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.

I am female. I was 39 when I had my NASAH, they said it was actually from a vein instead of an artery, that is why I didn't need surgery or coiling. They didn't say where it occured but I heard the "pop" at the back of my head, but when they did the contrast-angiogram they released the dye behind my left eye. How did all these people get so much info on where there's happened!

Hi Aakki, Sounds like our stories are very similar. I, too, had an Non-anneurysm SAH that came about for no apparent reason. I was not doing anything strenuous or had not had any recent trauma. I also had an extreme amount of stress in both my personal and work life. (I often wonder if the stress is what caused it, or if that is even possible? Haven't come across anything in all my searching that mentions stress contributing.) I had the huge, bad headache when the SAH happened, then another one a week later when they did the contrast dye angiogram. My SAH was also in the left temporal lobe. Other than that, there has been no real side effects, beyond sometimes taking a little bit longer to recall peoples names or searching for the right word that just won't come to mind immediately. I had a CT scan with contrast dye in the middle of January, and it came back as no more bleeding to be seen, and no aneurysm to be seen. So I am one of the lucky ones (like you, hopefully) who do not need surgery to repair it. I would say though, that it was almost 2 months before I could start doing anything that was too strenuous, like exercise or use my sauna. I figured that the sauna would increase my blood pressure and could contribute to a headache. I went back to work after 2.5 months, but my job (now) is not very stressful or physical. They say to wait at least a month I think before you have any alcohol. I found that it would give me a headache/hangover after just one glass of wine! Generally speaking, for me, I felt pretty much back to normal after about the 3 month mark. Even though I want to exercise like before though, I find I still get tired somewhat easily, but at least there are no more headaches for an after-effect. Like everyone says...your body will tell you what you are capable of, and it will tell you when you need to rest.

Well, Anya...wasn't quite a death wish, lol, but was the most risky thing I have ever tried, (next to firefighting last summer). And believe me, Jess, I was sure thinking that I really needed to have checked with a Dr. before doing it! (I figured that if I did see a Dr. at the resort down there, they would for sure say not to, either that or have no idea what an SAH was). Spur of the moment to the "Nth" degree, haha. I will say that it was beyond cathartic, almost a religious experience swimming around with all those fish in the beautiful turquoise water. And did I mention that I was afraid of deep water? I think I was more afraid of not being able to breathe and being in the water than I was of anything to do with my SAH! (Me) Being afraid of the water AND heights...I would take scuba diving any day, Anya...at least you can't fall to your death in the water, lol. Although we did see one barracuda...

Well, good news...no real headache to speak of during the flight, even though it was 10 1/2 hours from Vancouver, BC to the Dominican Republic. I needed a few Ibuprofen on the trip down there, but the flight back was fine. Had the best weather possible for almost the whole two weeks, around 28 degrees Celisius every day but the last. Flew back to Canada on Christmas Eve evening and it was raining cats and dogs. Puddles a foot deep on the road! Feel sorry for all the people arriving that day since it was supposed to rain all week. I did a bit of a crazy thing, since I didn't have doctors clearance for it...I got my certification to be a scuba diver! It was kind of a spur of the moment decision, and after I started taking the course, I sat back and thought it might not be the smartest decision of my life, lol. We had 2 dives in the resort pool and another 7 in the open ocean. During the actual dives I had a good dose of head pain descending to the ocean floor (we went down to a max of 42 feet/13 m). It was a little bit freaky, but I just ascended back up for a bit until it got bearable and then took my time going down. Needless to say, I hadn't disclosed on the medical part of the application that I had had a SAH recently, or I would not have been able to dive! Luckily nothing happened, because I would have been in big trouble if it had, since who knows what I would have done if I needed real medical help. Like I said, not the smartest thing. It is very tiring on the body to do scuba diving, because my boyfriend was exhausted after we would come back from the dives. I would still be quite tired, though, the day after as well. And would suffer from a fairly bad headache usually too. Nothing unmanageable since after all, I was on holidays and could rest all day. I would take a bunch of tylenol/ibuprofen and lay on the beach. I am so glad that I decided to do the scuba diving, because it is an experience I will never forget. And it also made me shake up my thinking of death and ill-health. Kind of a taking the bull by the horns and see what happens, haha. Happy New Year to everyone, and some advice from me is to not be afraid to live your life. As long as your body is telling you that you can, don't let this hold you back from what you really want to do...just don't over-do it

Hello, gettingdesperate, I have recently suffered from an SAH, so can give info about what I feel sometimes, and hopefully that can give you some insight into what goes on in our heads, if you will pardon the pun. I was a very sensitive person before this happened to me, but since my SAH, I can get emotional at the drop of a hat. And it doesn't necessarily have to be because of what is happening at that moment either. I can start crying and my boyfriend is looking at me like I am an alien because he can't for the life of him figure out why I am so upset. (and maybe neither can I, haha). Sometimes it just seems like the emotions well up and overflow like a bathtub that someone forgot to turn off. And like Debbie, I seem to have OCD thoughts about things that aren't really important. Maybe we are just trying to control one little thing in our life after suffering from this traumatic event that we had no control over...and at times feel helpless...and angry. I'll even admit to the "why me" type of thinking. And if your husband is anything like me, the thoughts of the family are foremost in his mind, feeling bad about what we have put you guys through. But maybe we just need a little time to feel sorry for ourselves, too. And believe me, I feel guilt everyday for not being "normal" anymore, and for having to take this time off work to heal...and also stress about finances as a result of that. Not being able to do what we used to be capable of is very frustrating, and when you try to do something that is too strenuous, you end up with a bad headache and then you are stressing out that it might be bleeding again! Moody is an understatement, and it sure as heck isn't fun from our point of view either, because I realize how bad of a mood I am in but still can't seem to change it! But it is almost like, even though you know you are going to regret the words as soon as they come out of your mouth....you just have to say them anyway. Well, like I said, hopefully you get some understanding from all this babbling. It's almost like you can't take it personally, that we are mad at the world or whatever caused this, and you (meaning spouses or family), unfortunately are the most available person to take it out on. Just remember that he still loves you, and maybe what we are really looking for when we are at our crankiest is just a big, long hug.

Hi Jess, Have finally heard back from my doctor and and am cleared to travel. Since I am on medical leave, I have the time to travel so have decided to go for two weeks. We have decided on Punta Cana in the Domincan Republic. Gonna be a fair chunk of change, but after going through the SAH, my boyfriend and I decided that we deserve it! We are looking forward to the weather there, since it is starting to get below freezing here in Canada (no snow yet, though). Am somewhat apprehensive about the flying, but hopefully two weeks in the sand will be well worth the headaches!

Thanks for all the great info linzi. Am wanting to travel, but was wondering about the affects/afteraffects of flying. No time like the present to travel, especially when you never know what life has in store for you. Enjoy it while you can! Now I am just waiting to hear from neurologist and work-health insurance provider to see if they will let me travel.

I had my non-aneurysm SAH on Oct. 23, 2009. I am glad I found this site because I have found out 100 times more info through my own research than from the doctor I had while in the hospital. It seems universal that the doctors have no bedside manner. Is it because we are usually unconscious or incapable of talking while they look us over? lol. Not only does this subject involve our grey matter...it also seems to be a "grey area" with a lot of questions left unanswered or at least not fully answered. Hopefully some of my frustration in dealing with all of this can be relieved with info I get from other people's stories. Previous to this happening, I was not a very patient person and I am assuming that it is a skill I must acquire while recovering? I guess this is one big wake up call to live in the moment, and to stop and smell the roses...