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Hi Ian, Welcome to the forum. Whilst I am the same age as you, I am not, at present, faced with the same decision that you are. I do have an unruptured aneursym that is being monitorer annually and dread the day if I do have to start making these type of decisions. However, I have also had a ruptured aneursym so I guess the prevention option is definitely more favourable. I can't give any advice on clipping as I had coiling done when it ruptured and more coils added a year later. It sounds like you have good support from family/friends and if I were you I would start a list of questions to ask when you see your neurosurgeon next month and hopefully the clarity of any concerns/queries will make your decision that little bit easier. I wish you all the best, Sarah

Nice to see you back on here Theresa, but am really sorry to hear you have just been through this without the result you wanted. I just hope you are not kept waiting too long now - It appears you have two very loving and caring sisters to help you through this and don't forget, BTG is always open. Take care, Sarah

Well done Jan for being so brave and feeling so well:thumbsup: I remember that feeling of surprise at how well I felt after my second coiling -certainly a relief after the anxiety leading up to it. I dare say you will be counting the days again now - until your holiday! Sarah

Hi Bill, Welcome to BTG. Quite fortunate to be outside the hospital when this happened. I think your change of career, following a sah is quite inspirational - congratulations on that achievement. Take care and hope to hear from you again, Sarah

Hi Gill, A warm welcome to you. Like others have said, it's great that you are seeking help and support for your friend. I believe that there is always so much hope in these situations and although it takes a lot of time and hard work, improvements can be made. I know many of us on here who have survived a sah, realise how fortunate we are not to have severe disabilities whilst others have not been so lucky. I am sure you and her family will continue to give L the support and encouragement she deserves- the fact that you are able to accommodate her for occasional weekends, with her favourite animals around, will be a great tonic. I'm sure, as you work your way through the stories on here, you will hopefully gain a lot of information. Sarah

Gina, I wish Theresa all the best for Wednesday. Sarah

Jan, just wanted to send you my best wishes for tomorrow, will be thinking of you. Sarah

Hi Tracy and a very warm welcome to BTG. I would agree, finding this site is a godsend when recovering from a sah and being amongst other people who have experienced the same thing. Suddenly, you don't feel quite so alone. I didn't discover it until about 15 months after my sah and cleary remember the relief when I did! One of the overriding things that a lot of us have in common, is not being given any information when leaving hospital as what to expect. We all recover differently, but another common factor is the memory issues that you mention - I still have problems with this, recalling names and even words sometimes which is quite frustrating. I think your decision to cut your hours was a wise one - I work, but I have not worked full time since my sah and really don't think I would be able to cope as I still suffer from extreme tiredness - then there are times, like now, that I am up during the night:roll: I don't have any head, shoulder problems like yourself -although there may be others on here who can make suggestions with that. I hope you join us again - I know others will be along at a more sociable hour in the uk to say hello - there are also one or two regular inputters who live in Australia who will no doubt welcome you too. Sarah

That's very good news for you Sandi:thumbsup: - I'm sure that plan will work out better than the first time around! Best wishes, Sarah

Hi Carolyn Welcome to BTG. Unfortunately there isn't a time frame as such with recovery from a sah as everyone's case is so different, but I think trying to return to work so soon is probably not such a good idea especially as you feel like you do. There are several on here who have attempted going back early on and it has set them back somewhat. Even I didn't return to work for 5 months and I came out of sah relatively unscathed, ie no pain anywhere, other than the initial head pain. The tiredness and emotional side of things are not always easy to deal with, so if I were you,I would think hard before deciding on a return to work so soon - the decision has to be yours, after all you know how you feel, not anyone else. You are certainly not a wimp - reading posts on here will give you a great idea of what recovery can be like following a sah, and it's not always as plain sailing as we might have imagined. Best wishes and take care, Sarah

Hi Polyanna, Welcome to BTG- great to have you with us:-D. A super bunch of people here with varying degrees of problems, all with one aim - to improve - I think your post will have given inspiration to many. It sounds like your physio (and you) have worked very hard to get where you are today. I hope things continue to improve further for you and hope you will join us again, for support or just a chat! Take care, Sarah

Hi Simon, Nice to meet you and a warm welcome to BTG:-D You sound very positive and upbeat so soon after the event - well done. You would expect going to A&E in the first instant, they might have been more diligent in their efforts - I had a similar experience having rung the emergency services whilst having the bleed, but they left me at home:roll: So I agree, we are extremely lucky to still be here to see the sun and yes the rain! Sorry, can't help you on the insurance front, I only had accident cover and I doubt they would class this under accidents. I wish you all the best in your continued recovery. Sarah

Hi Jan, glad you have eventually got a date - hope you get a firm answer re the flying soon, so you can channel your thoughts towards the holiday rather than the coiling. Best wishes. Sarah

Hi Ronnie and welcome to BTG. I'm sure you will find it very comforting being amongst others who have experienced the same thing. This happened very recently for you so it's good that you have come across this site so early on (it took me over a year to find it!) and there is always someone around to answer any questions etc. In the meantime I wish you well in your recovery. Sarah

Hi Montana1 A warm welcome to BTG. Quite a shock for you to go in for surgery, then suffer a sah. Hopefully, being on here, amongst others who have had a sah, will help you feel a bit less like a man on an island. It's still very early days for you but I wish you all the best in your continued recovery. Sarah

Hi, a very warm welcome. It sounds like you have had more than your fair share of problems following your sah - I hope the physio pays dividends for you. It would be nice if you can keep us posted with your progress. Best wishes, Sarah

