Mandy Wright

Hi Gill, thanks for the response. Typically I've got myself in knots over the orthoptist due to the initial rerferrql to an opthalmologist who I could have seen in Chichester at the Nuffield, but if I wanted to see his Orthoptist I need to do it in Southampton. I've still got an NHS referral that I'm waiting to hear about but that was started 4 weeks ago. As for the Mirena, I wouldn't want to be without it as it made a huge difference to my peri menopausal issues of flooding (sorry if ats too much info) and irregular cycle. I just felt a bit of a nit going to get it out back only to find it was already there! The nurse pointed out I could always check myself for the strings but I didn't think to given we had been told it was removed! Ah well, you have to laugh.

It's now just over 10 weeks since my SAH and I wanted to post an update here. There are so many things going round my head that I want to write them down - who knows, others earlier in their journey may find something useful, and I always feel better writing things down (I used to be a terrible list maker) and getting them out of my head. Physically I continue to have the same issues with diploma or double vision. I wear a patch over my good eye when at home, ie most of the time, and patch the bad eye when I go out. I am not sure if it is a side effect of the patching or double vision but I have some issues with balance and, slightly less of an issue, some coordination problems. I have some mild problems with speech, particularly if I'm stressed, and it feels as though I'm trying to talk through toffee after a while, and sometimes struggle to find the right words. It's not a major problem but it's a reminder of what my brain has been through, should I start to forget. At home, and with loved ones, it doesn't seem to affect me, but perhaps I don't talk to them as much as I should?! Stamina, what stamina?! I have none, it seems. If I wash up or cook dinner then I need to sit down and rest afterwards and it was a mistake to do a risotto the other night standing over a hot stove stirring for half an hour.. But the end result was good! In the early days I made a point of going out for a short walk in the evening in an attempt to build up my strength. That seems to have disappeared off my radar as I've felt stronger, but I really should make a point of getting out and doing more. My back, already weakened by a pre-existing issue with hypermobility syndrome (interestingly I saw a post somewhere that suggested a possible link between connective tissue issues and SAH) is suffering due to my reduced activity levels. I don't relish going to bed any more, partly because I don't feel tired at bedtime, and partly because I know that in around 4 hours I will wake up with pain in my back where my ribs are attached. The only thing that really resolves that is getting up but I generally stay in bed dozing off and on and keep changing my position in an attempt to ease the pain. I should state that this used to happen long before the SAH. I was going to take some ibuprofen the other day and then saw that it was contraindicated with a history of stroke. I'm seeing the GP tomorrow so will ask her if there's another anti inflammatory I can take, or perhaps I'll ask the pharmacist. I think what I really need to do is find a form of exercise that is compatible with my current state of health, but it's not easy, is it. Psychologically I think I'm doing pretty well, so long as I don't think about things too much. I know I'm lucky in terms of where I am following my SAH, but I sometimes go into a bit of a mad panic thinking of all the things I should do, just in case. Sorting family photos for the kids, sorting out his divorce (20 years late!), apologising to a couple of people, things like that. I did finally through out all the bathroom miniatures collected from hotels that we will never use! Practically, I saw the Occupational Health advisor at work this week and was reassured to find that she seemed to fully understand the implications and had what sounds like a realistic plan for a phased return to work, starting slowly and increasing only as fast as I am comfortable with. I won't be starting back until my review with the Neuro team at the hospital on the 10th March. She also suggested that I invoke my Bupa to fast track some advice and/or treatment for the double vision. This has proved slightly challenging though; I managed to get the private referral from the GP and get a code from Bupa, only to find that it's not an ophthalmologist that I need to see but an Orthoptist, and the closest Bupa approved one is in Guildford. I might end up paying to see the one in Southampton while I wait for the NHS referral to come through. One vaguely amusing thing happened recently. While I was in hospital my daughter made a point of telling me that the nurses had advised that they removed my Mirena coil and that it was in a pot with a piercing they removed at the same time. I checked with the nurses at the support meeting and they said it was probably due to a slight increase in risk of DVT. They said it would be fine to get another one as it wouldn't be a problem for an MRI at 6 months. So I sorted my Bupa appointment with the Gynae consultant, not relishing the idea as it was originally inserted under a general, only to get there, and to be told it was still in place!!! Oh, one other thing that made me laugh... My other half has been treating me with kid gloves following the bleed and was more than a little anxious about resuming, ahem, relations. I ordered a copy of A Dented Image not long after my discharge, following recommendations on here, and he pounced on it once it arrived. After a few days he said he'd wished he had read it sooner, after reading of a gentleman who had his bleed after relations and who was determined to get back on the horse. Unfortunately when he approached his wife he was advised that he'd got back on the horse the previous night. My other half said he wished he'd been able to use that answer to me! We've tackled relations once since then and I think that's put his mind at rest.. My brain isn't going to explode again! Finally, I've put most of the weight back on that I lost in hospital, almost a stone and a half, which is annoying. Unfortunately I seem to be hungry a lot, and get the shakes a bit, and with the colder weather I don't fancy a salad at all! I made a stew and dumplings last weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it - I've not had a dumpling in a year, at least! Oh, and I have an urge to bake..... If you've made it this far, well done... See I said I had a lot going around in my mind at the moment, and I've probably still missed things!

