Chelle C

Hi, like Claire said it's very early days in your recovery. I had pain like you are experiencing and was told it was the blood dissipating like the others have said take your meds as prescribed and try go make sure you are drinking lots of water, making sure you are getting lots of rest will also help you a lot, Try not to over do things at this early stage, your brain and your body have suffered trauma they need time to recover, Try to be kind to yourself. Wishing you well Love Michelle xx

Chris sorry to hear your news, I've not heard of it, hope they get you sorted soon. Love Michelle xx

Thank you all for taking the time to reply. I do feel a little easier about it knowing others have had the same feeling, but I will still mention it when I see doctor at the end of the month. Where would I be without you all. Love Michelle xx

Jan, I am sorry you are going through such a low period, like Sharon said don't give up hope that you won't improve any further, I was in a similar position as you after my bleed, I had left sided weakness, was in a wheelchair for a while, then on to crutches, I had physio and at no time did she ever say to me it won't get any better than it is now. She also gave me exercises to do to improve my balance, they helped a bit but I still have issues with that Please don't let these people put seeds of doubt in your mind, I don't think they quite realise the impact negativity can have on a person who has suffered SAH do they even understand what we have gone through both mentally and physically, I wouldn't have thought so. Jan, please go and speak to your GP, ask for some counselling it is right what Sharon said, being able to talk to someone who is not emotionally involved does allow you to express everything you are feeling, don't suffer in silence. I know it helped me a lot, I can remember going to see my GP and I walked in, sat down and just cried and cried I was totally inconsolable and she just said let it all out, that's when I had counselling, please try it. Don't forget Jan, you have my number and you can ring me anytime you want to, you know you are welcome at caravan anytime also, maybe a break would do you good. Sending you lots of love & hugs Love Michelle xx

Just wondering if anyone has had this happen. Last week I had a strange feeling over the left side of my head, It felt as though there was something crawling under my scalp, I also had a bit of pain when it happened, not a pain like when I had SAH it was a strange feeling. I feel ok now and it hasn't happened again, but I have an appointment with my new GO later this month so I will mention it. Just wondered if anyone else has had it happen. Love Michelle xx

Hi Steve, Sorry you are feeling a bit off kilter today, you will have days like this especially when you as you are still only 3 months since SAH. I think what has happened is you have over done things yesterday, I know it's brilliant when you have those days where you feel great, you just want to do normal things and that is great, I think what you are experiencing now is your body and your brain saying " hold up a bit, we are not ready for this, we need more time to heal " and that is why you are probably feeling as you do today. It is still early days for you, you can still do things that you want to do, just listen to your body and your brain, as you are finding out today they have a way of letting you know when you have over done things. It will be 3 years next month since my bleed and I still have days when my brain let's me know I have over done things. It does get better as time goes on, your good days will out weigh the bad, it just takes time. As Win will tell you, baby steps at first. So for today you just need to rest, make sure you take plenty of water and be kind to yourself, the water will help with headaches and dizziness. Hope this has helped & you start to feel better soon. Take Care Love Michelle xx

Hi Chris, Welcome to BTG, sorry to hear you are having such a difficult time at the moment. I can only agree with what the others have said, all good advice from everyone. I had my SAH in June 2014 and like you I suffered with depression, I did have some counselling and it did help, I think being able to talk to someone other than my partner or family member's did help, allowing me to let go without feeling like I was burdening those close to me, it also helped me to be able to get across to those close to me exactly how I was feeling and what they could do to help. It is still very early days for you on your recovery journey, your body and your brain have suffered a huge trauma, they both need time to heal. As Daffodil said, take time to be kind to yourself, the tips she has given you are brilliant. You have certainly come to the right place for help, advice and some much needed support and you will get that in abundance here. The recovery road can be a bit of a bumpy road at times and we will all do our best to help you along it. Keep reaching out as we are always here. Sending you a big hug and best wishes. Love Michelle xx