Hello and a very warm welcome to you. It can be daunting when you first leave hospital from having all the staff about, then being at home feeling pretty much on your own. Posting on here so soon after the event is actually quite an achievement as even reading and writing can be exhausting at first, so well done. It is quite natural to have the feelings you describe - I think we could all relate to this for some time after the event. However, you are doing really well and I believe the best way to help your road to recovery is by plenty of rest and plenty of water. These two things should help you the most. It can be so tempting to do too much too soon and many of us have learned the hard way and have found it can be more of a set back - so take it easy - plus there is always someone around on here to answer any questions you may have along the way. Best wishes, Sarah

Hi Donna, I understand how these things can throw you into a state of worry. Towards the end of last year I asked my gp to print off the letters he had received from my consultant and one of those letters said that my unruptured aneursym had a broad neck projecting laterally close to the origin of the ophthalmic artery. This was the first I knew about this, which in my view, was not the most satisfactory way to find out:roll: The broad neck has never been discussed or explained to me which leaves it to my own imagination as what it all means. I know they are monitoring this aneursym and I go for a scan in August this year, but finding out about these things (ie, 2 years later in my case) when you are least expecting it is not at all nice. I hope, like me, that when you get over the initial shock of hearing this, you will be able to re-focus and continue as you have been doing. Sarah

Nessie, You presented a wonderful speech - quite exceptional only 10 months after suffering a sah. I hope you are recovering well from all the hard work that you put in - well done:-D Sarah

I know I have been told the size of the ruptured aneursym and the unruptured one, but can I remember - no! I don't even know how many coils I had put in at the outset or how many were added later - maybe at one of my appointments I will remember to ask these questions:roll:. I do remember that the one that ruptured was larger than the other one. Sarah

Hi Vicky, I can sympathise with you on this as I have suffered with the Aura of migraine ever since my sah in November 2008. I likewise do not get a headache, just the zig-zag flashing lights which usually last about 20 mins on average, although sometimes it only lasts a couple of minutes. I did start a diary of the frequency of it happening and also included what I was doing at the time to see if I could work out what triggered it. It was well over a year after my sah that I started this diary, but I have just looked at it and have recorded 54 incidents:frown: Unfortunately I can't see a pattern, it has on at least four occasions woken me up in the middle of the night:roll:. I did go 3 months in 2009 without getting any episodes. My consultant referred me to an opthamologist and my eyes were checked which are ok - I have been told it is not my eyes that are causing this but my brain (I believe it is to do with the way the blood flows through the brain). I was then referred to a neurologist who suggested I could try one of two medications which might, at best, reduce the aura by 50% - I only decided to try these tablets about 5 weeks ago and since then have experienced the flashing lights 5 times ( 3x25 mins and 2x2min ones). It is perhaps too early to make an assessment as to whether they are helping. Yes, it drives me mad too - I find it quite disturbing. I never had migraine/migraine aura prior to my sah. I did in June 2010 suddenly get double vision and I was sent to hospital, had a ct scan, then a few weeks later an MRI scan. This was also put down to an acephalgic migraine. I was also told by the neurologist that they are hearing of more and more cases of aura following sah - not that that helps us much! Sarah

Hi Shelly and a warm welcome to you. I wish you well for your angiogram on Monday - I have had two angios now and they are ok - you will be talked through everything. The only downside for me is that I am so short sighted I couldn't see the monitors to see what was going on:roll: They keep you lying down for several hours afterwards and I would ask them whether or not you should be at work the next day - I wouldn't worry what work think about you having time off - it is your health that is paramount after all. Following my angio I was given a list of when to apply pressure to the puncture site ie, cough, sneeze, using a bedpan or altering your position in any way. I am sure you will be given these instructions as a matter of routine. I too have a second aneursym that is being monitored so I have every sympathy with you. I hope that now your son has found this site for you, you will be joining us again - it is certainly good to be amongst people who have experienced the same thing. Best wishes, Sarah

Hi Juliette and a very warm welcome to BTG. Another amazing story and yes aren't those staff at the hospitals just brilliant! Importantly you are here to be Mum for your daughters who will be eternally grateful that you got through this awful event. I have so appreciated being around for my three kids during the past 2 yrs 4 months since my own sah. There is so much support on this site, which helps with the ups and downs of recovery. Wishing you all the best, Sarah

This is where you've been moved to Nessie! My Grandad, (Mum's dad) died of a sah - I'm not sure at what age, but I would guess at late seventies. I have 3 siblings, who are ok as far as we know. My youngest sister got knocked down by a car when she was 4 and sustained a head injury and has suffered bad headaches ever since and in recent years bad migraines. I have 3 kids, but you just have to hope and pray they are ok. I try not to worry about them too much, but I was a bit put about last week when I heard, on the local news, that a lad had died following a head injury on the football pitch, they later discovered it was a brain aneursym - he was only15 - so sad. Sarah

I was prescribed bp tablets for the first time, about a month ago (sah Nov 2008 ). When I saw a neurologist last August to see if he could throw any light on the migraine aura that I have had ever since my sah, he suggested I could try one of two tablets which might reduce the aura by 50% and they would also help lower my bp which was a bit up and down. I was to discuss these tablets with my gp, which I did, but at that time I decided not to bother. With currently being under a lot of stress, which was raising my bp and having another unruptured annie, I decided I would ask my GP if I could be put on the tablets that the neurologist had suggested. I have only had my bp taken once since being on them and it was a lot lower, but it doesn't appear to have done much for the aura:roll:. I am due to have my bp taken again on 7th April. I'm not sure how long I will be on these tablets, although I have been told they are on repeat prescription for the time being. Sarah