Liz D

Hi Kel I'm so sorry your feeling stressed and fully understand, no you are not being sensitive, your employer is being insensitive/ignorant. But sadly it's a story told over and over. I work in a hospital and my office manager is a former ward manager on a mental health unit. Usually phased returns are over a 4 week period and in some circumstances over 8 weeks. Normally you would recieve full pay for this time. But this usually covers things like small ops, broken arm/leg that sort of thing. When it comes to heart attack, stress or in my case a SAH then it's over a 6 month period. However you will only get paid the hours that are worked. You have done so well to get to where you are, in such a short time. Shame on them for not doing a little research into SAH and they would see that for themselves!!And yes they are being harsh! But you sound a strong person and I think a good night's sleep will help. We have to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and get ready to fight another day, when we shouldn't have to! Sorry have ranted a bit also but I just got so mad when I read your post!! Liz xx

Hi My blood pressure shot up 4 months after my SAH. It was through the roof at my hospital follow up appointment last July. The doc at the hospital got me a little worried with his reaction!! He told me to get straight to my GP and get it sorted, he then said that it was very dangerous for me!!! I had to reassure him that my GP was treating it and was tryng to get under control! No one has told me why is went up. I take a beta blocker in the morning and an ace inhibitor in the evening. This medication slows me down and aggrivates the fatigued. I get my BP checked every month. I've been strict with my diet and even drink beetroot juice every day in the hope that I could get off these tabs. Nearly got the tabs reduced in December but stress at worked has knocked that into touch!! Liz xx

Hi Kel I returned to work in December. I usually do 35 hours a week. I started on 6 hours spread over two days, with a day in between. I was shattered at first but it did get easier. I had a load of annual leave, so worked 3 weeks and took week 4 as leave. Second month I increased it to 12 hours, over two days with a day in between. I was coping really well. My problem has been lack of support from my office manager and supervisor. My colleagues have been amazing though. Unfortunately I am now back off sick due to stress caused by bullying. Bit of a nightmare with the union involved and complaints going in on my behalf!! Make sure they understand that although you look really well your brain is still healing and you get fatigued. You need them to be supportive and approachable. I would suggest that you ask your line manager to meet with you say every two weeks and the two of you can discuss how you are doing. That gives you the opportunity to say how you are coping and also your manager can give you feed back. My occy health doctor said my phased return could take as long 6 months. Listen to your body and rest when you need to. I would nip to the loos, put the light out and sit in the dark for about 5 mins, when I found my brain was strating to have enough. This gave my brain a little recharging. The very best of luck you are doing really well. Liz xx

Hi Diane Good luck for today. Liz

Hi Debra I was a secretary for most of my working life. My spelling and accuracy was never called into question. But now! when I first starting posting I would write notes on a piece of paper because I couldn't think about words and type, it was too hard. Even now I type my post and go back and have to edit it because of the spelling or because it doesn't make sense. There's no way I could take minutes anymore, that I think is gone and I can't see me ever being able to do that, not for a long long time. The strange thing is I'm really accurate when it comes to numbers. Either putting information into the computer at work or doing the household budget. I was just ok with numbers before but this seems to have improved! I still have problems with not finding words. I find small talk very difficult and still prefer to listen. It's a nightmare meeting someone for the first time and there are no words in my brain and there's an awkward silence! I'm completely rubbish with names! You are not the only one! Liz xx

Hi Mike Welcone to BTG. You are doing really well and I think we all understand the need to get back to some sort of "normality". But as the others have said listen to your body and don't do too much. Maybe the hospital is busy and that's why your appointment has been delayed. My coiling procedure was cancelled at 2.30pm on the day I should have had it because they had an emergency admission. That person was a lot more poorly than me but these things happen. I agree about the aftecare when we are discharged. My GP has been wonderful but he has experience of patients with a SAH but this forum has been a godsend and helped my recovery. Liz xx

Thanks Jess. xx

Hi Kel You must be exhausted after all that but well done you, you coped very well. I remember going to my follow up apointment and the doctors face when I pulled out an A4 sheet of paper full of questions! But she listened to you and that's important. I was told a minmum of 12 weeks off work. So 8 weeks is a bit soon. It's a huge leap going back to work and your right to have some time just for you. You're doing fantastic Kel it took me 9 1/2 months to get back to work. She could be right about the neck pain and some headaches. My aneurysm was on my left vertebral artery and I get a lot of neckpain and stiffness in my neck, sometimes I still can't move my head to the left because it's seized up. I was referred to a physio and what a difference. She explained that I had muscles in my neck that needed to be "switched off" and other muscles that needed to be "switched on". At one point she massaged the muscles in my neck at the left and I nearly shot through the roof with the pain! But I can move my head much easier and I am having very few headaches. She also told me that stress and anxiety were causing me pain and stiffness. But your feeling better having had some questions answered and that's the important bit. Take care Liz xx