Hi Steve, Welcome to BTG, sorry for the delay in picking up on your post, I've been moving house and just catching up now. It sounds like you are doing ok, as you are already finding out the recovery road can be a bit of a bumpy one at times. Plenty of rest and drinking plenty of water as this really does help with headaches. I was also in the RVI, I HAD ruptured aneurysm, they saved my life, I will be 3 years next month since my bleed. You have certainly come to the right place for help and support, this site is fantastic, everyone is very friendly and the other thing is you know you can come here and talk to people who know what you are going through, it's not always easy to talk to family and friends or to off load your worries to them, you can do that here. I wish you well as you go along the recovery road, Take care Love Michelle xx

Hi JM, welcome to BTG, This is a brilliant site and you really have come to the best place for help and support, we have all had different experiences in the bleed department some worse than others, what you will find is that no matter how it came to happen or what deficits we have we are a huge family of survivors, what you have experienced and the fact that you have come here to share your experience will help a lot of other people, Please don't ever feel that you could be wasting people's time, you are now a valued member of a huge new family. So keep doing what you are doing, keep coming here as you will make a lot of new friends a long the way. I really do wish you well with your continued recovery. Love & Best Wishes Michelle xx

Hi Liz, Welcome to BTG. All sound advice from Clare, Tina and Win, it takes time to get over such a trauma, you need to listen to your body and your brain, if you over do things they will let you know. It's very early days in your recovery but things do get better with time, It sounds like you have a great support network with your wife and sister and of course The dogs, my little dog helped me while I was recovering, it was as if she knew I was poorly. Take each day as it comes, you are certainly not alone, you have come to the right place for help and support, it's a great comfort knowing there a place you can come to where people understand what you are going through and how you are feeling. The recovery road can be a bumpy one at times, we will be here for you, you will make a lot of new friends here. Wishing you all the best. Love Michelle xx

I used to love eating extra strong mints, since SAH I can't put a mint in my mouth, i have real problems when brushing my teeth and have to make sure I rinse my mouth out really well. Chocolate was also off the menu but my taste for that has come back. Michelle xx

Hi Rachel, Welcome to BTG, I'm sorry to hear of your experience. You have come to the right place for advice and support, you will find everyone very friendly here. Firstly what I would say is I had an SAH which was caused by a rupture aneurysm so I know the cause of my bleed. I had the "Thunder Clap" headache and became unconcious. However there are member's of BTG who have had NASAH which means non aneurysmal sah, they had a bleed with no cause for the bleed being found. If you are really worried, which you obviously are it might be a good idea to get another doctor's opinion. The one thing I wouldn't recommend is looking things up on the internet, you really can frighten yourself, i know because I did it myself after my SAH. I know it's easier said than done but try not to worry, your husband is seeing what worrying is doing to you and he is obviously concerned. If your symptoms persist or if any new symptoms appear then you should seek medical advice. Have a good look around the site, there are lots of posts here that may help to ease your fears. Keep coming back and talking and keep us informed as to how you are doing. Good luck Love Michelle xx

Hi Martin, Welcome to BTG,Sorry to hear about your sister, It is a nervous time when you first come out of hospital, The advice that Clare has given is exactly what I would have said myself, Try to keep things as peaceful as you can for her, especially the noise levels. Don`t expect to much to soon, recovery is a slow process after such a trauma, the body and the brain need time to recover. I think it`s lovely that you have come here for help and advice to help her, Let us know how she is doing, good luck Love Michelle xx

Hi Shobs & Sandeep Welcome to BTG, I'm so sorry that Sandeep suffered SAH, stroke and CKD it has been a very traumatic time for you all. All I can really add to the advice that has already been given is to make sure he stays well hydrated and listens to his body and his brain, when he is tired plenty of rest. Shobs, try and make sure you look after yourself also, it's a long road ahead for you both. You have definitely come to the right place for help and support you will find a lot of helpful information here, you will also make a lot of friends who can relate to what you are going through. The recovery road can be a bumpy one at times, we are here for you and Sandeep. Best Wishes to you both. Love Michelle xx

