bogbrush

Never thought of that. Perfect description Karen. Regards Keith

Thanks for the info Paul. I've just re-read all of the men's SAH stories on the site (there are not many of us!). Not one of them mentions agitation or violence. Whether that's due to amnesia of the event or not I don't know, and I must have "presented" as a woman as I had all of those symptoms and none of those you mention for men. Also I was paralysed on both sides, not just one side. I agree Paul that there is no way SAH can be treated the same as a "normal" stroke as there are quite different issues involved both at the acute stage and chronically. I've had a TIA as well, so I've collected the set. Incidentally, I never tell anyone I had a stroke, but always that I had a brain haemorrhage. I know SAH is a type of stroke, but if you mention the word "stroke" people get completely the wrong idea and you end up trying to explain the difference and I feel it's just not worth it. Regards Keith

Hi Steven. Glad you are feeling a bit better and hope the reduction in meds works. That's the trouble with some medication, the side effects can sometimes be as bad or worse than what you are taking them for. There are no rules here that prevent you from mentioning drug names, only that you do not recommend them to others. See forum rule No.3 at viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1792 Regards Keith

Hi Karen. I don't really have any problems except for fatigue and sometimes feeling unwell if I overdo things and some short term memory problems, but all the issues are minor. Essentially, I have returned to very near normal life and can do everything I could before SAH and it took about a year before I reached that stage. As you know, I had a TIA a couple of months ago, but I don't think it was related to SAH. Aneurysm, left posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA), coiled, 2.75 years ago (2.792 to be precise). Regards Keith

Hi Leo You have to be a bit careful with the results of your "mini survey". Your question: "Did anyone else have lots of headaches prior to their SAH?" invites responses mainly from those who did have a history of headaches prior to SAH. I'm not saying you are wrong, unscientific research can be useful, but be aware that the results could be biased. For the record, The frequency and intensity of my headaches prior to SAH were what I would call normal with just the odd migraine. Now I rarely get headaches at all Maybe the SAH damaged my "headache gland" :? Regards Keith

Hi Karen. Something to ponder ... Three common risk factors relating to SAH are smoking, hypertension and excessive alcohol consumption. All three are more common in men, but the influence of these risk factors seem to be about equal in men and women. Source: http://stroke.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/27/3/544 That makes any exclusively female factors even more influential in explaining why women are more susceptible to SAH than men. Good luck with your research. Regards Keith

Hi Jac. Whatever you want to ask, make sure you write it down before you go. Here's my original post on the subject with a few starter questions. I'm sure there are more. viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1000 I also had to pay £25 for a CD copy of my angiograms and CT scans. Regards Keith

Hi Caroline. Well done to you and your family for getting through the first year. It was around one year before I felt that I was finally back to some sort of normality and like Karen, the second year for me was a definite improvement. It's also a tough time for families and it takes some time to realise that they suffer too. Have a good day and celebrate life. Regards Keith

That's great news Karen I can also understand reasons for not linking to a certain extent, but also when it comes to non-charities like the NHS it's difficult to get a link unless the site meets strict criteria. We have managed to get a link on a couple though: NHS Choices http://www.nhs.uk Patient Advice and Liason Service (PALS) http://www.pals.nhs.uk Thanks to everyone for making this site what it is. Regards Keith

I wouldn't dream of pulling you up Karen. I'm no expert. We are all in this together and learning all the time. One of the things about internet research is to be selective. No, that doesn't mean believing what you want to believe, but don't just believe something because you've read it somewhere once, as the information could be erroneous, or at best, out of date. I usually try to verify any information from at least one other different source. Having said all that, the best source of information for anyone's medical condition is their GP (sometimes!) or Neurosurgeon. Regards Keith

