Yes, from my limited reading on the subject, it appears that severe headache is the most common symptom. That is why I would have expected the initial news reports to have stated that guards were summoned due to symptoms that included severe headache. However, the initial reports (i.e., those prior to surgery) appear to only report "breathing difficulties." Nowhere in my reading was I able to find reference to breathing difficulties as a common symptom associated with brain aneurysm. My point (once again.....sighhhhhh) is that the headache appears to have been ADDED to Ricci's reported symptoms only after surgery confirmed a diagnosis. It's just another one of those little oddities that doesn't seem to quite fit.
Something I learned from caring for my mother after her stroke, was that every one is different, depending on the individual. There is no prototype for stroke. As far as the "breathing" difficulties, it is possible Ricci has other medical issues that contributed to that, such as asthma or heart problem. Plus, he's said to have high blood pressure which might generate breathlessness, especially during the pre-anxiety moments before the stroke.