momo

Hello Cat sorry to hear about your Mum. my bleed was extensive and my husband was told I might not make the ambulance journey (from 1st hospital to neuro unit). My bleed was a grade 4 and I remember nothing of my following month in hospital. The recovery I've had from such a bad bleed has been amazing so stay positive. My children were roughly the same age as you when this happened to me I'm quite thankful I don't remember any of it as they were truly devastated. Try to keep a note of your Mum's day to day progress and you will see how she is improving and she might want to read it when she is feeling better. I think its extremely positive that she is communicating with you, hang on to that. Wishing your Mum all the very best.

Hi Greg its good you have posted here sometimes it's good just to write it all down. I was extremely impatient in my first year of recovery to be expected I suppose was never ill not super fit but fit for my age and this thing hit me like a ton of bricks. The mental recovery was by far the longest for me something we have no control over really the, brain decides. Just try to relax give this the time it needs, I had an extensive bleed so my recovery was a long one, still got a bit to go. Try to find out as much as you can ask lots of questions most of all stay calm You're one of the lucky ones and you'll get better from this. I also had my SAH in the gym, I collapsed within 2 minutes of onset of the terrible headache. Take care any more questions just ask.

Hello Gemma and welcome this site has helped me so much over the years. Early in my recovery about your stage I was elated to just have survived this thing and I was ready to get right back to normal as soon as possible, like Macca has said I was almost tricked into feeling this way. Little did I know it would take me 3 years to drive again. It's not until you look back that you see how far you have come, recovery can be slow so try not to rush things. Follow the advice from your consultant, write down a list of questions all the things your are worried about like when to go back to work etc. Most of all I would say don't rush things this is a slow recovery, maybe not what you want to hear but you will get better in time and everyone is different. Also you have age on your side which is good. Like all of us here you have been very lucky you sound as though you are doing amazingly well at such an early stage. Wishing you all the best Gemma remember any questions just ask.

Welcome Alison take things easy recovery can be slow but everyone is different. Why is something I will continue to ask, I had a dissection of an artery, but no-one has been able to tell me why. I had been working out quite a bit at the time, personally I think I may have pushed myself too hard. All a bit of a mystery, no aneurysm. Any questions just ask. Take care.

Hi Brenda, I also had problems with sickness and eating early in my recovery. Problems with the taste of food continued for quite some time. The only food I could eat had to be freshly prepared and even then sometimes I couldn't eat it. I couldn't eat any ready meals at all as I could taste the additives. Basically I had an exaggerated sense of taste and it was horrible. All settled down though between 6 and 12 months into recovery so I hope you will see improvement shortly. Not sure if the dietician can help with this as I'm pretty sure its a 'brain' thing but she may be able to advise on food that is more palatable. Let us know how you get on.

Welcome to BTG Mandy any questions just ask and someone will reply. You're still quite early in your recovery so take things slowly and rest as much as you need. Pacing yourself is key and it took me a long time to learn that. Take care.

Good luck from me Jane will be thinking of you. xx

Good luck with whatever you decide to do Carolyn you have a fantastic sense of humour and that is what is going to get you through this. Also your neuro sounds fab and I would trust him. So not only are you a trailblazer you're a trailblazer with white eyebrows!! lol its a wonderful image! Love and hugs, momo

Just read your story Carolynusa its a long journey but you will get there. Any questions just ask. Take care. momo

A wonderfully well written story Colleen so much detail which is fantastic. I will write my own story sometime soon. We both had our SAH at roughly the same time so I know how long this journey has been. We have been very very lucky and I wish you well in your continued recovery which I still think is ongoing. Good luck

I had terrible problems with sleeping in the early stages of recovery. I remember being told in rehab that sleep was the best thing for this and I had to get something from my GP. Don't remember what it was but I started to feel much better after a good nights sleep. So I would suggest you get something from your doctor to help you through this difficult stage, your brain will benefit from it. Good luck.

