly, tears open (ruptured aneurysm), or blood leaks along the wall of the vessel (aortic dissection), symptoms may develop suddenly.

The symptoms of rupture include:

• Pain in the abdomen or back -- severe, sudden, persistent, or constant. The pain may radiate to the groin, buttocks, or legs.
• Clammy skin
• Nausea and vomiting
• Rapid heart rate
• Shock

Your doctor will examine your abdomen. The exam also will include an evaluation of pulses and feeling in your legs. The doctor may find:

• A lump (mass) in the abdomen
• Pulsating sensation in the abdomen
• Stiff or rigid abdomen

You may have an abdominal aortic aneurysm that is not causing any symptoms or problems. Your doctor may find this problem by doing the following tests:

• CT scan of the abdomen
• Ultrasound of the abdomen

Either of these tests may be done when you're having symptoms.

If you have bleeding inside your body from an aortic aneurysm, you will have open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

If the aneurysm is small and there are no symptoms:

• You and your doctor must decide whether the risk of having surgery is smaller than the risk of bleeding if you do not have surgery.
• Your doctor may recommend checking the size of the aneurysm with ultrasound tests every 6 months, to see if the aneurysm is getting bigger.

Surgery is usually recommended for patients who have aneurysms bigger than 2 inches (5.5 cm) across and aneurysms that are growing quickly. The goal is to perform surgery before complications or symptoms develop.

There are two approaches to surgery:

• In a traditional (open) repair, a large cut is made in your abdomen. The abnormal vessel is replaced with a graft made of man-made material, such as Dacron.
• The other approach is called endovascular stent grafting. This procedure can be done without making a large cut in your abdomen, so you may get well faster. If you have certain other medical problems, this may be a safer approach. Endovascular repair is rarely done for a leaking or bleeding aneurysm.

The outcome is usually good if an experienced surgeon repairs the aneurysm before it ruptures. However, less than 80% of patients survive a ruptured abdominal aneurysm.

When an abdominal aortic aneurysm ruptures, it is a true medical emergency. Aortic dissection occurs when the innermost lining of the artery tears and blood leaks into the wall of the artery. This most commonly occurs in the aorta within the chest.

Complications include:

• Arterial embolism
• Heart attack
• Hypovolemic shock
• Kidney failure
• Stroke

Go to the emergency room or call 911 if you have pain in your belly or back that does not go away or is very bad.

To reduce the risk of developing aneurysms:

• Eat a heart-healthy diet, exercise, stop smoking (if you smoke), and reduce stress to help lower your chances of having a blocked artery again.
• Your health care provider may give you medicine to help lower your cholesterol.
• If you were given medicines for blood pressure or diabetes, take them as your doctor has asked you to.

People over age 65 who have smoked at any time in their life should have a screening ultrasound performed once.

Gloviczki P, Ricotta JJ II. Aneurysmal vascular disease. In: Townsend CM, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL, eds. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier;2007:chap 65.

Greenhalgh RM, Powell JT. Endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm. N Engl J Med. 2008;358:494-501.

Lederle FA, Kane RL, MacDonald R, Wilt TJ. Systematic review: repair of unruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. Ann Intern Med. 2007;146:735-741.

Braverman AC, Thompson RW, Sanchez LA. Diseases of the aorta. In: Bonow RO, Mann DL, Zipes DP, Libby P, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 60.

Review Date: 01/04/2012

A.D.A.M. Editorial Team: David Zieve, MD, MHA, and David R. Eltz. Previously reviewed by John A. Daller, MD, PhD, Department of Surgery, University of Arkansas Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network (8/1/2011).

Migraines are a neurological disorder which usually cause repeated episodes of severe pain with many other symptoms. A Migraine has many stages however, and pain is only one of the stages. A Migraine attack can involve one or more of the stages, but does not necessarily even involve pain (acephalgic Migraine).

A brain aneurysm is a bulge in a blood vessel in the brain. This is often due to an congenital abnormality or weakness in a blood vessel (an abnormality present since birth). The head pain caused by an aneurysm is usually a one time event. The vessel bleeds - many times causing the "worst headache of your life"- and either you are able to catch it in time to repair it and stop the hemorrhaging, or you die.

People who end up having an aneurysm may or may not have a history of migraine. If a person does suffer from both, it is coincidence. There are no studies that state the two are related.

Very rarely, people who have migraines end up having a stroke. This is thought to be caused by extended ischemia (loss of blood flow) to an area of the brain due to migraines causing a change in the blood flow due to constriction and dilation of blood vessels. Strokes are not the same as aneurysms.

Migraines have many, many different triggers. Diet, sleep patterns, dehydration, weather changes, hormone changes, and stress are just a few of these triggers. In order to find out what is triggering your migraines, it is very helpful to begin keeping a migraine diary - so that you can look back and try to remember what happened in the 24 hours leading up to the attack. You may be able to identify a pattern and then prevent the trigger.

If you are having more than two migraines a month you should seek the care of a neurologist to try preventative migraine medications. It is trial and error to find the medication combination that works for you, however, it can reduce the frequency and duration of your migraines significantly.

--just to add to this, caffeine is actually a vasoconstrictor- it is a stimulant- and can compound problems by creating dependency and inducing migraines when caffeine is not consumed... it helps to soothe the pain of migraines presumably by decreasing pressure in the brain because there is a theory that migraine pain is caused by increased blood vessel size in the brain...waking up at the same time every day is indeed a great suggestion though- and drinking more water, getting adequate amounts of rest, eating a balanced diet, and regular exercise--keeping blood pressure in check can curb off headaches that could lead to migraines as well--and destressing on a regular basis...if you're having recurrent episodes of migraines you should keep a record of how often, how intense, and how long they last- and see a physician...