Gill C

Hi James & welcome to BTG, another Wessex inmate (we've had 3 in as many weeks!). You were very lucky to google the symptoms & recognise the danger as you say you usually 'ignore pain' because of the intense traininbrg you do for Iron Man. It is a realisation that life is very different post SAH & you do change priorities somewhat. At 12 weeks you are still early days & there will be more improvements but more so if you take things easy & at your brains pace. I found when I tried to push myself too far it set me back a week or so & made me upset & frustrated. Are you attending the Wessex support group in a couple of weeks, if so you will see me & Sarah lou there, would be fab to meet you xxx

The only advice I can give is lots of rest & quiet time, also try not to fuss too much as that can be infuriating! Easier said than done but be prepared for some anger & frustration which may be directed at you becasue you are the nearest to them, this is perfectly normal. You may also find it useful to contact Headway for help although they tend not to come until much further in the recovery process. Another good tip is lots of water especially when you feel fuzzy or have a headache. Good luck with the discharge, I am sure they wouldn't discharge her if they thought she wasn't ok - for me it was 17 days but I had vasospasms during & after my op.

Hi Mags & welcome to BTG, you are just down the road from me & i was treated at Wessex too (as were utSarah Lou & Karen). I'm a bit of an oddity cos I had an anni but by some miracle no bleed & was clipped. Most of my tiredness is as a result o I was the damage done during the op although the anni did damage some of my optic nerve. I hate to say it but it really is a case of starting off slowly & building up as you feel comfy. When I was allowed out of bed a shower finished me off for the day & the first day home its 2 flights of stairs to our bedroom & I had to sit for about 15 mins for my heart to return to normal!!! Now I hardly notice the stairs or having a shower every day it's almost back to normal but sit me for 3 hours on the beach with lots of noise/heat/ligh & I can feel my brain starting to shut down around 3 hours. Do what you can but don't push your body beyond that as it really makes you feel worse at the end of the day. Will you be attending the Wessex group next month? if so might see you there xx

Hi elaine & welcome to BTG To answer the driving question you shouldn't drive until you have informed the DVLA of your SAH. As for the head pain & tiredness its all common after what you;ve h been through & its still very early days so you should be resting whenever possible & drinking lots of water. I certainly wouldn't entertain the gym until a few more months in but you can start by having a gentle walk each day & building it up gradually. You really do have to listen to your body & take it slowly each day until you feel stronger. We have lady in Cumbernauld who is away on hols but when she's back I'm sure she'll be happy to chat to you & shes a wicked sense of humour:-)

Firstly congrats Juliette, Jess is the lady you need to speak to. I think all of her children were post SAH but I'm sure she can advise & reassure you xxx

Neil have you thought of getting in touch with headway? They are a charity who help people with all sorts of brain injuries but suprisingly to me the common factors are much more than the differnces. It helped a great deal to understand' my brain injury, where it was & how it affected me in my day to day life. I did think \i didntneed any help as my injury was mainly caused by the surgery to clip my anni & the vasospasms during it (unruptured anni)so how could I be the same as someone who came off their bike & hit their head. I cancelled the first appointment at least 3 times before realising I wasn't coping with the new me & it's been fantastic to talk to other people face to face who don;t need the tiredness of wolly headed feeling explained as they know already! I also asked to be referred to the neuro pysch for counselling but instead what I got was CBT, it did help but I had survived against huge odds & that was the most difficult thing to deal with (I was the very small % that walk in to the hospital with an anni, even more so when I was undiagnosed for 6 weeks too) hope some of the waffle helps, am sleepy today & not making much sense (excuse typos too:oops:) xxx

Kelvz I am with you & won't put myself under any undue stress not for anything or anyone. I did have some problems a while back & put my foot down saying I wouldn't be involved with something I wasn't comfortable with & was then made to feel guilty for 'not doing the right thing!' I have stuck to my guns & if I'm tired I leave early & that is that. I have learnt the hard way overdoing it as a negative effect of me for the next few days so it isn't worth the risk. *** those who sthave left because they can't adapt to the new you, concentrate on the fab friends who have stuck around & are here for the duration I say

Jan I am 13 months post clipping & still get headaches although the itchiness & weird head feelings have virtually gone for me. I have done more things recently without feeling exhausted but then I will hit a wall of tiredness which tells me I have done too much & i jsut have to rest. I really do think our brains wo SAH work so much harder post SAH so some situations tire me more than others, I find noise a big one or busy environments so limit my time in them accordingly. Just the sheer effort of concentrating for long periods wear me out too. I am sure my family think 'I'm fixed' too but I know& I am not & still need to rest. Hope it helps to know you're not alone?

Michelle it doesn't matter how you got through it the point is you DID get through it regardless of your fear. I think you've been incredibly brave so give yourself credit for that & have a rest secure inthe knowledge it's over & done:lol:

Yes def much easier than an angio although mine didn't hurt until it was over & they had to press on the entry site for ages!!