Hi Ap90 I'm sorry your mum is having problems with headaches. I have to agree with the advice that has already been given. I recently had a sudden on Set of a really severe pain in my head while I was out shopping which literally stopped me in my tracks, i contacted my doctor and was seen the same day, because of my history with SAH she called an ambulance and i was taken to hospital, I had head scanned and blood tests, all came back fine. At the time I was having to deal with a lot of family stress, the doctor said this sudden headache could have been caused by that. I have distanced myself from that stress and have felt a lot better, do you know if your mum has anything going on that could be causing her stress. I would definitely advise speaking to someone about your mum's headaches. Please keep us informed, i hope your mum is soon feeling better. Love Michelle xx

Hi Heather, It's lovely to hear that Rebecca is doing so well, it sounds like she has settled into student life wonderfully, she has managed to achieve a lot during what has been as you say a hard 2 years. I also think it's fantastic that she is giving support to others who have suffered SAH. Well done Rebecca & I wish you all the very best for your future. Love Michelle xx

Hi Phil, Welcome to BTG really glad that you have found us. So glad that once you were back in the UK you were diagnosed and received the treatment you eventually had. So many of us are misdiagnosed, they said mine was just migraine and were going to discharge me, thankfully they didn`t and here I am. I think you have done brilliant to get back to work and to be doing 30 hours a week, there are many who haven't been able to do that. So well done you. Memory, I like you had a brilliant memory and I now struggle with short term memory, I make notes to myself all the time, Although there has been some improvement since I had SAH in 2014, I notice it more if I`m stressed or tired, like Claire I also lose words when I`m stressed or tired and it can be very frustrating, but you do learn to cope with it as time goes on, then again you could recover your short term memory and not have a problem with it anymore, no two recoveries are the same. I used to be able to cope with any amount of stress, I do find now that it really does floor me if I`m stressed, mostly my head hurts and I find my emotions are all over the place. I think we all feel that SAH has stolen part of us, it`s what we do with what it has left us with that`s important, We all learn to live with our new normal and you will too, it just takes time, be kind to yourself Phil. This has been a very traumatic time for you and your family, how are your wife and children coping with it all? Anyway I wish you well on your recovery journey and look forward to hearing more from you. Best wishes to you and your family Love Michelle xx

Hi Sar67, Welcome to BTG, so sorry that you have had a bleed and are feeling scared, There are a lot of members here who have had Nasah, I`m sure they will come along and try to answer some of your questions. There are also a couple of people who had their bleed during exercise, they will have some answers for you also. I had a ruptured aneurysm so I know what caused my bleed, I know there are quite a few people at BTG who have had bleeds without an explanation, so don`t feel alone with this. What I would say to you is really what CaseyR has said, make sure you drink plenty of water as keeping hydrated really does help with any headaches you may have. Also make sure you have plenty of rest, your brain and your body have suffered trauma and they both need time to heal, try and give them that time and try to take things slowly. As for exercise I would say you need to speak to your doctor`s, they will advise you on that as everyone`s recovery is different. It`s still early days with your recovery and it`s normal to be scared after such an event, I`m just sorry I couldn't be more helpful in answering your questions. I wish you well on your recovery journey and look forward to hearing more from you, Love Michelle x

Hi Josie, As time goes on you will notice improvements to your memory, I know we keep saying it`s still early days for you, but it is and as time goes on things will get better. Maybe putting post-it notes above your cooker and TV just as a little reminder to yourself with SWITCH IT OFF on them, I used them for all sorts of things in the beginning and it did help. I was like you in the early stages of recovery, I used to find my mind drifting off a bit like day dreaming, feeling a little disconnected during conversations, but it does get better. I`m nearly 3 years down the line and although I still have problems with my memory it`s nowhere near as bad as it was. I notice it more when I`m tired or stressed, I still write notes for myself because I know sometimes my memory still lets me down. You will get back to being organised, it just takes time and that is the thing you have got to give yourself, time. It is lovely to see the sunshine, it does make you realise how lucky we are to still be here to enjoy those sunny days, all thanks to those brilliant people who looked after us when we needed them most, every day is a blessing. Love Michelle xx