Good luck Jane, I wish you a speedy recovery. Mx

Hi Rob, I'm not as far down the path as you are as only had my SAH in December, but I got a letter at the end of Jan confirming they'd contacted my consultant for further information and he has 6 weeks to respond. I'd completed a form from somewhere earlier in Jan notifying them of my bleed. There is a contact number for the Drivers Medical Group at the DVLA on the letter which is 0300 790 6806 in case you don't have that. Good luck! Mandy

I had mine done the following day too. Mine was delayed slightly by changing hospitals, needing further scans, and then finding an anaesthetist. Oh, and the wrong paperwork being signed by my partner.

Hi Sharon, and welcome to BTG! I can't offer much in the way of advice as only suffered my SAH in December, but I know I've found BTG a welcome resource and community for advice, information and support. It's early days and I'm not surprised your feeling sore and emotional. My headaches have eased a lot but still prone to being tearful. I'm sure things will improve. Hugs Mandy

Thanks again for all the positive messages here. We did make it to the Wessex Neuro Support meeting on Saturday and walked in on the consultant talking everyone through a paper survey form related to a research project using an extract of broccoli! I'm glad we went as I have so few memories of my 8 nights at the hospital, but it was pretty tiring with a 2 hour round trip. Gill, I passed on your message to Lesley and Jane. Today, just over 6 weeks after my SAH I went to the optician this morning who reviewed my double vision and he's going to refer me to the orthoptist through my GP. Apparently the divergence is so great that he wouldn't be able to correct using my glasses. I'm alternating patching as Karen suggested and it makes so much sense to patch the good eye when I'm at home, but it's incrdibly tiring. This afternoon my beloved partner, who has been through such a difficult time, took me to my work so that I could say hello and show friends that I was still alive. The daft man preferred to sit in the car, getting cold, and although I'd said that it would probably take me at least an hour, it took nearer two! It was truly lovely to see so many friendly faces but I was shattered by the end of it. It felt like my mouth was tired of talking! I know I overdid it, but a bit of me felt like I owed it to them. I still had to cut the visit shorter than I'd have liked as I knew I couldn't stand and talk to anyone else. I'll go back again in a few weeks but I'll make a point of sitting, and perhaps limit the time more. Best wishes, Mandy

Thanks for the welcome messages ladies, they are much appreciated! Gill, thanks for your words on the double vision. I've been keeping my fingers crossed that this will resolve itself in time, or at least can be fixed with tweaks to my glasses. Currently I'm not sure if when I patch I should cover the better eye or the worse one, but will check this out with the optician next week. Covering the good eye makes me feel a bit giddy and is nowhere near as easy as covering the worse eye. I believe there's a Wessex Neuro support meeting this Saturday and we are going to try and make it to that one as the next one isn't till March 28th. Carolyn, I confess I'm a bit miffed at not being the one to decide which was my last cigarette! Liz, I put the double vision on the initial DVLA declaration form, but will definitely bear your advice in mind when it comes to later down the line. Thank you all for the advice and support. Mandy

Hi all, I'm a new member who has been reading the forum for a week or so and finally going to persevere with posting an introduction. I had a SAH at work on 16/12/14 which came on as a massive headache with stiff neck as I was going outside for a lunchtime cigarette break. I pretty quickly realised something wasn't right and had to go indoors and sit down before starting to feel really sick. My vision was also affected. I was taken by ambulance to QA hospital in Portsmouth where I had a scan before being transferred to Southampton General later that evening. Further scans overnight confirmed a ruptured aneurism and I was successfully treated with coils on the 17th. The following week or two are pretty much a bit of a blur but I was discharged on Christmas Eve which was lovely for my family but truly I struggle to remember much about Christmas at all. This adds to the feeling of unreality of the whole experience. I have a fancy dress outfit hung up in the bedroom for the work Christmas party I missed, and lost a stone and a half during the first week or two. I really felt like my awareness was just about back to normal around two weeks after the SAH, or possibly a little later. I was really glad to finish the 4hourly nimodipine which so disturbed my sleep pattern. I'm left with double vision and reduced stamina as my main mementos and can already see the stamina improving slowly over the weeks. The vision problems are infuriating but I still count my blessings that I'm as well off as I am. The family are wrapping me in cotton wool and I'm sure I'd be doing the same if the positions were reversed. 2014 was an eventful year for me in so many ways. I had started to get more active by taking up dancing and then a Couch to 5k running programme, lost 3 stone, seeing my only daughter married, being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (diet controlled only at this point) and topped off with a brain haemorrhage. 2015 is going to be different. I'm looking forward to getting my eyesight sorted out and getting my driving licence back, or at least dvla permission to drive again, although wouldn't want to do that yet with the current state of my vision! I've not had a cigarette since the 16th but am hanging on to an electronic one at this point to help me through the coming frustrating weeks or months. I'm sure there are a million other things I should add here but want to post before the page times out! Thanks for reading this far. Mandy