I have done a bit of (non-expert) research on the location of cerebral aneurysms and most sources I can find essentially agree with the following which is from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/252142-overview Anterior circulation: 86.5%. These include the anterior communicating artery (30%), internal carotid artery (ICA) at the posterior communicating artery origin (25%) and the middle cerebral artery (MCA) bifurcation (20%), ICA bifurcation (7.5%). The remaining 4% elsewhere in the anterior circulation. Posterior (vertibrobasilar) circulation: 10%. These include the basilar artery bifurcation (7%) and the origin of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) (3%) The remaining 3.5% of aneurysms are in miscellaneous locations such as the superior cerebellar artery and the anterior inferior cerebellar artery where thet branch off the basilar artery. Hope the maths adds up! There seems to be some confusion over the abbreviations of the artery names. Some sources use PCA for posterior communicating artery and others use PComA. PCA is also used by some sources for the posterior cerebral artery. Wikipedia uses PCA as an abbreviation for both arteries! :? Posterior communicating artery aneurysms are also associated with ocularmotor pariasis (something to do with eye movement?) Sorry for all the medical jargon. The diagram at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_of_Willis may help to decipher some of it ... or not Regards Keith

Hi Pam and welcome to behindthegray. There's plenty here to read, so I hope you get what you need from here. Regards Keith

Best wishes to you Scott and your family for the celebration of life. I am at a crossroads in my own life and struggling to decide my future. Your post has definitely given me something to think about. Regards Keith

Congratulations Andy and Heather for getting through theses last 4 years. I know it's not been easy for you, but you are an inspiration to many people. Best wishes Keith

Sami, I think you're getting the PICA confused with the PCA (posterior communicating artery). The PICA (posterior inferior cerebellar artery) is where my anni was/is. Medical jargon can be a nightmare to understand. The following link shows a good diagram of the arteries around the brain. I know it's Wikipedia and all that, but the diagram seems to be an accurate adaptation of the Grey's Anatomy original: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_of_Willis The PICA is one of the 6 arteries feeding the cerebellum (3 left, 3 right). Although the artery was sacrificed - it was blocked completely by coiling - I don't have any balance or co-ordination problems. Regards Keith

Hi Tisha That's good news about Tina Things can be up and down in the early stages and it sometimes seems that recovery goes back a step but it is quite common. I remember almost nothing about being in ICU, except when they removed the ventilator and I started to breath for myself and I don't recall being frightened. Once I was moved to HDU (High Dependency Unit) I would have times when I was quite lucid, but also times when I was very sleepy and didn't respond much to visitors or even remember them. The lucid periods gradually become longer. As you say, one day at a time. Don't be worried if some days she is not so responsive. Regards Keith

Tisha, welcome to behindthegray. You are not selfish to feel you need a break. Families and carers suffer too. These things can take a great deal of time, so keep your spirits up and remember you need to look after youself as well as your sister. Regards Keith

Melissa, welcome to behindthegray. What you are feeling is common to most of us here so you are among friends. Regards Keith

Susan, a warm welcome to behindthegray. Losing your independance is hard to deal with, but take some time to look around the site and see how others have dealt with it. We're here to help. Regards Keith

Having suffered a TIA last week, I've written an account of it which you can read here: http://www.behindthegray.net/vbulletin/content.php?162-My-TIA-by-Keith-Belton Regards Keith

Hi Laura. A hard decision to make. If you tell your prospective employer, it may harm your career or promotional prospects, although that should not be the case. It may also affect the way in which colleagues perceive your ability to do your job. If you don't tell them, they may be less sympathetic if you need time off, especially with hidden illness, like the effects of SAH. In theory, your ability and skills to do the job should be the only criteria, but in practice it can be a different matter. Sorry I can't advise you, but there could be consequences either way. Regards Keith

I have received the following interesting comments about my SAH story on my blog and thought you may also be interested to read them. The italics are mine: ...and my reply: Regards Keith

Congratulations Donna on your 1st aneurversary. Hope you've been celebrating and enjoying the gift which is life. Regards Keith

Happy 1st aneurversary. Hope you had a good day. Sorry it's late. Keith

Hi Neil Welcome to behindthegray and thanks for sharing your story. I'm also from Basingstoke BTW. I wasn't given a CT scan at NHH at first. I had a second bleed before they took it seriously, got the CT scan done and diagnose SAH. People tend to forget that family and carers suffer too and often need help to overcome what has happened. You are welcome to post the link to your blog here. Look forward to reading it. Regards Keith