Gill C

I haven't got another anni but just wanted to mention about insurance. I rang hubbys & my insurance co when I got my licence back, there was no change to the premium & they told me they didn''t even store the info about the anni on the computer. Their attitude was if the DVLA said I was ok to drive then that was good enough for them!! Medically it was down to my GP to ok the driving, she had to get a letter from my neuro & from the eye clinic before she gave the go ahead. For me the DVLA advice seemed more grey than black & white as my anni didn't rupture but then my case is pretty unusual.

Penny & David have pm'd you the link, have also posted it on FB & that link works so maybe its BTG not liking the link? Hope it works for you xx

I've asked if its still available & will let you know the reply xxx

oh no it looks like the webinar has been taken down now, it won't work for me either The only thing I can think of is asking on the FB page if they can share it again or see if there is a new link? https://www.facebook.com/#!/bafound?fref=ts sorry its gone cos it was excellent:shocked:

David I have tried for 3 years to get my girl friends to understand the fatigue, I've said its sensory overload, hitting a brick wall, shutting down etc etc I finally sent them this link http://http://www.neurosurgicalatlas.com/video-conference-center/managing-cognitive-social-and-emotional-challenges-after-ruptured-or-treate one friend emailed me back & actually said how she hadn't realised the full scope of the sah, I had to tell her that i didn't have all those things all the time & that by managing situations it did make life easier & more bearable. Maybe they will understand things better if they watch the webinar too? Hope it helps xx

Wahoooooooooo:lol::lol: Can you see me doing a happy dance for you??? Such great news Daff, so chuffed. I remember how I felt so I know how excited you are. I had 2 refresher lessons before I went out on my own, more to do with having only single vision really. It was just a professional eye to tell me I was safe to drive!! Where's the first drive going to be to???

Rachel I am so sorry for your loss. Sadly we don't know why we survive when others don't, its a total mystery. I suspect your mums bleed affected the cerebellum which is at the top of the neck & governs all your systems like breathing, heartrate etc. I think if it's a large bleed there then there is nothing to be done. It sounds like your brother in laws anni was in a different place altogether & the bleed not as severe so it could be coiled. A girl I worked with had a bleed at home, she lived alone & the alarm was only raised when she didn't turn in for work, by the time they got her to hospital the bleed was large & although they removed a large clot from the bleed she didn't survive. She was only in her early forties. There is no rhyme or reason to what happens & none of us can say why we survive but some like your brother do. Sending much love & prayers to you & your family Feel free to ask questions & rant in here if you need to xx

I still have memory issues, still write things on the calender on the wrong date although my time keeping is better. Now I find my spelling is worse & I was thinking of a word the other day & couldn't remember the correct conjugation of the verb! I've also made very basic spelling mistakes which suprises me the most.I think my brain is just galloping ahead with what I'm thinking of writing & the spelling suffers. I've also had occasions where Ian tells me something & I have recollection of it at all. I am totally convinced he never told me at all!

I was just doing the normal things, working & taking Nath to nursery, cooking & keeping the house, driving whereever we needed to go!! My anni was completely out of the blue tho with the neck ache I had the night before I knew something was wrong, I'd also been standing my guns at work instead of ignoring situations that weren't right. I still didn't know how serious I was until after my op 6 weeks later. I think that is the thing that scares me the most as Nath was only 4 & I didn't have life insurance, am not named on the mortgage & had no will stating what I wanted if I went suddenly. I made all sorts of plans to sort that after my op but to be totally honest I haven't done any of it (my bad)

Daff I could have written your post exactly. Yes people still say I look well even though I feel crappy/tired/have eye pain/head pain! I just let it slide but inside I do get irritated, I also get fed up with people with seemingly little niggles of pain or aches but then I realise its comparative. When I was childless I used to get ' you don't know what tired is until you have a baby'. Now I have a 7 year old so I know its mostly true but I was tired for the pre kids me!! I get annoyed with hubby when he has a headache cos he will whinge & moan & be miserable all day & do nothing about it until I snap & tell him to take painkillers!! I quite often feel he has forgotten how ill I was & how severe the head pain was & that there is usually some kind of niggling headache there most days for me but then I look ok (tired yes & he will say I have panda eyes when I'm really bad) & on most respects I function normally (whatever normal is) but then I realise I am judging him by what I've been through which isn't fair! I don't have any advice for you really just the knowledge that it happens to me too & that you learn to let things go over your head, as Mary would say - don't sweat the small stuff. Huge hugs Daff cos you're doing so well, that doesn't mean its easy or that you are as you were before sah. Sometimes we are the only ones who know that truth xxx