Hi Neil Congratulations on your 1st Ani-versary (and your wedding). What an amazing year you've had and I look forward to hearing what you've packed in to your second year! Liz xx

Hi Momo If you want to have a look at the picture gallery, go to the top of this page and click on Home. Look at the list on the lefthand side and click on photo gallery, where some members have uploaded photos. I think Holly's pictures are on page 3 or 4. The picture of Robin Sellar is the 1st one. Hope your headache gets better. Liz xx

Hi Momo Thank you for sharing your story. It must be quite difficult not remembering. I've read the book A Dented Image, and there are stories from SAH survivors who remember nothing. In some cases they were ok with this but others found it difficult not remembering. Have you read this? I remember most of what happened when I had my SAH. I was treated at Edinburgh Western Infirmary and my neuroradiologist who carried out my coiling was was Robin Sellar. A lovely, very tall man, who would draw diagrams for me. In fact Holly is pictured with him in her photo album! Have you spoken to your GP about how you feel? It can be very difficult coming to terms with the "new me". Hope you relaxed and enjoyed your cuppa. Liz xx

Hi I've just found this thread from last year. I've watched the video and found it fascinating. Does anyone know if she has written a book? Liz

Hi Momo Welcome to the forum. You will find everyone very friendly and very supportive. Take care Liz xx

Hi Norma I found at the beginning of recovery, as I was starting to do more during the day, then I would have a headache in the evening. It still happens, when I meet with friends for lunch, then I'll be headachey in the evening because of the chattering. I still get headaches in the morning but I find that's after I've been pysically active during the day, when I've done too much housework or my walk has been too far. But the headaches are not as severe as at the start and no where near as often. I was light and noise sensitive for the first few months but it is much better now. Although sunglasses are a must in summer and actually thought about wearing them when we had the deep snow because it was too bright! I find the lights in the like of Tesco way too bright, yet I'm ok in Asda! Like Karen said it seems to be worse when tired, so make sure you are still gettting lots of rest. It's still very early days for you but you are doing amazing for just 5 weeks. Liz xx

Hi Nurianna It probably is connected to your cold. A month before my SAH I had been out for the evening. At 5am I was being violently sick, this was the Sunday. At work on the Monday my right eye was full of blood, at the top underneath my eye lid. I had had a stomping headache between bouts of vomiting on the Sunday morning. I now know that that was a warning bleed, as having blood in your eye is a sign. But I must stress the headache was excrutiating. I'm sure yours is due to your cold but it would be a good idea to mention to your GP. Liz xx

Hi https://secure.blood.co.uk/c11_cant.asp This gives all the information on who can and who should think about not giving blood. Doesn't really say that blood can't be given after an operation but that it should be discussed with the clinicians. Liz xx

Hi Noah I'm now nearly one year post SAH. I was told that recovery could take two years and that it will ongoing. I remember 4 months post SAH feeling great and thinking that I would be back at work end of July '09! Then my blood pressure went up and this caused a bit of set back. It was December '09 before I went back to work. I got quite low back in June. My GP had a good way of putting it. I wasn't to look at it as forwards and backwards, that's negative. I was to see it as ups and downs. Througout recovery I would have ups and downs. Ups were the really good days when I was able to take on more and progress. Because I was able do more I would get more tired. Down days were rest days and rest days were getting getter days. So when I have times that I'm not doing as much as I was, then I rest because I know that things are still progressing and that when my brain/body has had enough rest, then I'll be back up again. I think our bodies slow recovery down when our batteries need recharged or when maybe we do too mcuh. Liz

Hi I haven't been through a car wash but I I find I can get terrible nausea if we travel anymore than 15mins. Living in the country we have to travel to Edinburgh (35miles) to shop for anything other than food, and I'm very dizzy by the time we get there. I can't have the radio on and actually have used an eye mask to block out the passing images (obviously I'm not driving!!)or I have to close my eyes for ost of the journey. Last year my youngest sister got married on the west coast of Scotland, a 135mile drive. By the time we got to the hotel my head was spinning. I was still very dizzy the next day, the day of the wedding. The service was at 4pm in the hotel and I didn't get out of bed until 2.45 because the place was spinning and was back in bed by 10pm that night. It was horrible, it was like being on a ferry crossing in really bad weather. I felt as though the floor was moving. I get dizzy at physio when I do the neck excercises, I have to move my head from left to right for 10 reps and have to close my eyes when doing this. I sometimes close my eyes just turning around to stop the dizzyness. I also can't walk at any pace other than slow or I find i start to get dizzy. I didn't realise how slow I was until back at work, I'm always way behind everyone going to the canteen for breaks! I wondered if it was because my left vertebral artery is coiled and maybe blood takes longer to get to my brain but maybe not reading how others are afeected. Liz xx

