Sharlua

Welcome Dotty and sorry to hear about your Dad, it must be very scary for all the family particularly as he is relatively young. I had anuerysm which was coiled and much lighter bleed. As Daffodil has so wonderfully explained there are bleeds where they are often not sure of origin so treatment often cannot take place. Even when they are anuerysms it is dependent on where it is on whether it can be coiled or clipped. I am sure if at this stage it was an option they would do. With relation to confusion if you think of your brain having pathways to pass messages, recall memories, process information and help everything function a bleed can play havoc with those pathways so what comes out is often mixed up, hopefully as they recover or the brain compensate by finding new routes there will be less confusion. I am sure having your support will aid that recovery, it maybe slow and result in changes but I am sure each day will bring some element of healing. There maybe hiccups on this journey, there definitely was in mine as you do have an emotional rollercoaster with good and bad days. Make sure you also take care as it is a hard journey for families too. Wishing your dad all the best. Take care Sharon x

Oh so pleased that everything has gone well, you must be so relieved. I hope BP stays stable and he recovers well. Hope you manage to relax a little as must have been very stressful for you and rest of family. Take care xx

Welcome Clara, hope you do seek advice as others have suggested. I had lots of terrible aches after my SAH and coiling, my legs and feet were really bad. I also had shoulder pain which was found to be unrelated and was a frozen shoulder which later developed tendonitis. I had real bad heads and some awful crawling sensations in head, It is extremely early days for you and after this shock you are naturally worried, this does take away your belief in being invincible. You may have to let others be strong for awhile I certainly had to do this for a while. Please never think you are a nuisance to your medical staff better be safe than worry needlessly. i wish you well in your recovery keep us updated and members here are a great support. Sharon

Will certainly keep fingers crossed that all goes well x

Hi Jan I went straight into menopause at 44 after hysterectomy as they thought I had cancer. I was shocked by the symptoms that followed and the depression was awful, hormones definitely do impact on your emotions and mood, I was bad tempered, tearful and hysterical all within an hour some days - husband was very patient?. I was given HRT it worked initially but only stayed on for a year. I hope your appointments help you get the right support, it is very easy to blame our heads for everything but I guess we are not immune to other ailments. Good luck x

Well done for making it through that first year you have achieved so much. I hope fatigue does gradually get better and I know sometimes over two years later I have a sudden pain in head and freeze thinking is another SAH. I don't think it will ever leave I just manage it better. I wish you much luck for the future Sharon xx

Welcome Wayne and pleased to see you have found us. Very early days in your recovery and as a SAH is such a shock it does bring about some rollercoaster emotions and physical impacts. I had a SAH over two years ago, luckily mine was coiled but it took a good six months to feel slight recovery and probably this year to feel more like my old self. I had time where I felt I hit a brick wall my memory in early days was terrible, still not 100% but I now don't get so embarrassed by it. A illness like this does impact on family and sorry that has led to family taking advantage, hopefully as you recover more you will gain strength to challenge this. I do hope you have some support as it is vital, this group will be happy to share experiences and provide a listening ear, sometimes it is hard for others to understand the trauma of a brain injury. i wish you well in your recovery and link forward to hearing more from you. Alaska is definitely on my bucket list to visit but not I guess so close for medical emergencies. Take care Sharon

So sorry to hear how you are feeling Jan some excellent advice from others. I do agree perhaps go back to GP or seek some counselling/therapeutic support independently. You are not unlike any of us who have hit brick walls at different times and where families fail to understand, often this comes out in anger and arguments. Remember dealing with loss is a journey where you go through many emotions often swaying between them all, SAH has seen such losses for you particularly having to give up your business and also loss of some physical abilities. Families and friends often don't pick up signals we are struggling or need their support perhaps you could try writing them a letter to help them understand if you cannot face a meeting. Mine were great at the time of event but after leaving hospital found it difficult to understand my recovery was only just beginning. After counselling I also understood I often gave them very mixed messages and wanted something they could not give, to take away my feelings of depression, sadness and anger. unconsciously I was blaming stress of taking on a caring role for mum, giving up a home I loved and pressure at work. None of these probably contributed to my SAH, I think I was also jealous about life just continuing as normal for them - that green demon does play with your mind. Just remember you have so much more to give, achieve and that things will improve slowly. Perhaps see a life coach to help you look at your strengths, and to explore opportunities you have not looked at. From your posts you have great empathy, sense of humour and good people skills all valuable assets. I am not sure if you have any close friends who can also help, of course we also here to support. I know you will survive this blip, you have survived so much worse. Sharon x

