Gill C

I've had migraines since puberty but they became less common the older I got. Once I hd my SAA I had at worst 4 migraine in one day, mainly the aura & pressure over my eye. My aura is like a floater that becomes fuzzy & flashes in my vision obscuring it & you cn see the wishbone shape when you close your eyes. My first SAA migraine was within a couple of hours of the initial pain of the anyurism starting but the headache from the SAa was more severe than any migraine I'd ever had. I do have triggers which are stress, extremes of hot & cold on my head (a plunge pool after a sauna set one off) & hormones (i had a ouple when pregnant) bu so far since the clipping i haven't had another one. My anny must have been pressing on the nerve that causes my migraines.

HI JK I did get a ct scan on the day I presented at the eye clinic with the beginning of the 3rd nerve plasy (dilate pupil & double viosn), it was onw within half an hour but it was clear. I was then referred for the MRI & that was the appointment I got 17 days later, we had thought of going private but as it wsa brain & blood vssels Spire wanted £1000 for it. At that stage my pain seemed to be being managed & i assumefd (wrongly) that as the ct was clear I wasn't in any danger!! I had the MRI & again assumed because I'd heard nothing within the first few days that there wasn't anything serious on there. I recived a phone call at 8pm on the Fri night telling me I needed to go in & was called on on Sat by ths sister on D neuro & operated on at 8.30 am on the Sunday. i only found out how serious I was after the op really. I am still thinking of complaining to the hospital CEO & even my GP friend has suggested legal action because of the delay when my symptoms were classic SAA. I read the NHS website about when SAA's start & even that fitted in with what they said ( I was on the loo when the pain hit). i am still angry about it all but not sure what action to take?

Hi Eddie, I hope your Dad is making a good recovery. My own father suffered a stroke when he was in his early 60's, it was quite a major one & he did suffer hallucinations in the early stages & he also lost his abiltiy to control his language so quite often came out with words he wouldn't say in polite company. He had to relearn walking again (his was a right sided bleed so affected his left side) & he quite often got confused & uanble to find the right words. He did spend a year in rehab & relearnt a lot of things including how to dress himself etc. It took a very long time but he made a full recovery from the bad times of hallucinations etc so please be assured it can happen & it can for your Dad too. It's a very hard time & he became very irritable very quickly so it felt like a chore to visit him but he came home & was able to look after himself. I hope things get better for you & your family soon

well done Lynz, fab achievement

Gary not sure it will help but Tecos' herbal sleep remedy usually works for me, obviously if you are on any meds it's best to check with your GP to make sure it won't interfere with them. When I had the headache & eye pain before th clipping my GP gave me amytriptalene which really helped me sleep(it's a relaxant I bleive as well as an antidepressant). You only take a low dose for helping sleep. other things I've heard of are lettuce before bed, a warm bath etc. Hope you get some sleep soon as it's horrile being tired 7 not being able to sleep ((hugs))

I phoned the benefits help lineY they were very good too, very helpful

I think they are still running, Lesley wasn't very clear in her mail, this is what she said 'We run a support group, which we are currently sorting out how it would be best run, and at what venues. As soon as I have the details I will let you know.' I don't remember the other Cons names & there was always an entoutage that came with the surgeons when they came round, there seemed to be 2 rounds day for some reason! I am waiting for my review appointment which should be another couple of momths. Hopefully I will see Mr Sparrow then.

Zoe, I'm new herer but wanted to wish Richard good lcuk for 6th August. Also a happy birthday to you for the 6th too (another Leo;-))

Thanks Lin Lin I am jsut soo impatient as you will soon realise! My insurers already know about the SA as my policy wsa due for renewal whilst I was in hospital. At the moment my insurance is lapsed as I can't drive but when I can I will write offcially. My eye Cons yesterday toldme indivdually my eyesight is fine to drive but together it's blurred so one lens is fogged/taped. He is of the opinion I can drive but it all depends on the DVA & I admit to bein nervous about driving with only one eye but it's mainly just local trips & I wouln't do motorways until my eye is much better:devil:

Karen it is Lesley not louise (this is where my head if not so good, I find myself doing stilly things or forgetting names I've known for ages!) I e-mailed lesley & she mentioned the Wessex support group & I think they are restarting it cos she said they are working out how to do it & where so hopefully she will let me know when that happens. Did you have Mr Sparrow do you op? Ithink he's fab, very straight talking but he came in on Sunday to do my op specially. I live the other way from you, Hampshire not Dorset, we are about 20 miles frome Wessex which was hard for my hubby as it tookhim an hour each way in the car & then had to sort out our little boy. He's been amazing & I know when I was in HDU I scared him as the vaspasm was bad so he can see very little improvement whereas I don't really reember HDU (other than it was awful) so can't see how far I have come! I don't mind questions, it's just so great to 'speak' to people who know wha I'm going through:-D

I saw the link on the Brain & spine foundation forum forum which I was told about by the Neuro nurse specialist at Wesex (louise). I am just so needing to talk to other people who have been through the same thing right now, 3 weeks of the same 4 walls is driving me slowly mad:roll:

I've jsut completed my V1 & B1 form for the dvla & jsut wondered how amny of you had a short suspension of your licence & how you find driving again after an SAH (I had the SA but not the H). I have double vision & at present it's to severe to corect with prisms so my right lens is fogged with tape at the moment. my vision in each eye is fine ut they don't work together so will that mean I'm not allowed to drive for a while?

thanks for your replies, it's very reassuring to know there are people out there who understand as my hubby just keeps saying I am getting better but then he can see it whereas I can't it's so slow" I am very angry still that the first time I presented at hospital they dismissed the severe pain behind my eye as a migraine (I di have one whilst there but I've hd migraines since I was 13 & it never caused me to roll around the bed in agony!). The Cons I saw ddn't want to to a ct or lumber puncture because of my weight & was thoroughly unsymapthetic & rude. It took 17 days for arrange an emergency MRI & a further 8 days for the report to come through!:oops My eye is pretty bad, they tell me it's too far off normal to correct with prisms at the moment but the Cons didn't examine me other than to ask if I could open my eye! Ijust want to be able to drive again but it's up to the DVLA, Karen are you allowed to drive & if so how long did you get suspended for (if any) & how do you find it??

Hi there have just registered today. I am a 43 mother of 1, in April 2010 I suffered an SA (which didn't burst as far as we know) behind my right eye. It took 6 weeks for them to diagnose my SA despite the pain I was in & the problem with my eye dliating & then not moving, followed by a 3rd degree palsy. I was whisked into Southampton neuro with less than an hours notice & operated on the follwing day as an urgent case, my anyusirm was clipped. I am now home 7 slowly recoveing lthough my eye is still not functioning properly, I am getting contradictory info from the local eye clinic from the neuro consultant as to how good the recovey will be which is very frustrating. I m just looking for people who have been through the sme thing to share experinces with thanks for reading"