Hi Norma Welcome to BTG. As karen said you are very early in your recovery and it can be an anxious time. I remember waking during the night in a panic thinking it was happening again. It will ease as time goes by. Make sure you are getting plenty of rest and drinking your 3 litres of fluid. The length of recovery varies from person to person but what we experience during that time can be very similar! It took me 9 1/2 months to return to work. I never thought it would take me that long, each month I kept saying "maybe next month"! You are doing really well even posting, it took me a couple of months to even sit at the computer and switch it on! Take care Liz xx

Hi Paula You have been through a lot, the headaches etc are something we all seem to have. I take heart from the people who are further down the road than me,which gives me confidence. Our recovery times are all different. There is a wealth of support and information on this site. Take care Liz xx

Hi Paul - you have such a lot to deal with but still find time to encourage others. Thank you and I hope all is well with Lin. Tina - I have wondered the same thinkg but hope she never has to go thorugh anything like this. The lack of empathy is surprising considering she's a nurse! But things are now more positive. Liz xx

Hi Janet - good luck when back at work. That's a bit harsh, I understand for most people 8 days a year is more than enough but there are all sorts of conditions, besides SAH, that compromise peoples ability to not get sick! I'm just back from my appointment with the occy health doc. What a difference!! He's been spoken to is my guess. The occy health head of department is now involved! He was so supportive that he made me cry! My husband came with me because I was getting so stressed about it. The upshot is that he will meet with my manager, HR, the head of OT and explain how things will be. He stressed that it's not a phased return but a rehabilitation programme, that will be assessed as we go along. A huge weight has been taken off my shoulders. I saw my GP yesterday and he was furious. He told me to tell them that he will sign me off if they keep up this pressure and he knows that I don't want that. But I am showing symptoms of stress. He wants to see next Thurs to see how I am am. I think he will see a very different me from yesterday! This is all thanks to a lovely girl from OH who did the assessment last week and witnessed my manager going off on one. She did say she was going to report back to her line manager and she has. She's a bit of hero for me just now!! I'm now looking forward to trying 6 hours this Thurs and Friday to see how I cope! This is what a support and understanding does for a body!! Thanks for the support Janet and Mel. Liz

Hi Sarah You should be proud of yourself, what a story! I was lucky form the start, the nurse at the other end of the phone when my husband called NHS24 (that's what NHS direct is called in Scotland) told him she thought it was a bleed. So that's what the hospital was expecting. Never mind about packing a bag, I would have shaved my legs!! I should have gone to the beatician the day of my SAH as we were going out to celebrate my birthday, but I just wasn't up to it. When the doc (a former colleague!!) examined me and said he was going to check my ankles I could have crawled away!! No matter how much pain we are in, vanity will always be there! I can laugh about now but at the time I was mortified, thank goodness for surgical stockings!! I agree with you about stress. I don't beleive it's the cause of why aneurysms grow but I do think stress can cause them to rupture. I had a bleed when I was 37, a few weeks after my dad died suddenly. Then last year when I had my SAH, I was feeling very stressed. But then stress can raise your blood pressure. I have also found a family link. I don't know my dad's family very well but have spent the latter part of last year contacting some of them. I now know that my paternal grandfather died from a SAH and that I have a cousin who had a SAH February 2008. So finally I know what caused mine. My cousin lives in Canada and it's quite interesting that her daughter will now be scanned regularly, as they say there is a family llink. I will wait to see what the implications for my 3 children and are 5 siblings are here. I also agree with you about this site. I was 8 months into recovery when I found it. Just to find others who understand is such a relief and the support is just wonderful. It's definately helped my recovery. Liz xx

Hi Karen I was 49 (+1 day!). Dissecting aneurysm of left vertebral artery. Coiling and occlusion of the vertebral artery. Completely occluded. Liz xx

Hi Janet It makes such a difference when they're understanding. The girls in the office are so lovely and understanding, they completely get it, and becuase of them I cope. My manager made it quite clear on Tuesday that her sympathies lie with animals!! We all know one don't we!! Thank you Janet. Liz xxx