Tulip welcome to BTG One thing you can never do is blame yourself for not recognising the signs (which are usually few until its critical). A lot of us on here have been misdiagnosed before eventually being treated. I was told so many things in my 6 weeks before my op but as my anni didn't rupture I didn't have the classic signs of a bleed (just the head pain, double vision) but was told it as cluster headaches, migraine, a muscle spasm etc. Its still very early days for your dad & his brain will be struggling to repair itself whilst carrying out normal functions. As a nurse I'm sure you know the brain is a wonderful organ which can rewire itself in amazing ways. It is just a case on focussing on one area & trying for small improvements which will come together as a whole step forward. Its going to be slow & he'll need lots of support but I'm sure with you there & help from the hospital you will get there. Don't forget to pop in & tell us how hes doing, take care & be strong xxx

sounds interesting Daff, will download & have a play later (if my phone memory will let me). I've also tried lumosity which Headway signposted us to. its brain training tailored to suit your needs but for full access to the programme you need to pay a hefty sum so I've only tried the basic tests. Will let you know how I get on!

Happy anniversary. I found the first anniversary really difficult, I think its cos we 'expect' to be 100% better after all a year is a long time? Given that Wessex told me recovery was 3-6 months I felt I was way off the mark & therefore there was something wrong with me for not being much better. Also we are expected to feel grateful to be alive when you are struggling to accept the new you it certainly isn't easy!! It does get easier & i will be having my 3rd anniversary this month & again in June when my clipping took place. We've never done anything special although I feel I should mark it in some way my hubby seems to want to forget it as soon as possible. For him the worry was so much worse whereas I had nurses & Dr's 24/7 to look after me, he had no idea how I would be when I came home!

yep it will be the blood pressure thing, Ian has high bp & tries not to take ibuprofen or anything like sudafed which raises your bp. I used to take ibuprofen almost daily pre op but rarely take it now. Have you tried steam for a bad head? It can work if your sinuses are bunged up but not for every cold, I also take soluable co codamol but that is only in the short term. My bp now seems to be under control but since sah has been higher than it used to be. My gp seems to favor amytrip for my back pain but as I take that at night it doesn't solve the problem during the day

Hi Siobhan & welcome to BTG. I have double vision but sadly mine is permenant so now my right lens is frosted rather than patched. My anni was pressing on the 3rd nerve for 6 weeks before the anni was found & clipped. I was under the eye dept locally until last year when they told me there was nothing more they could do for me, my eye is too far out to correct with prisms & as its nerve damage it will not repair now.I can still drive with my eye patched although judging distances isn't easy (I tend to over estimate rather than under!!) & I have got used to going about with only single vision. I think my case is pretty unusual as the damage was caused by the anni pressing on a nerve rather than a bleed. I'd def go & see your Gran, get as much help at the airport as you can cos the journey itself will be tiring. Healing hugs from her will def help as well as some nostalgic home cooked meals with her. Have a fabby time & let us know how it goes xxx

Hi Wendy & welcome to BTG. It sounds like you have great support for your recovery. Take it steady & drink lots to ease the headaches. I would advise getting in touch with your local Headway for additional support, some areas do really good courses about the effects of a brain injury. I was clipped too & I'm one of those people who needs to understand they whys & wherefores of any problem I have! Its great that you are seeing the neuro pysch too, I hope that is helping too. Take care & remember we are always here if you need us xxx

Hi Chris & welcome to BTG. Sorry to hear about your angio not being a good experience. I know Walton are one of the best (if not the best) centres in the country but sounds like even their discharge is sadly laking in information. There is a good booklet by the brain & spine foundation about sah but its only brief & mentions 3-6 months for recovery!! Drink plenty of water & rest when you can & take it steady are all good advice. Take care xxx

Things I miss 1. Being able to do more than one thing in day, like shop & eat out or cinema & a meal 2. Not having any money of my own 3. having a day with lots of energy & doing something spontaneous because we can! Gifts after sah 1. finally learning to stress less 2. being more empathetic 3. learning something new that I never thought of doing pre sah.

Kel I too had headaches from a young age, migraines starting at 13 & usually on a Tues as that was our French Oral test & I stressed so much about them. A few years later i got one whilst swimming in a cold outdoor pool on a very hot day & find that if I have a sauna & then a cold shower that sets them off too. I have googled cluster headaches & I think I had them as well as migraines. I did ask the neurosurgeon at the Wessex meet a while back if there was a link between migraines & annis & he said no. I still think there is. I hope you get seen soon & can relax a little knowing you are ok x

Kel I don't think you're over anxious, given that you were bad enough to admiatted to hospitals with your migraines I too would be concerned & wanting futher diagnosis or explanation. Anything that happens to our heads now is scarey & we know what 'could' happen so we are extra wary. I would def see your GP & make sure she/he refers you for further investigations too, maybe a double whammy will result in you actually being seen? I haven't had any migraines since my op, before I had 7 in 10 days & they weren't as bad as yours. I do someimes think I see the ghost of my aura if I move my eyes too fast when I'm really tired but it soon goes. I really hope you get seen & get some reassurances that all is well, I know how important that is xxxx

