Frank French

Hi Gilly! Regarding the panic attacks. I have them almost daily. I was counseled to take an inventory when they happened. Concentrate on what is causing them at the moment and evaluate the situation. Realize that it is different than the original SAH and that its just a normal side affect. Rest assured that it WILL pass and you will be fine. Talk to your GP about anti anxiety meds. They help greatly. As for sleeping. I get the same thing. Feels like your brain is squishing into the wrong side of your head when you lay on one side or the other. I've found that sometimes I just have to sleep sitting up or slightly reclined. Laying flat seems to put pressure on the skull and its just impossible to get comfortable. Not sure why it happens but I've spent many a comfortable night with a bunch of blankets wedged up in the corner of the couch with the cat nestled up on the back of the couch next to my head. Hang in there... it does get better. Slowly but surely. Frank

It's been a while since I logged in so I thought I should check in and catch up. Since the last time I logged in I have had to go through a career change. I couldn't handle the stress of my old job in the IT field. I've been able to drive since the beginning. (there was that initial month restriction from driving) So I've changed careers to long haul truck driving. I'm only starting part time which suits me just fine. I still have the headaches. They have only marginally subsided. And they are aggravated by how tired I let myself get. Christmas was a bad time for me. Again, the stress of the season didn't help. Now I'm just glad that its all over with. Anyway, its good to be back. Happy new year everyone. And may we all see good things come to pass in the coming year!!

I'm curious how blood clots are related to SAH? I had pulmonary embolisms 20 years ago and was out of commission for about 6 months. Can they contribute to SAH? Or are they a result of an SAH and its subsequent treatment? Inquiring minds wanna know!!

Thanks all for the welcome. Winb143, even I have heard of your singing. Since I've previously been asked to leave not one but TWO choirs, I'll leave the singing to you!! I'll stick to leisurely walks and puttering in the garage for my stress relief. Hope everyone has a great day.

Hello all: I had a NASAH almost a year ago on November 13, 2014. Like many others I had the quick onset of a brutal headache like nothing I had ever had before. Having suffered migraines in the past I knew that this was different. And bad. It felt like my skull was being pulled down into my shoulders and the back of my head felt like it was on fire. An ice pack did nothing but aggravate me and Tylenol 3 didn't even touch it. I had my daughter drive me to the Emergency Room at Lethbridge Regional Hospital. By this time I was slurring my words, what words I could actually get out. I had a hard time concentrating and wasn't able to form sentences. An experienced ER doctor recognized immediately what was wrong and got me straight in to a CT scan which revealed the bleed. It was determined that it was too cold that night for STARS so they put me in an ambulance and within 3 hours of my initial onset I was in Calgary Regional Hospital in the Neuro Sciences ward. There I underwent another CT-A scan, An MRI, an Angiogram and an ultrasound. They couldn't find the source of the bleed and determined that it must have burst and then immediately sealed itself off. I was very lucky in that I required no surgery. The headaches that followed have ranged just like the neurosurgeon said they would. "Your headaches will vary in Location, Duration and Intensity for anywhere from 6 to 18 months" I've experienced the feeling of ants crawling around up there to the feeling of a rusty axe embedded in the back of my skull. I've felt like my brain was a fat guy wearing spandex that was too small to the vice clamping down on my temples. Along with a myriad of other feelings that are just too long to list. I returned to work after 3 months on a graduated return to work but was unable to keep up the pace. I went back on long term disability for another 3 months and went through exhaustive rehabilitation therapy. Physical, mental and emotional therapy ensued until now I'm doing another graduated return to work. I'm now on 6 hour days 3 days a week. It seems to be working but I'm only at the half way point so we will see how it goes. The headaches have evolved to mostly tight pressure headaches and the occasional axe to the back of the head feeling. I still struggle emotionally. I have a very hard time dealing with stress in any form. It causes more headaches and I just lock up and shut down. I can't think and can't even function. Most times I just have to walk away. My short term memory is pretty much shot. Its kind of like throwing Jello at the wall. Some of it sticks... most of it doesn't. I've found a LOT of help already in the forums here and offer any help I can to others going through the same thing. Feel free to message me if you have questions. I'm a pretty open book and can talk openly about most anything. Good luck to all Frank

Hello my fellow canuck! A fellow Albertan here as well. I sympathize with your frustration. I suffered my SAH November 13th 2014. And like you, I was always on the go. Working 2 jobs as well as having somewhat of an active life before my SAH and dropping down to being on disability for almost a year now. (Thank god for good insurance.) I pushed myself hard to get back to work and back to "Normal" afterwards. And that in itself proved to be a bad idea. This thing takes time to recover from. As much as I hated hearing it myself I find myself offering you the same advice I had to eventually accept. You may just need to slow down a bit. Look into some sedatives to help you sleep. I find that if I don't get enough sleep (And we're talking 9 - 11 hours here) my headaches return with a vengeance. I mean BRUTAL! I wasn't much of a fan of meditation either. But there are other means of meditation. Simply sitting on a river bank and watching the water flow by seemed to work a bit for me. Good luck on your recovery. I hope this helps.

The return to, as my Dr. put it, "Normal nocturnal activities" is a frightening thing. I was scared to even try anything as well. But it does come back. You may find that toning down the intensity of your sessions will help rebuild your confidence. I've found that longer, low intensity foreplay awakened a very different experience you may not have enjoyed before. Listen to your body and your head. Tone it down a bit and just enjoy the moment if you have to. The "Mind blowing sex" you used to have now takes on a more literal meaning and may seem like a frightening thing now more than an enjoyable experience. If your Dr. has said that you can return to "Normal Nocturnal Activities" then trust him but also trust yourself. Just relax and enjoy it again.