Daffs what can I say, what a beautiful inspirational post, You have gone through so much and come so far in those five years. You are a lovely lady and I would like to say a big thank you for all of the support you have given to me since I came to BTG. Love Michelle xx

Hi Jan, I think this is a good question, i think Super Mario and Lyn are right, i 'm nearly 3 years down the road and I'm still getting the " why me " days. I long to have the old me back sometimes but I know that will never happen, the main problems or I should say frustrations for me are my memory and the fatigue, i wrote something down yesterday to remind me to tell Verdun when he called me, i even put it under my phone so that I wouldn't forget, he called and i completely forgot to tell him, it upset me but it made Verdun smile, I do write a lot of notes to myself, problem is I still forget about the notes. As for the fatigue i really hate this, i can't do things like I used to i have to think about things a lot more simply because I know if I don't then I will suffer for it. Lyn is right it is all about embracing the new us, i know i have come a long way since the early days, but sometimes it feels like it just happened yesterday, i still get very scared, the other thing with me is I tend not to tell Verdun when I'm feeling rough, i try and plod on, not always the best idea but sometimes it's easier to deal with it myself, i off load more to my friends at BTG than to anyone in my family, simple reason for that is that we all understand each other. This new life does get better, just a bit slower than we would like. Take care Jan, Love Michelle xx

Hi Josie, Sorry you are struggling with tiredness, it is normal and it can take a few months before it starts to ease. You say you only had a small bleed, i don't think it matters how big or small the bleed, it is the impact that the beed and the trauma that the rest of the body goes through when it goes into survival mode that causes a lot of our problems post SAH, You are still early in your recovery, your brain and body need time to recover from this trauma, if you over do it your body and your brain will let you know. Please try not to feel guilty for having to rest and sleep, that is your bodies way of recovering, the tiredness will ease as time goes on. Be kind to yourself your body and brain have suffered trauma, they need time to recover, you will get there but it does take time. Did you ask your doctor about getting back to exercise? Maybe it was to soon to get back to it. I hope you are soon feeling better. Love Michelle xx

Hi Gareth, welcome to BTG, Sorry that your partner had SAH, you have come to the right place for help and support for you both. It's still very early in your partner's recovery, the memory loss is quite a common thing after SAH your partner may benefit from writing things down, i know i did this and it was very helpful. We are not allowed to give Medical advice as we are not qualified to do so, but we are allowed to share our own experiences to help you understand what to expect. Headaches and fatigue are a very common side affect of SAH. Making sure your partner drinks plenty of water and gets plenty of rest, water really does help with headaches. Your partner needs to listen to their body and their brain, taking things slowly and not over doing things as the smallest of tasks can be very tiring, when the tiredness hits then it's time to rest. There is no real time line for recovery, no two people are the same, your partner will recover at their own pace. We are here to help with any questions you may have. This has been a very traumatic time for you both Gareth, you have to make sure you look after yourself also, there are lots of people on here who have are caring for someone who has suffered SAH, I'm sure they will have lots of great advice to help you. Anyway i will wish you both well as you go along the recovery road together. Hope this has been helpful to you both. Look forward to hearing more from you. Love Michelle x

Hi Daf, Welcome to BTG, you have come to the right place for helpful information and support, Sounds like you are doing ok, try not to push yourself to hard to soon, it`s still early day`s for you. Listen to your body and your brain and try to rest when you can, also drinking plenty of water to keep hydrated, as that will help with the headaches. You are on the recovery road now and things do get better as time goes on, I wish you and your family all the best as you go on your recovery journey together. Best wishes Michelle x

Hi Deb, Just want to wish you all the best for Wednesday, like Sarah said they don't consider our nerves when they do things like this. Try not to worry to much, i agree with Sami, i think if it was anything serious would they make you wait until Wednesday. Sending you a big hug, Let us know how you get on. Love Michelle x