SarahLS

Hi Lynseylou, sorry to read that things have got stressful and worrying again, definitely chat to a pharmacist or GP. I know that when I got a bad headache just a few days before the anniversary of my NASAH I was in such a state that I got an emergency Dr appointment and they were really good at checking everything, calming me down and then getting me some counselling to help process all the emotions. I hope that they can reassure you, and that they can tweak your prescription if needed take care & try to enjoy Christmas

Congratulations and as you say, here's to many more anni-versaries!

Congratulations on reaching your 24 year milestone, and for weathering the downs as well as the positives

Congratulations on the milestone!

I don't remember the back pain too much , but reading that others have problems regulating their body temperature is reassuring in that way misery loves company. Whenever I ask about this side effect it gets passed over, despite me actually dripping perspiration on the floor at one appointment despite the day not being that warm. As symptoms and side effects go it is bearable but it can be embarrassing and unnerving to be completely the wrong temperature for the weather.

Congratulations on your 21st Anni-versary.

Congratulations on the 1 year anniversary, take care of yourself even when recovery doesn't seem linear

Congratulations on the 1st year anniversary, it certainly was full of anxiety for me too but I am slowly reforming the date as a second birthday like Skippy suggests.

I'm so relieved to hear thar others struggle with yoga (and some other exercise types) post SAH. So many people suggest that I take it up as it is low impact but the two times I've tried it in the last 5 years it's caused huge pain, dizziness and weird head pain. I was looking into seated yoga just as the pandemic hit so I must look out for that, these sessions were advertised for older people but I think my brain counts me in this group now. As ever thanks to BTG members for making me feel more normal!

It was a really beautiful morning here and we went for a walk, pretty much out of nowhere it clouded up, the wind picked up and we had a few claps of thunder and a hailstorm. The only warning we had to cut the walk short was the sharp head pain I got out of nowhere - the bbc weather app had only a 5% chance of rain for the day and definitely no warning of a weather front/pressure change. Definitely an afternoon on the sofa after that. Here's hoping the weather settles soon, these rapidly changing conditions are not pleasant. They may not be as extreme as the weather many are experiencing but far more immediately & personally unpleasant.

Hi CHall, glad I could help a bit too. I'm coming up on 5 years since my bleed, and while I'm not the same as I was before I'm definitely doing ok for the most part. I've certainly learned what is important and how to pace myself so I can do these things. I hope your recovery is going ok? Sarah

Thank you so much for explaining this connection in categorising NASAH & stroke. My neurologist has never used the term stroke but my GP always refers to it as such and as all my care has been pretty good I'd not questioned either of them on this discrepancy in naming what happened to me. It also helps me know which box to tick when it comes to declaring what's wrong on insurance forms & when booking Covid/flu jabs etc. Five years on and still learning!

As another perimenopausal SAH survivor I'm also wondering what my options might be if things get worse. Even before my bleed I wasn't allowed to have most variants of the contraceptive pill due the types of migraine I had so I am unsure what what will be offered. Crossing everything at the moment that things don't get much worse so I shall follow this thread with interest.

As everyone was so nice earlier in the year when I was really struggling I thought I'd update a bit as I saw my neurologist yesterday. A face to face appointment (even with masks) was so much better and easier than the ones I've had to have over the phone and I felt I had much more of his attention and we could work through everything that happened as I tried the new meds, and how my head is now. My sky rocketing heart rate & BP when I tried the drug swap in Jan is a cause for concern as it is likely the original SAH was caused by vasoconstriction & a BP spike. He thinks that the SAH has left me with chronic migraine which do need managing, especially as I'm limited in what pain killers I can take and how often. Rather than trying another new drug we're going to tweak what I'm currently taking to see if we can reduce both the frequency of bad headaches and hopefully get rid of the constant tight band feeling that I've had since 2017. He's also recommended trying vitamin B2 supplements as there's been some encouraging research into taking this as a headache prophylactic. I think the best thing about the appointment was that he outlined next steps if this doesn't work, so that I don't get despondent or try to cope on treatment that isn't working. After the phone appointment in November I did think I was at the end of options and when it all went so wrong and then not even returning to how I was in November I was pretty depressed but I do feel both supported and hopeful again now. As ever thank you all for the kind words & support.

Hi there, All the advice here is great and I also notice that Headway, the Brain Injury Charity, launched their ABI awareness week this year to have a focus on how much of a "hidden illness" a SAH is https://www.headway.org.uk/news-and-campaigns/news/2022/new-research-shows-more-than-three-quarters-of-brain-injury-survivors-struggle-every-day-due-to-their-hidden-disability/ the information here might help both family & work? I know sending my colleagues links to some of the Headway resources as I was starting back at work did help some people be more tactful if not understanding.