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Kerryn


Kerryn

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Hi all

 

This post is to introduce myself and at the same time, to thank all the contributors to this excellent resource. For those of us that have had an SAH - this is a fantastic website. 

 

I'm married with two young kids (10 and 4) and live in Melbourne, Australia. 

 

On 6th April, a bit over 3-weeks ago, I had just completed a 30-minute run when I bent over to grab a dropped coin only to experience an "instant headache". As I don't get headaches, I figured something was amiss. Told my wife and she didn't like the sound of it either so after a couple minutes of her going to "Doctor Google" - she had me booked into a local GP. I owe her my life because I wouldn't have booked myself in! The local GP was about 70-years old and thought it best to book me into the local hospital for a CT scan - "just to be safe". 

 

The CT scan showed the bleed so I was ambulanced to hospital and operated on that afternoon, (6th April 2017). Thankfully I had all my facilties with no neuro deficits. In brilliant care of the doctors and nurses, I was coiled via angiogram. Ten days in the HDU, I followed doctors orders with high levels of fluid intake (they told me 3-litres but I averaged 4 per day). The first three or four days post operation were horrendous due to the headaches and sleep deprivation but it improved as days rolled on. 

 

I spent about 2-weeks in hospital and am now recovering at home. Thankfully I feel fine but like 99% of posts on this website, my batteries run out sooner than before the SAH. 

 

Today I have a small headache and slight neck ache but having read the posts here, that's normal. Phew. With this thing that has occurred, it makes you a bit more worried so I'm relived there is a forum such as this. 

 

Wishing everyone a speedy recovery. 

 

Thanks again. 

 

Regards

 

Kerryn

 

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Welcome to btg kerryn hope things keep improving at the rate they are but don't be alarmed if recovery slows down or you seem to be going backwards because that does happen in the first few months xxx

 

Please keep us updated with how you are getting on xxx

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Hi Kerryn,  A warm welcome to BTG.  

 

Congratulations to your wife for being on the ball and arranging that doctors appointment. 

I'm glad that you are doing reasonably well after such an event - finding this wonderful site so early on will give you much reassurance,  support and friendship. 

 

I hope your recovery continues to go well for you - plenty of rest breaks throughout the day is always good advice to help with that, all too common tiredness/fatigue.

 

Best wishes,

Sarah

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Kerryn, welcome to BTG! 

 

Not the usual post run endophins which you would have preferred I am sure but glad your wife acted so promptly and the doctor was diligent to get it checked, it will help in the long run I'm sure that you got such fast treatment. . 

 

Great you are keeoing the fluid levels up. Little and often with your efforts, learn to pace at things and then rest after everything but if you are a runner you should find that makes sense, apply that logic and it should help you. 

 

Btg i think plugs the scary uncertainties  that sits with us post bleed. There are lots of odd and unfamiliar sensations, different pains and when they happens it plucks at the fears we all naturally have, but that will Improve and come here and ask and someone will usually be able to share an experience and offer an ear and gentle reassurance. 

 

Oh and one comment on the kids, mine were similar age when it all happened, don't  hide your need for gentle recovery from them and be tempted to be a super hero pretending all is well. Explain you are still a bit broken and ask them to help you, that sometimes you will need extra rest, extra quiet, but if they can help with that then it will mean a faster repair process for daddy. It also makes it less scary for them as it's behaviour to be expected even if it's unusual to you pre bleed. Suggest and offer lots of cuddles, there's healing magic in that. 

 

Take care, go steady. 

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Thanks Daffodil - I really appreciate the feedback. My kids tend to think I'm a superhero so your advice on that resonated with me.  

 

I'd like to hear what happened to you too, same goes for Jess and kempse. All these stories help sew the fabric of this together, for all of us. 

 

As my experience is still so fresh, there is plenty for me to read on this site so I'm grateful for that. 

 

Thanks again. 

 

Kerryn

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Hi Kerryn,

 

Welcome to BTG!

