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Hi Carolyn, Congratulations on your 2nd anniversary - I hope you had a lovely day with a little tlc from those around you. It's great to have you on this site and I for one have been grateful of your love and support when things have been tough - thank you Here's to the next two years and beyond... Love Sarah

Hi Julie, Lovely of you to call in and update us. So pleased your sight is a bit better now and hopefully with time your weaknesses will show improvement too. I know you will be anxious about your future treatment, but it will be under different circumstances, ie not an emergency situation, so I'm sure you won't be gaga again as you put it. I wish you all the best, Sarah

HI Jan and a warm welcome to BTG. Sorry to hear you have had the misfortune to suffer a sah and all the ensuing problems that unfortunately seem to come as part of the package. At least many of these continue to improve long after the event. Fatigue though can be bit stubborn to shift! Sah, aneurysm etc were not in my vocabulary either - but they certainly are now! A small second aneurysm was found in my head too - I had an MRI last August which showed it had not changed in the 7 years since it was discovered, so that was reassuring. Patience and time are other words that are worth getting to know! With best wishes, Sarah

Happy Anniversary to Mrs Subs, I'm sure she'll be very grateful for all the support you have given her over the past 5 years which hasn't been easy at times. I'm glad Win introduced you to this site, you've made a great contribution since joining. I hope today's fund raising has gone well - a great cause. Enjoy the rest of you day, Sarah

Hi Jade and a very warm welcome to behind the gray. I'm so sorry to read about your situation. I can sense how worried you are about your boyfriend and it is understandable when a loved one is suddenly struck by a ruptured aneurysm which he probably didn't even know he had. Whilst vasospasms are a serious side effect of having a sah and can potentially do a lot of damage, it does not always result in a bad outcome. I don't have any medical qualifications on the subject, but I have had a ruptured aneurysm followed by severe vasospasm. I was told at an appointment months later by the person who carried out my coiling that it was the worse case he'd ever seen and I scared him. I have also seen images of my vasospasm and even I could instantly see why he was concerned. I was unaware of any of this at the time and I did not have any procedure done to deal with it, so am unable to suggest what is involved with the procedure your boyfriend has had done. I was only given the drug nimodipine to help the narrowed blood vessels. I was 46 at the time of my sah which was 7 1/2 years ago and despite the bad vasospasms I was not left with any deficits with regards to mobility, sight or speech and I don't suffer from headaches which are quite common following a sah. Despite that, recovery for me has still been a very tiring journey. It can, and often does take a long time to recover from a sah as everyone is different and affected in different ways, but I hope my case has given you a bit of hope regarding the vasospasm which you are so concerned about. When I was in hospital, I was advised not to search the internet for any answers - I think the subject of aneurysms/sah/vasospasms/shunts etc etc is just too vast and will not necessarily relate to our particular case - perhaps you could avoid doing that and go by the guidance of those whose care your boyfriend is under. Wishing you and Todd all the best, Sarah

Hi Kerry, I'm not sure why your memory problems have been more noticeable for you recently. I know some kitchens start getting a lot busier at this time of year - at least they do round here where I live, it's as if people have been hibernating all winter and then wake up and need to eat out! I'm not sure if your work is seasonally affected but I believe any increase in workload results in problems with our brains being able to deal with it in the same way as before the sah. When I was at the stage you are now, I was getting the mixed up words malarkey much more than I do now - it did take a long time to improve - but at least now I don't refer to everything in the kitchen as the oven! I work in a cafe on a Saturday afternoon and I can see how multi-skilled a chef has to be - the busier it is, the more often he makes the wrong thing. Don't be too harsh on yourself - could you perhaps delegate some of your tasks. Memory problems following a sah, although very common, seem to vary from person to person. I consider mine to still be quite bad, seven and half year later - some aspects have improved with time - others seem to have got worse. Names are another strange one for me - when I returned to working in a bank after my sah I struggled to remember the customer's names - people I'd served for many years, but whilst I can remember most of them now, I can't for the life of me recall someone's name when I want/need to in every day situations. As for your question regarding being more prone to dementia, I really don't know the answer although I'd imagine probably not. I hope all is well with your MRI results, Sarah

1. Headache at back of head, but not thunderclap 2. peripheral vision disappearing 3 feeling of fluid running over brain 4 stiff neck, constant headache, occasional nausea 5 finally admitted to hospital 6 days later - thanks to parents and NOT the various medical people, including paramedics, I saw during those 6 days!

