Jod-Dee

Loretta, I found a huge relief with those gel ice packs, would wrap them in a tea towel and put one across my forehead and one across the back of my neck. Think they helped twice as much as the pain pills they gave me. The pain comes from the blood in the cerebral fluid, so until it is absorbed over the next few months he will still have headaches. Hope it helps!

Hello chweetgurl, That must have been such a scary first day for both of you. It is all a little overwhelming when it first happens, because usually we have no prior knowledge of what to expect. And it is agonizing to watch or be someone in so much pain, when it seems nothing really helps. Take it one day at a time, and if you have questions, there always seems to either be someone with the answers or a thread with helpful info. Fingers crossed that the CT scan and/or MRI brought good results. Remember to take care of yourself too. *hugs*

Well, the biggest thing I learned was to listen to my body/head...it would let me know when I had overdone it. Just because you have a good day, doesn't mean you are cured, it means you let your body heal. When you push it too hard, it pushes back. I was told that it would take at least 3 months for the body to absorb the blood out of the cerebral fluid. The hardest thing for me was accepting that I could not do even 10% of what I could normally do before the NASAH. Eventually the good-ish days outnumbered the bad ones, until they became Good days. But it certainly wasn't like gettting a cast removed and getting mobility of a limb back, it was a slow process that taught me patience. Respect your body I found ice packs worked wonders on my neck for headaches. Mary...don't "suck it up"...be kind to yourself, and give yourself the gift of time to heal (hugs)

Welcome to BTG, I think right after pain, the second worst symptom to cope with is frustration. Frustration at not being able to do the things you normally can do. It would be easier if the brain wasn't working overtime to remind you of all the things you want or need to do. And frustration at getting tired so easily. Sometimes I think this happens to us so that we take a step back and reassess our lives and what we think is important. Journalling and writing to threads or reading other peoples stories here is such a big help because then you don't feel so alone. You are among friends, take care of yourself and drink water,water, water to flush all that blood out of your brain for the next few months. Hope today is going better for you

I discovered a neck tie that has these crystals in them. You soak it in water and they swell up and slowly release the water onto your neck, cooling you down. If it weren't for these neckties I wouldn't be able to handle the heat firefighting in the summer, they are a lifesaver!!! So needless to say, they work well for golfing too http://www.practicaldesign.ca/ties.php here's a link to what I am talking about, you can usually buy them in sports stores too

Hello Mike, Enjoyed reading your story and I loved your line........ I'm going for an operation. Through my groin???? Mad thought comes to me that I'm glad I didn't damage my groin or they'd be going through my brain?????!!!!!!!!!!!! Strength and humor are two of the best qualities to get a person through this, along with a good dose of being kind to yourself and not overdoing it. Welcome

Hello John, I found the hardest part was accepting limitations. It was beyond frustrating to want to be able to do the same things that pre-NASAH seemed so easy, and then seemed impossible or possibly not worth the headache and fatigue that would come afterwards. But I am sure you have realised that the best advice comes from your own body, and to listen to it when it says "slow down and be kind to me ". Congratulations on your upcoming anniversary and live each day to the fullest!

Hello all, I don't come to this site very often anymore, but thought I would write a quick note. Today is my two year anniversary, and I am happy to say that there has been no residual problems. I had a NASAH for no reason Oct. 23, 2009, spent nine days in the hospital, and had a follow up CT scan about 2 months later that came back clear. After a few months the fatigue and headaches went away and I have been healthy ever since. After reading some people's stories, I cannot describe how grateful I am to have no real after effects and to not have needed surgery to heal. It was better than winning the lottery I think. When I discovered this site it was a bit of a lifesaver because there was no support group that I knew of around where I live, and being able to read other people's stories, ask questions, have questions answered....was an invaluable tool to help in my recovery wishing a great day for everyone,

I had/have depression off and on for half my life, and yes sometimes find that medications are necessary, but sometimes when life is going better I don't need them. Bill, I found that the first few months after my SAH that I was more depressed than normal and did some research about brain bleeds and the location of mine I think was in the emotion part of the brain. It said that heightened emotions should be expected, and I believe that also added to the making mountains out of molehill thinking. I found it very depressing not being able to do anything for the first few months without aggravating the bleed and then the ensuing painful headache for the next day or so. And not being able to exercise didn't help either, because then you start getting out of shape on top of it all. Luckily for me, the brain bleed resolved itself and life is better since then, even with almost no headaches. Sometimes we just need to remember to be kinder to ourselves and have patience

Hi Pat, When I had my contrast-dye angiogram I also experienced the sparks/fireworks show. The Dr. said it is an expected affect from the contrast dye. Saw floaters for a few days after too, but they went away. It was more the pain that bothered me, caused a headache almost as bad as the NASAH!

The neurosurgeon did the cerebral angiogram about a week after my bleed and it showed no more bleeding. Two and a half months later I had the contrast dye CT scan and it also came up clear, and that specialist told me that it was pretty much a 0% chance of ever happening again. Kinda like lightning I guess, better odds of it happening to the person standing next to me. Keep in mind that my SAH happened for no apparent reason, that there was no pre-existing condition and no trauma happened at the time of the bleed. Before the SAH I used to get (somewhat bad) headaches fairly often, 2-4 times a month. In the year since, I have only had a couple....except for the 2-3 months of headaches caused by the blood in the brain fluid right after the bleed. But once the blood dissipated, no more headaches! Just remember, if you push yourself too hard in the first few months you WILL give yourself headaches and major fatigue. That was the hardest thing to deal with....having to lay around and do pretty much nothing for 2 months. But it does get better!

Hey surfer, I had my SAH Oct. 23 2009, with CT scan, lumbar puncture, and amublance trip to a bigger hospital an hour away. They told my family it didn't look good and they were going to do surgery to put in a coil. After a few hours in emergency, a helluva lot of morphine and 1 more CT scan, they decided I didn't need surgery after all. Nine days in hospital for rest (as much as you can get in the hospital!) and I was sent home. My body healed itself and I never needed surgery. Had a contrast dye CT scan last January and it came back clear and the doctors said that I should never have anymore bleeds. Last Saturday was my 1 year anniversay/birthday...and I celebrated with a 4 hour hike up in the beautiful Cathedral Mountains near where I live. Couldn't have done that before my bleed! Any type of real exercise was about 3-4 months for me because even a walk would give me a headache for the rest of the day. Be patient, and yes...drink lots of water!

I was a sensitive person before my NASAH, but it seemed to amplify my emotions to the "n"th degree. I find I still get very emotional sometimes almost one year after. I read that the area of the brain where my bleed occurred is where the emotions come from. I can get angry or sad at the drop of a hat...how come it can never be the good emotions, lol? Although, I think stress plays a huge role in how high the roller coaster of emotions goes, so have started taking a supplement to support my Adrenal gland. Hopefully it helps!

Hi Karen, Have been taking calcium plus vitamin D for about a month now (along with all the other vitamiins and supplements that I have been meaning to, lol). I can quite happily say that the eye twitches have all but disappeared! Just the occaisional one when I am pretty wiped out at the end of the day.

Hi Karen, I was just wondering if you ever found out about the twitching? My left eye also twitched a little before my SAH, but I have found in the last few months that it is twitching anywhere from a couple to over 5 times a day. I look in the mirror and it doesn't look noticeable to others I think, but it is very annoying to me! I was hoping that it could be something simple like a vitamin deficiency. Does/did your eye twitch on the same side as your SAH? And has it gone away with any of the medications you are taking? Thanks.