That is exactly how I felt before the MRI for my anni, was terrified & didn't want to go, panicky not sleeping etc & to be honest the thought of it was worse than the actula scan. It's not pathetic either, I struggled with lifts for quite a while so a scan like this induced total panic- I was going to ask for something to calm me but that would have meant I couldn't drive myself so I bit the bullet. The best thing is to tell the scanner as they are used to nervous people & better to tell tehm beforehand so they can be prepared rather than try & do the scan & not be abe to. Huge huge (()) & it will be fine, if I can do it anyone can lol xxx

Michelle I am also claustraphobic & have had 2 MRI's . It's a good idea to tell the scanner you are nervous/anxious & maybe to take a cd of muisc you like. On both scans I had the Bridget Jones Soundtrack but it didn't really distract me as the machine is pretty noisy! as I am of a larger build the scanner is a snug fit & my arms were on my tummy/sides & the whole of you has to go in even if they are only scanning your head. There is a mirror above your head angled so you can see the scanner & they blow cool air on your face so you don't overheat. You also have a squeezy button for them to stop the scan at any time, I did stop it once as I needed to cough & they ask you to stay still. On both scans I had a blindfold so I couldn't see even if I opened my eyes. I just concentrated on the fact that I needed to know what was wrong with me & this was the only way to do it as my CT had been clear!! I've had cat scans with contrast so I imagine it will feel the same with the MRI that hot flushed feeling as the dye circulates but it's over quickly If you need to know anything else please ask!!

I have found myself to be less physically tired but mental tiredness is a worry still. TBH I haven't had a situation where I am expected to converse & do other things for a while so its hard for me to be exact. I usually find 3-4 hours is my max & then I'm wiped out & again I usually limit my social interactions to a couple of hours just out of experience now. Nathan will be on school hols soon so that will be my big trial so will update you more then!

(()) Kate I know how it feels like the world has it in for you. I get twinges & bad heads too but just have myself that as my anni is clipped & they checked all the angio for signs of another one & didn't find any that I am really ok!! I too feel rubbish with tiredness & with my anni versary just gone feel like I should be back to normal as Sally said! It is hard to try &think positively when you have bad luck but I do consider how lucky I am to be so well & that there are plenty worse people out there than me. It doesn't always help but eventually it prods me into a better mood Take care hon & remember you are a good person xx

I had my anni versary on the 6th& this is exactly how I felt & still feel, maybe its an anniversary thing?

Hi simplesan & welcome to BTG. I was clipped just over 12 months ago but my anni didn't rupture. I find all my emotions much more keenly but only the bad ones (anger & sadness/frustration). I am learning how to keep a hold of it & CBT has helped change my way of thinking. It doesn't work in every case but it some it does. I too find the exhaustion the most frustrating part of life post clipping

Michael a fellow stockportonian!!! Small world lol. I was born in Stepping Hill & when my Dad had his stroke he was in Cherry tree for almost a year! (i'm from cheadle hulem originally) Vasospasms are normally caused by the blood from the bleed irritating the blood vesels & lining of the brain. It causes veins to contract so blood flow into the brain is reduced & can cause a stroke. Fortunately for me they had me on lots of steroids after mine so they pushed my BP up & made sure more oxygen was getting to my brain when I was in need of it

Claire said she has a list of people for other research topisc which we might be better suited for so she's put my name on that list!!

Hi ian & welcome to BTG I'm one of the few that have had an elective clipping. My anni was unruptured & undiagnosed for 6 weeks until it was found despite me being in lots of pain & having a ful 3rd nerve palsy by the time the MRI was done I was given the option of coiling or clipping but chose clipping mainly because once it's done it shouldn't need to be done again & there are no 6 monthly angios to go through. That & the fact I would have to wait an extra day for the coiling surgeon & might have found it wasn't suitable to coil anyway. In the end I had less than 24 hours to decide what to do but went with the clipping. I was in surgery for around 6 hours & remember waking up in recovery & asking i've been done & being told yes. I went back to the ward & had something to eat & some oramorph. I was then sick & transferred to HDU with vasospasms. My scar healed really well & my hair grew back quite quickly, I did have some discomfort along the scar line which made me itch. The sorest bit of the scar was by my jawline & ear. If you have any questions please just ask. Gill x

Hi Theresa yes i had a planned clipping (with less than 24 hours notice). I had very little hair shaved off about 1cm or so back from my hairline & 38 staples. My scar healed really quick & my hair grew back really quickly too. I had no bruising or problems with swelling & altough my scar area felt odd/itchy for a few months now its totally fine. The sorest part for me was the jawline. I only had one dose of oramorph which I didn't like & then mainly paracetamol as a painkiller. If theres anything else you want to know let me know

LOL sandi worth a try!!!!

I emailed them & they say because I've been clipped they can't let me take part in the research as it involves the use of an MRI scan - thought I'd let you know if you're clipped not to email!!!

LIn you as always have hit the nail on the head & I think I understand why nathan winds me up so much cos I know I'm sorry I can't be a better 'normal' mum! I too feel like apologising for the way I am which is why I feel slightly low the last few days, I'm a year on & feel like I SHOULD be better & in some ways that other people think I should be better too!! I am so sick of saying I'm tired every time someone asks me how I am so I do feel sorry for being tired & unable to do things I shall stop feeling sorry that I can't do things now too

I am a year post clipping tomorrow & i feel the tiredness is worse but then I realise I am sleeping less but doing a hell of a lot more plus it's been half term so Nathan has been home & I haven't been able to rest at all! I do get sick of saying I'm tired all the time, like a stuck record but truly I feel tired from the minute I wake up to when I go to bed but then have trouble dropping off or wake early. I must get some more excercise I think!!

I so totally have a problem with this, especially when I feel low but don't know why! I am always so grateful to be alive & that never changes but some days I feel low. I have felt really low the last few days as I approach my anniversary which I can't explain at all. I think part of it is the huge change that has happened in my life in the last year which I don't regret but it's still a change - does that make any sense at all???