Sorry I missed this but hope the day went well and you celebrated your SAH survival. Life is hard when you have parents or relatives that need care, guilt never leaves you and there is often a conflict between what is best for you and the person you care for. I often have this caring for my mum but need escape to recharge and carry on. My mum is not too bad but little by little I see her diminish. There will not be a right or wrong in what you decide but go with what feels right to you and your health xX

Sorry to hear you're feeling low Jan I believe no medic really knows the depth of the brain and the recovery it can make so never give up hope that things will improve. Counselling helped me as I have said before, they helped me express my anger, reframe and just having someone external who is not emotionally involved was really useful. You have come a long way and you are bound to grieve for the old life you would not be normal. I am sure you will progress or gain more acceptance of the new you. Sharon x

Hi Crispy Welcome to site, pleased you have found us. After my SAH I became very depressed I too did seek support and counselling helped. I am fine now but it took a while, it is early days and having your mobility issues must add to this. I too tried a holiday just after SAH and again found it too exhausting and too soon. I think that having a SAH is a tremendous shock to the system and naturally it has some impact on your emotions you are doing the right thing speaking to GP, hopefully you will also get lots of support from this site. regards Sharon xx

Welcome Jenni, sorry to hear about your husband it must be very hard for partners. Good advice from all the others but I know Financial worries are hard at this time, as others have said check out sick pay entitlement, if you have a mortgage check to see if you could either pay interest only, or take a payment break or claim housing benefit if renting. Don't hesitate to seek advice as earlier you get this can ease your stress at this difficult time, not sure if hubby in Union as they can often offer advice too. It took me 5 months before I was able to return to work but I did not have a drain/shunt and then like Sarah had phased return, luckily I had good sick pay conditions. I am hoping you will find a new job soon, although that may not be on the cards until you are sure about hubby's recovery. Hoping hubby continues to progress Sharon

Warm welcome Kerryn, pleased that the site has helped it certainly helped me in those early days. I similarly had an aneurysm successfully coiled, although continue to be monitored due to size and location of the aneurysm. Headaches were awful in my early recovery and I did wonder if I would always have them, thankfully they are not as frequent now. It is very early days and I know it must have been a very worrying period for you and your family. I remember the night before my coiling and the anxiety of whether it would work, I also worried about not being able to work. I still have messages I wrote to my family on my phone just in case! I hope you continue to make a good recovery but as advised by some excellent posts listen to your body, pace yourself and expect some good and bad days as a bit of a roller coaster. Take care Sharon

Welcome to the Forum Steve, I am pleased you are feeling better. I was treated in the RVI and also received excellent support. Those first weeks are difficult I remember them well although I was lucky my bleed was slight and I did not need a drain. I had anuerysm which was coiled still being monitored due to size and location. It is a slow journey with good days and bad, more good days now 2 years later so take it slow and listen to your body. A traumatic brain bleed is scary and physical and mental after effects are not always visible so be kind to yourself. I wish you lots of luck in your recovery and look forward to hearing how you get on. Regards Sharon

Welcome Gemma sorry to hear about mum but pleased she is making a good recovery. Whilst I cannot advise on whether she is safe to fly and take the heat, only a Doctor could provide that advice, I can tell you of my experience. I had a SAH in Jan 2015, due to a bleed from an aneurysm - fortunately mine was coiled and I did not have any after effects like mum from her clipping. I had a holiday booked for the March with my family with son coming over from America to fly with us to Lisbon, I was very nervous about it as was still very fatigued and at that time suffering real bad heads and suffering leg pains. Consultant said I was safe to fly and relaxing may help me as was quite depressed. I did go, it was for me a bit early and I found it quite tiring, I could not keep up the pace with my family, who tried very hard but I think could not understand my fatigue or inability to cope with even low level activity. Lisbon was hilly so I don't think that helped and was very busy, as well as beautiful. I think it will depend on how your mum feels and if doctors agree it's safe, you may need to be led by her. If she does decide to go I would advise building in total relaxation days and taking things at a slower pace. I do wish her well and I know for families who have had to watch someone go through this they also need time to recover as it is psychologically very stressful and frightening, so I do hope you take care too. Look forward to hearing how mum gets on and hope you have the lovely wedding you have planned Sharon x