SAH & Stroke Victim by seedless

Hi all,

I've been reading peoples stories on here and thought i'd share mine!

26th Oct 2012 approx 7.30pm, i had sold some of my fishing tackle on ebay, ard 2 young lads had came to collect from dudley. I went into my garage with them to sort the stuff out. I remember that i started to feel weird, cant explain the actual feeling but also felt dizzy, the next thing i remember is waking up in Coventry hospital.

My partner later informed me that as i was sorting fishing stuff out in the garage, i had collapsed and had a seizure, i was being sick. One of the young lads came bashing on the living room window to my partner and was shouting at her to come quick!

She then rang for ambulance and paramedics were then within minutes. She also told me that i had lost the feeling in my right arm and leg immediately after having the seizure.

The paramedics were going to take me to the stroke unit at Royal Worcester hospital, they changed their mind as soon as i said that my vision had gone, it may have only been for a few seconds but that made them change their minds and take me straight into resus.

It was there where i had my first CT scan which revealed i had suffered a ruptured aneurysm/SAH. All the time that i was there, apparently all i kept on saying was that my head it going to explode, i continued to vomit and was given some anti-sickness meds. Within about 5/6 hours i was on my way to Coventry where i would spend the next 3 weeks of my journey.

I was sent straight to the step-down unit which is a high dependency ward, and then was sent for an angiogram during early hours of night which revealed a bleed around the size of a 50p piece. I still dont recall much of this at all and my partner has had to fill in many, many gaps. I was given the choice between having the coiling op or the craniotomy, apparently i gave my permission for the coiling op to be done even though it came with the higher risks, i dont even recall signing the form but i did. I had the op done 29th Oct 12.

My family got a phone call from the hospital the following day, to say i had gone a little downhill and were moving me to critical care. Apparently i was very agitated and was suffering from lack of sleep, the doctors decided to put me into an induced coma.

I was put onto a breathing machine, hooked up by a tube in my mouth, they said that with them doing this it would give my body the rest it needs to recover. They kept my blood pressure high to make sure the blood forced the vessels in my brain to stay open as they thought i was suffering from vasospasm, which indeed i was.

I also came down with pneumonia whilst on the breathing machine. Doctors then changed the breathing tube in my mouth of the trachea tube so they could try and bring me around easy, they tried on the 4th day (3rd Nov) but as i came round i was trying to pull the tubes out so as i wouldnt calm down they put me back under. I finally woke up on the 6th day (5th Nov). It was such a shock to be awake but unable to speak, i was sure i was speaking but nothing was coming out. The nurses gave me an etcha-sketch so i could try and communicate but as i was right-handed and it was that side that i had weakness, i couldnt manage it. I finally had the trachea out on 7th Nov and was moved back to the step-down ward.

I had daily visits from the Physio and the OT nurse, i was taking little steps on the way to recovery. It was hard but i wanted to go home to my partner and 2 young children! I was eventually discharged 13th Nov. Even though i struggled a little at home, i was so glad to be back. I knew i still had a lot more of recovering to do but i was on the right path.

i still have weakness in my right hand and i have accepted that it will never go back to normal, i also suffered with nightmares, which my doctor prescribed me some sleeping tablets so they have seemed to eased off a little, i also went into depression and am still dealing with that now but I'm just so glad i can look forward to the future!