Holly the rage is normal honestly. Google the 5 stages of acceptance & you will see where you are within those steps. Its is still very early days so try not to stress too much, rest when needed & drink lots of water take care xxx

Holly my BP is usually fine but since my op its been higher. Recently I saw the GP that knows my full history & she took my BP & it was borderline high. I thought the lowest dose would sort it out but it didn't, neither did the second dose so now I am on the same dose as hubby & it has finally come down, the bottom figure is now 80 whereas it was 90 & slightly above. I just had some bloods done & my cholesterol (always been fine before) was up so I told her what I had to eat the day before the test so she asked for it to be redone (again borderline high) & now its down to 2.7 but another part of it is higher than it should be so its back off to discuss the next step with her on Friday. My risk factor was assessed & although very low with my history she doesn't want to take any chances at all so if I need tablets then so be it. There are so many things that can be done for us these days so I'll take whatever they think I need!! I do get hadaches & sometimes some eye pain which can cause me to wince but most of it can be controlled by paracetamol. If they are much worse than that you need to see a Dr for sure. I also get fuzzy headed but fo und taking a daily vit & mineral tablet did help somewhat although it hasn''t cleared up completely As for recovery time I almost 3 years post op & still have fatigue issues, some memory issues but Iam hoping to get back to doing some form or work this year, I'm starting with voluntary work to see what I can actually do. Everyone here will tell you there is no set time for recovery, the nearest I got to a realistic answer was 1-2years from the nuero psych I saw at the local hospital. You do need to rest when you can & drink lots & try to avoid situations that make your fatigue worse, not easy with kids I know!! Take care xxxx

Scarlett I have had all 3 types scans, the CT scan showed nothing (done without the dye), the MRI only showed an anni on part of the scan & not on the other. I was told if you didn't have a bleed an anni would more than likely not show up on a CT scan but if you had had a bleed the blood would be seen on the scan. As your anni is larger than mine the same might not be true for you tho Wessex Neuro did the angio with dye as soon as I got there. I am a big wuss & hated the MRI scans but I can honestly say the angio wasn't painful. Like the others say there are some flashing lights when they inject the dye & they should tell you which side of the brain they are looking at. I was more worried about how cold my feet were as the air con in there was cranked up to the max!! The only point for me about the angio was that they had to press the entry site for a long time & in the end had to draw round the bruise to make sure i wasn't still bleeding out. When I was in Wessex I was the only person i spoke to that had had that so try not to worry too much. My understanding is that the angio is more detailed because the dye is being injected into the blood vessels in the brain & the pics that they take give a 3d view of where your anni is & the size & shape of it. I was only ever scanned in the CT scanner after my op which was to check on any damage caused by vasospasms. I also walked around with my anni for 6 weeks working & driving as usual(for the first week) until my vision became too blurred for me to get about safely. If you need to know anything more you can always PM me any time xxx

How about home made soups, pack full of veggies & blend until smooth? Would he be ok with something like shepherds pie (with the texture of the mince?) I assume his swallow is affected hence the liquid diet? is he aware that if he doesn't try to eat they will tube feed him possibly by putting a tube into his stomach (my mum had this after her stroke & was tube fed for a long time)? Keith is our resident chef so I'm sure he will have lots of advice for you on the foods to make. Have you tried getting cross with him & making him realise how this is affecting you? Having an sah/stroke can affect the way your relationships work & he may actually have no idea he is being so difficult & affecting your health? I know you want the best for him but that can't be at the expense of your own health. Sometimes just laying the facts bare will be enough, if he doesn't eat they won't let him home in the foreseeable future etc. I really feel for you as I know how bad my Dad was after a major stroke & how hard it was to motivate him to do things to help himself. Stay strong & you can always vent in here Take care xxx

Vi welcome to BTG As mary says its very early days for your hubby, recovery is a long process & the brain is a wonderful thing for healing & rewiring itself to work as it was before the sah. At my worst (after vasospasms) I struggled to open either eye, I had numbness & tingling all down my left side & I was very slurred (I thought I was talking fine!). The slurring lasted for the first few weeks I was home & again I thought I was fine! A friend I rang in the first few days thought I had been drinking!! Now I am completely clear & concise although when tired my speech becomes slower & jumbled. Basically what I'm trying to say is things will get better, ask for speech therapy for your husband & any other physio etc that might benefit him. You will have to push for those things so don't be fobbed off. we You do have to be strong but in here we can help support you & advise wherever we can. Take care xx