 

My wife tells me that when I drop a coin, I go down that fast to retrieve it, it hits me on the back of the head!  I joke, of course!  Yours is indeed a familiar tale and you are discovering that time is what you need to heal properly and that there are no quick fixes where SAH is concerned.

 

I would suggest to you that you take this opportunity to re-appraise your overall lifestyle, to de-clutter, and work out what is really important to you and go from there!  Above all eat well, keep hydrated and rest well too.

 

Here's hoping you continue to improve and listen to your body - it has a way of telling you when it's had enough - so give it a chance and take your time before you start pushing yourself!

 

best wishes,

 

Macca

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Ha - that coin joke is actually hilarious. 

 

Thanks for the feedback Macca - I'm grateful for the advice from your experience. 

 

As I've mentioned, I'm less than a month from the bleed and operation so these posts are 'gold' to read about; the comfort is huge. 

 

I've already noticed your name today as I've been reading this site for hours. (Same goes for other names here).

 

Thanks again Macca and everyone.

 

I'll keep reading for a bit.

 

Kerryn

 

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You're welcome! 

 

Cherry pick the important bits from the site that fit your way of life and your own experiences.

 

Whatever you do, don't become complacent and be more mindful of your limitations.  Change and adapt in line with your own requirements.  Your body gave you a warning shot, so respect it and find other ways to get results.  Even the smallest changes will make a difference.

 

There is life after SAH - we are living proof of it - 6.5 years since I had mine - but life isn't the same as it was - not better or worse, but different.  It's how you deal with the unexpected changes that count.

 

Stay positive and good luck Kerryn, let us know how you get on!

 

Macca

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Welcome to the BTG.  Also welcome to the smaller group of us who experienced bleeds while running or doing other strenuous exercise.  Sound like you are really doing well and have a great outlook ahead of you.  As I know you have read on there many times already, listen to your body and stay hydrated.

 

Heal quickly!

 

Chris

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Thanks again Macca and thanks Chris G. Nice to meet you too. 

 

Yes,  it's comforting to grab the nuggets of experience from you guys. I've been home for 13-days and I've been doing a bit too much, coupled with not drinking enough fluids over the last few days so hence I have had a slight headache on and off over 24-hrs.  I am learning to listen to my body and brain to ensure I do all the right things required to recover. 

 

I cant sing the praises enough of the team at the Royal Melbourne Hospital but on discharge, it would be handy to have a 3-page info sheet titled something like : "Common Things to Expect on Your Road to Recovery from a SAH". In the absence of that, thank goodness you guys are around and this website exists for us! 

 

Thanks

 

Kerryn 

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Hi Kerryn

 

welcome to the site and glad you are finding it so useful. It certainly helped me on my road to recovery and has been a great source of friendship and understanding. 

 

13 days home is such early days, make sure you get that rest and keep those fluids up. 

 

I too was running when I had my bleed and am glad to say I am back to it now. It has been an immense help in my recovery as it helps alleviate stress. So wait a while, get the go ahead from your medics and then get back out there. 

 

There will be you, me and Chris out there running again on 3 different continents ?  All survivors.  

 

Take care and keep us posted 

 

Clare xx 

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Hello Kerryn, and also a warm welcome to BTG.

 

Delighted that you are finding the site so helpful following your return home from hospital. Unlike you, I did not find the site early ...(3 and 1/2 years after my wife`s SAH on May 2011)

 

Great to hear that you are so positive after such a traumatic event in your life. Your wife did so well to get prompt attention following your headache. How is she and your young family? Your coiling and 10 days in HDU must have been such a tense time for all of them.

While it is so early in your recovery, I am sure it is evident that family life is already adapting to your SAH.

 

You have not mentioned the big `W` word.              (work) , although no doubt in reading the many threads available on the site, you will already have come across so many comments about returning to your employment.

Please respect your brain trauma and be prepared to take time to discover any limitations in your `new` you. Don`t fight the fatigue when it comes to working.  SAH is likely to win every time.  Always better to set yourself a controlled phased return to work.

