Thanks Ed, it was many years ago and some special circumstances, his brain was swollen due to a toxic blood infection. One of those 1 in a million deals that only happen to some one else.
Jon
I assume you are talking of a Haemorrhagic stroke, in which case Erijon is on the nail when he says it's down to the individual because it depends on the size of the bleed. My Mother suffered headaches for months and then they finally realised it was due to a very small bleed, thanks to a test where they examine the fluid in the spine. Another relative of mine had severe headaches for 4 days before going to the hospital where it was discovered he had a bleed. I am just not sure why there would be a situation today where no intervention would take place. My Mothers problem was in the 70's and there was no angioplasty available then for the brain, they did the old fashioned method of opening the skull and fitting a tiny clip to the vessel. My other relative was 2 years ago and platinum coils were packed into the aneurysm and it was then stented. Recovery was very different too, my Mother took 2 years while my other relative who was stented took just 6 weeks.
Erijon, I am really sorry to hear about your Brother.
That's a difficult question and much depends on the individual, the area of the brain damaged and amount of bleeding. A person could be kept alive almost indefinitely on life support, however brain death will occur when the brain loses the ability to control the involuntary activity necessary to sustain life due to a loss of oxygenation of the brain. There is just no way to know how long that process will take. In my brother's case it took 2 days.
I hope this helps and good luck.
Jon