Hi again Claudette, I'm exactly the same with not wanting another brain op, but not wanting the alternative either - the possibilty of another haemorrhage - such a choice - not! I quite thought that once I'd had the second coiling that would be it. I was told at that point that the reason more coils were required was that they had not filled the aneurysm with as many coils as they would have liked after the bleed because I had bad vasospasm (constriction of blood vessels) and they had not wanted to risk one popping out and causing me to have a stroke. The reason this time is because it has grown slightly, although I'm not entirely sure if it's the aneurysm or the wide neck on it that has grown. I didn't take it all in at my appointment because my husband was in intensive care following open heart surgery at the time. They agreed to postpone it all for six months and that six months is up in April, hence I have another MRI on 16th and there was talk of an angiogram some time after that with presumably coiling after that. So to answer your question about how many times do you have to go for recoiling, for the majority of people I think it's once, for me it's too many!! Good luck when you see your consultant next week Sarah

Hi Claudette Sorry to hear you are feeling a bit low at the moment. I'm sure the uncertainty won't be helping, hopefully some clarification would help you a little. My sah was in Nov 2008 and when I had my first angiogram following the bleed it was discovered that I needed more coiling. I was terrified too, but to be honest it wasn't as bad as I had feared. I do understand the anxiety of it all, in fact it looks like I've got to have mine coiled for a third time in the not too distant future, so my anxiety levles are rising once again! Despite not looking forward to it, it is my belief that it is a lot better for me to have it done than not to have it done and live with the risk of it rupturing in the future. I'm planning on discussing it all with the neuro team beforehand - to get some reassurance at least - I hope you can do the same. Best wishes, Sarah

A warm welcome to Behind the Gray. My word, what a time Irene and you have had. It sounds like she is doing remarkably well considering what she has been through. I'm glad you found this site as there is a lot of support from others who have either had the misfortune of suffering a sah themselves or, like you, the carer of someone who has. A carer is a very specialized and vital role! I.m sure your wife will continue to improve over time and I wish her well for the angiogram in June. Best wishes, Sarah

Well done Clare on reaching and reflecting on your first year post NASAH. That first year is probably one of the hardest but you have coped admirably and yes it is touching when so many kind people step in to help in the sequence of events. Then the treasured family of course who remain there during recovery and beyond. I hope all goes well with your new job - good luck. Sarah

Congratulations Gemma on getting through your first year as well as you have - you have certainly achieved a lot in that year - in fact what you have accomplished in a year following not only a sah but heart surgery and the adhesions too, is I think, quite exceptional and you should feel really proud of yourself. My best wishes for the coming year and hope your phased return works out well - I'm sure a class of well behaved pupils will help! Sarah

Hi Sharon, Congratulations on your 1st annie-versary I'm glad you have that year behind you and that the next 12 months are a little easier all round for you. I like your description of the 'ironing board' - couldn't have put it better myself! I agree that family support is invaluable - I'm sure they're all relieved to have moved on from that day too. Its' been a pleasure getting to know you Sharon and despite coping with your own recovery, you have been a great support to others - me included - Thank you, Sarah

No wonder you asked to go to Inverness if that's how far you would have had to travel to Glasgow! I'm not sure that uncertainty about the scan was very reassuring for you, but glad to hear all was well in the end! I hope you do hear something within the timescale - following my MRI last August, it was 9 weeks before I heard anything! I hope your results are good, Best wishes, Sarah

Sammy, I'm so sorry to hear you have been through all that, how scary for you. I'm not sure if you're alone over here, but I suspect you can't wait to be re-united with your daughter.. I do hope things improve for you - it's sounds like you, as a family, have had more than your fair share to deal with. Best wishes, Sarah

Hard to believe 4 years has passed since your surgery. I'm glad you are doing well - and all the best for 2016. Regards, Sarah

Good to see you pop back in Scoobs. I hope the past 18 months have seen some improvements for you. Happy New Year, Sarah

Hi Alison, lovely to hear from you again. I'm saddened to hear of your separation, but I can appreciate it maybe the best plan. You have done an amazing job in those years since Chris was hit by his sah - quite admirable I have to say! I wish you both the very best and I'm glad you remain friends. I hope you have a good 2016 - you deserve it, Best wishes, Sarah

Hi Neil, A very warm welcome to BTG. I'm so sorry you had the misfortune to suffer a sah and all that goes with them. It always saddens me when these strike and people's lives are changed in an instant. On reading your story, I do think however, that you have made remarkable progress in the six months since it happened - recovery can be such a slow process, but it will continue for you as the weeks and months go by. I presume you were at the Royal Hallamshire with being from Sheffield. I live in the Hope Valley, so that's where I went following my sah 7 years ago (aged 46). In fact I'm still under their care and really can't fault the team there. It'll be good to hear how you get on - your positive attitude will definitely help - I wish you all the best, Sarah

Hi Andy and a warm welcome to BTG. I'm sorry your wife has recently suffered a sah - a time when she should have been enjoying seeing her daughter turn 18. It must have been a pretty horrible time for you all. I really hope 2016 brings great improvements in her recovery. I'm sure you will gain some encouragement from the replies on this thread, all from people who have made amazing progress since suffering their own sah. Wishing you all the very best, Sarah

That is quite incredible Mistina, no wonder you have shed so many tears this week. Your support for each other over the coming weeks and months will be invaluble though and I would imagine your friendship will in time become even stronger as a result. I hope your audiologist appt can be rearranged soon and the coming week is a little easier for you, Take care, Sarah

So pleased to read this, such a relief for you , Best wishes, Sarah

Thank you Daffodil

Many thanks Momo. Hope you are well - any positives that come as a result of a sah have got to be welcome - sadly there are not usually too many. Sarah

Yes Colleen, I was in bed asleep when you and Sarah-Lou posted last night, but having read them this morning and re-read the others, I must confess they brought a few tears to my eyes - a little overwhelmed by all the responses! Thank you, Sarah