 

You are absolutely right when you say there was so little support information provided when you were discharged. Something that is repeated regularly on BTG. The Brain and Spine Foundation in the UK have a very helpful leaflet for download from their website.

 

Take care you and your family ............ 

 

 

Subs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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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

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Thanks for the feedback

 

Clare M - thank you fellow runner,  glad to hear you're running again! With my SAH, the first thing I'm gunning for is recovery. Rebleeds can happen but I've read that it is 'low risk' but I suppose it is always a possibility for us. I'll do whatever I'm told by the doctors but it would be nice to start running again at some point. They said I can "build up to it" but I wouldn't mind some detail of what that might look like. I used to run four times per week for about 30-mins but given my circumstances, I'd be grateful to run for 10-mins , three times per week!  I'm happy to brisk walk. It's weird because I've read in places that due to SAH, sufferers should not do anything too physical - no running, no weight lifting, no skiing etc. others say 'go ahead'. Confusing.

 

Subzero - thanks for the 'return to work' info. Fortunately my work support me 100% so I'm lucky in that respect. The doctor said to take a month off from the day I was discharged so that will be just shy of 6-weeks from the SAH. They said to start slow and build up so I will. Thanks for the Brain and Spine Foundation link too - I actually stumbled across that last night. 

 

Sharlua - it's comforting to read that there are good and bad days. As I said earlier, I've had a great couple of weeks but a few mild headaches and a slight stiff neck the last few days. Nothing like the headaches during the first week post coiling. 

 

My SAH was a grade 1 so I was luckier than others with that - having read many of the posts here. 

 

Thanks everyone

 

Kerryn

 

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Kerryn

 

It will obviously differ from person to person. I was running between 50 to 70 miles a month when my NASAH attacked me. For theee months I was told no strenuous exercise so I just walked carefully for a while. After my checkup scan I was given clearance to start again. I was surprised that it only took me a few weeks to get back to where I was before. But again the key is to listen to your body. Even today if I start a run and feel fatigued or get a headache shortly into it I will stop and walk when before I would have pushed myself to continue. 

 

Patience and time and hopefully you will be pounding the ground again with Claire and me. 

 

Chris

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Thanks for that Chris - wow between 50-70 miles per month! That's huge. It's great news you're back there too Chris. 

 

As you said, I'll listen to my body and introduce running slowly. I have a check up with the surgeon in 3-weeks so I'll talk to him about it, see if I can build to a program. Not sure I'll be back at peak levels in a few weeks like you but I think I'll give it a go. Slowly, slowly. If I can great, otherwise I'll find something else like walking or swimming? 

 

Thanks

 

Kerryn

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Walking and swimming are great too Kerryn. I started my physical build up by swimming at my local pool and gradually moving on to running. 

 

Get the all clear and go from there. Just take it slowly and  gradually build  things up. 

 

Like Chris I have good and bad days and adjust accordingly. Last night I was fairly exhausted after work so I cut back the distance. It meant I still ran but not so far. 

 

You will get there. Take care with work though as a 6 weeek return to work seems ambitious. Many here have at least 3 months off and admit longer would have been better.

 

Whatever you do just take it slowly as working will put extra pressure on your brain. You won't know until you try it but be cautious and take heed of the signs your brain gives you when its had  enough and stop. 

 

Good luck, good to hear how you are getting on. 

 

Ckare xx

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Hi Kerryn G'day

 

Warm welcome to the site glad that you found us...

 

Always remember although we've had the same thing we're all different and what one can do doesn't mean the other can. Slow and easy, listening to the body and keep hydrated....

 

take care

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Thanks Louise - I appreciate those reminders. Yes, no two of us are the same. 

 

Thanks too ClareM - I always appreciate the advice. I'll take it on. I'm only planning on going bank to work gradually - 8 hrs first week and increase from there as I see fit. Thankfully, my work side of things is very understanding. 

 

I'll keep you posted. 

 

Kerryn x

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