Hi Sue I have just read your story and for some reason i missed it earlier. Sorry to hear you have had such a rough time but a lot of us have so you are in the right place for support. Try to think of how you will improve and that you will get better from this, I think that is what I clung onto in the early part of my recovery. It's important to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. As Daff has said accept all offers of help and even ask for help of you need it. Take care and I wish you well.

Anxiety post SAH can be really difficult to deal with and I think difficult to treat. I think Lins story is absolutely facinating and very brave of her to write it. It highlights how extreme anxiety can be and how it takes many different forms. Lins was based purely on imagined thoughts contrasting with Carolynusa which was based on reality but again an extreme reaction. Again brave to tell the story, you all are. I suffered from extreme anxiety shortly after I got out of hospital. I attended rehab as an outpatient and saw a consultant psychiatrist but it didn't really do much good for me at that time I don't think as I was lost in my own little world. I don't remember much of what was said at my appointments but I remember one story that I clung on to. I had really bad back problems when released from hospital so bad i couldn't sit in a chair I had to lie down. I convinced my self that the reason for my back problem was because something went wrong during the coiling procedure and a coil got lodged in my back! Then I suggested that they scan my back because they would find it! Now I remember this psychologist looking at me and saying that I had to believe him... that this was impossible, it couldn't have happened and i had to trust him. At the time I became really upset that he didn't believe me why could no-one else see this? i was so convinced that I was right and they were wrong. Keep in mind I was completely lost in my own little world and my anxiety was extreme and I was in a pretty bad way. So how to treat? Its very very difficult. Slowly as my brain got better I started to believe my consultant(but this took a while!) I got further counselling a few years later and that helped enormously. I look back now and think how did I ever think that. I'm not a stupid person and before my brain injury I would have known how impossible this was. But I was convinced I was right and I even thought at one point they were trying to cover something up! Carolynusa you summed it up our brains are amazing! i hope you all get help with this you need to keep talking but you also need to listen to what people are telling you. Good luck and take care

So glad everything has gone well Poppy, take plenty of rest. Its not easy to cope with the prospect of more surgery and I'm sure your post will help others faced with the same problem. Take care.

Good luck for today Poppy, I've been to the Western a good hospital you are in safe hands there. I was impressed with the neuro team when I was there. Sorry I'm a bit late.

Hi Dune, I suffered from delusions in my first year of recovery. I don't remember much of that first year to be honest but I do remember some of the delusions I had and one in particular that I hung on to for a long time. It was all very scary because I was right and everyone else was wrong. I remember one psychologist telling me in rehab that what I was saying was impossible , I had to believe him, but I was so convinced I was right that I thought he wasn't telling me the truth. I was in a very bad way mentally for about 1 year but I improved gradually and the delusions stopped. I would get help with this from a psychologist in rehab (you may already have done this) I was also prescribed medication which he convinced me to take (which I did and that was a feat in itself as I used to refuse medication!) and it helped. Always keep in mind that the brain has this amazing ability to recover it all takes time. Good luck and hope you see improvements soon.

When i first got out of hospital I slept a lot and somehow my cat used to sleep across the back of my head or as close to it as possible. I used to think that's so strange my bleed was at the front so why is he always sleeping at the back of head? However it was my drain that had been fitted to the front of my head and it wasn't until many months later that I found out my bleed was indeed at the back of my head, cat was right all along!! Did he send healing vibes I wonder, we'll never know. Strange little creatures cats. (Recently lost my cat he was wonderful and helped me through this))

Congratulations to Scott and Amanda. If I could just add one little thing. My husband seems to know exactly what I'm capable of on a daily basis and frequently tells me to rest etc or I'm doing too much, because as we know the fatigue can hit really hard. I'm just not able to judge this for myself! I'm sure you will both have a great future together.

I originally posted this 3 years ago. I have found out a lot more since and my original post is not quite correct. I had a spontaneous dissection whereby the the artery dissected for no apparent reason (no aneurysm) my artery itself was sealed off with coils. I was exercising at the time of my rupture. The spontaneous part of the description does not mean it ruptured in an instant as I described, it doesn't mean spontaneous at all. That term is used because it ruptured without blow to the head, car accident that kind of thing and it could have been dissecting for several days/weeks or longer before rupture. (This would explain my almost constant headaches.) More commonly this type of dissection results in a stroke and only very rarely a SAH. However there is the added mystery of the fall I had 3 weeks before and no one knows if this is related. One of my infundebella is infact an aneurysm (I got a second opinion on this ) but it is very low risk and so will not be treated. All aneurysms are assessed for risk of rupture. Hope this all now makes a bit of sense.

Wonderful to read. Congratulations to you both.

Welcome Mum of Five. I hope you find this site useful a lot of information here which will help you along the way. I couldn't use the computer until about a year and a half after my bleed but looking back I think it would have really helped me if I had know then what I know now. I remember very little about my first year post SAH. I would advice finding out as much as you can about what happened to you and ask ask many questions as you want. It helps so much with recovery. I would also recommend that you talk to someone about how you feel etc..I was referred to a psychologist and she helped me enormously. I cried through every session mind you but this was a turning point for me as I had kept all of the grief/anger to myself and it was holding me back. You are still very early in recovery and its good you recognise this but recover we do, all at different rates etc so you will get there try not to be disheartened. My husband has been my rock through out all of this and he knows exactly when I need to rest etc I'm not able to judge this myself. Wishing you well,

Really liked this poem Victoria and the link worked first click for me. Thanks for posting.

Just had a look back at this thread. Teechur mentioned a good point about the medication we take. I used to get into a real muddle with medication I had to take a while back for really bad sciatica. I would go through hours of pain simply because I couldn't remember if I had taken my medication or not. The pill counter is probably a must for us as it could be so dangerous. ( I refused to use one though as I felt it was for old people...really silly I know!!) Also exercise has improved my memory I think also my confidence. I just walk as much as I can as that is all I'm capable of now.

Hi Jo don't give up on your complaint it will all be in your notes go with your gut instinct on this. I always feel shocked when I read of people's misdiagnosis, the survival stats are so poor but to be misdiagnosed is truly shocking. I collapsed within 2 minutes of my bleed. I knew I had to tell someone (quickly) where the pain was, how bad it was, my name phone number etc and that's all I remember. My husband had arrived at the hospital first (he had been told I had feinted) he knew it was really bad as I was whisked straight though for an immediate CT scan with urgency. I often wonder what the outcome would have been if I hadn't collapsed and hadn't got that immediate CT scan. I also wonder how many deaths there are from misdiagnosed bleeds. I would keep everything in writing as too stressful complaining face to face. Good luck.

In the early days my emotions were all over the place and I really felt I had a complete personality change ...not a nice feeling. I always had hope and its been my biggest asset. I kind of always knew that things would get a lot better and they have, I'm 5 years 3 months in. I used to cry a lot in the early years but rarely do so now. Instead of feeling so sad about what happened to me I now feel so glad and thankful that I walked out the other end of this. As the years have passed this feeling has grown stronger. The emotional recovery and overall mental recovery has been by far the biggest hurdle. Not many people have had to face the challenges that we have had on here. I think when the emotional stuff becomes too much its important to take a step back... I have the little voice that says 'wait a wee minute, look what I've been through and look at how much I've improved'. I listen to that voice a lot and it keeps things in check for me. I have pretty much accepted that I have changed but happy to say that the old me has come back quite a bit now. I think she was there all the time waiting for the chance to come back. Anyone struggling with all the emotional stuff do try to get help with it the earlier the better. And talk to people about how you feel although this I always found difficult and needed plenty of hankies. But I can talk freely about what happened now and how I really feel and don't need the hankies anymore!! Good luck with this everyone.