Janet

Hi Phil Welcome to BTG so sorry to hear about Sharon it must be realy hard for you at the moment but don't give up hope. As some of the others have already said it can take a long time for the brain to recover from such an injury. My thoughts and best wishes are with you both. Janet x

Hi Lesley Do hope your Mum is ok it must have been an awful shock for her. I know how awkward it is having one hand out of use but having both sore must be hard going. Janet x

Hi Tony and Welcome I have visited your chatroom but not lately nice to have you on board so to speak. Janet x

Hi Kerry I had my Anuerysm clipped as well nearly 18 months ago and the scar line can still feel very bumpy at times. Apparently its quite usual after having part of the scull removed and replaced for it to move about slighty it can also still feel painful at times. Welcome to the site and I hope you find it as useful as I have just remeber to make sure you listen to your body and rest when you need to. Take care hope to hear more from you soon. Janet x

Hi Myratas A warm welcome to the site just remember to listen to your body and get plenty of rest it does get easier with time and the anxiety when trying to sleep does improve gradually as you get used to the different aches and twinges. Janet x

Hi Lesley I still get really emotional as well and cry a lot more easily. I 've also found I'm nowhere near as confident as I used to be before. With regards to work I returned 7 months after my SAH and I still find that I have to refuse quite strongly when my superiors try to get me to take on extra responsibilities. Luckily my team leader is very understanding and fights my corner with me. It takes time and the o.h and your employers should be listening more to what you're saying rather than trying to make you take on a completly different position in a different working environment. Janet x

Hi Quokkagirl Its a difficult decision that you nhave to make but it sounds like you already realise that full time working is not working out. Its very early days for you yet so no wonder you're finding it so difficult. Depending on what type of insurance you have on your mortgage some will pay for upto two years if you are off sick but if you have a critical illness cover you should be able to claim on that as it is classed a critical illness. Hope it helps if not I know Laura and Stephen have both made claims on their insurance so they should be able to help you more also there is an article on the SAH MBs covering insurance claims kindly put their by Chris.H I know what you mean about the smoking I still have a few a day as well certainly helps with the grouches. The weight gains seems to be a common problem as well I think the part of the brain that works the metabolism has disappeared my excuse anyway. Let us know how you get on and hope you manage to sort out your present problems. Janet x

As you know was seeing the Neuro's today. The strange pain I'm experiencing down the left side of my head behind my ear and into the neck is probably not connected at all to my Anuerysm. He was a bit annoyed that my scan pictures and results had not been forwarded to them so I have to go back in about eight weeks once they have had a chance to obtain them and look at them. He wants to check the position of the clip and also if any fluid is present. Failing that it will be nerve pain and they will then start trying me on different medication. One interesting point I asked how big the clip was and he said it was 11 mm and Titanium so I should be ok in future to have MRIs. Forgot to ask what grade the SAH was but he was really helpful Janet x

Hi Cal I still get it at some stages of most days but only on the left. If I 'm tired or do to much it can be worse and like Sue the changes in weather seem to affect it as well. Janet x

Hi Laura I find that long car journeys are very exhausting and different road surfaces cause different sensations in my head. Morris stops frequently for me to get out and stretch my legs also as the car is a Taxi can't smoke in it so regular breaks are handy. Janet x

Hi Laura I was 44 when I had mine and according to stats its more common in the 40-60 age group hope that helps. Janet x

Hi Karen Never mind just early recovery when my four grandsons are all together I still end up with a crippaling headache. Much as I love them it can be hard going at times and since Claire moved back in with Owen I find it hard to get any quiet time til quite late in the evening. Janet x

Hi Marie Welcome to the site hope you find it as useful as I have. As the others have already said it does get easier with time its just learning to listen to your body and resting whenever you need to. Take care hope to hear more from you soon. Janet x

Hi Debs Sorry to hear that you feel so low I think in the first couple of months after having the SAH we exist on a false high from being that relieved to be here. Then you realise that you are not the same person as before and that is the hardest part and the part I think that knocks the confidence out of you. I returned to work at the 7 month stage because it was starting to depress me being at home. I still haven't managed to get back to my full time hours and it tires me out by the end of the week but just returning to work helped me to regain a lot of my confidence. I still find that I lack confidence in some situations but then again most other people do as well. Janet x

Hello Cyberhorse Mel Welcome to our cyber family hoe you find it as useful as I have in your recovery. Just remeber to take things easy and listen to your body. Look forward to hearing more from you Janet x

Hi Linzi So sorry to hear your news no wonder you feel devastated especially as you were told the scan results were fine. Its a hard decision you have too make with regards to further surgery give yourself time to get over the shock first. With regards to the negligence I only have limited legal knowledge so I wont offer any advice on that. You are allowed to request to see your medical records though and its upto your G.P to decide if he will allow you access. If you need to chat I'll p.m you my number. Sending big hugs and lots of positive vibes. Janet x

Hi Cal Lovely to hear from you and good news that Jim is back to work. It can be really tiring the first couple of months but the feeling of normality is a good confidence boost. Tell Jim to take it slowly and best wishes to you both. Janet x

Hi Tina Welcome to site I also was clipped and lost the vision in my left eye for a couple of months its now almost perfect again. I think that its natural to feel down and depressed as for the first couple of months you're just so glad to be here I don't think you realise the impact it has on your life. It does get better very gradually but there's always ups and downs especially if you overdo things. Its a wonderful site and has really helped me and the advice and friendship offered by all is great. Look forward to hearing more from you. Janet x

Hi Leo I had a crainiotomy and my scar line can feel bumpy and lumpy at times were the bone moves about a bit but no permanent lump as such. Janet x

Hi Holly Its not just you I also get that feeling at times. Mines my scar line which can't be seen because its covered by hair but it does feel pretty creepy at times. Janet x

Hi There Yep I still go on to auto-pilot as well can be very incovenient at times. I work in a call centre and mixing words up and not being a ble to find the right words can be embarassing at times or funny depending on the sense of humour of the client. It is different at home I just tend to blank out still if too many people are talking at once Morris and the girls just laugh at me now but it can be very frustrating. Janet x

Hi Cheryl Welcome to the site look forward to hearing more from you. Janet x

Hi Wendy Lovely to hear from you again. Its sounds like you're starting to feel a lot better the memory thing affects a lot of us and can be very frustrating at times. I think that walking the 5k sounds good it doesn't matter how long it takes and you'll probably get a lot of satisfaction when you complete it. Weight wise I struggle to loose weight and when I manage it, it goes back on again as quick I don't get whole body aches and pains just the head and neck so can't help you there. Look forward to hearing more from you soon. Janet x

Hi Anne The bone weary fatigue only happens now if I do too much think I sometimes ignore my body and forget to rest when I should. I also had very dry skin in the first few months I used to use the coco butter moisturiser from the Body Shop two or three times a day its not as bad now so only use it once a day. Getting a full blood test done by your G.P is a good idea though. Good Luck and hope everything goes well for you. Janet x

Hi Anne The fatigue can last for quite some time it does get easier eventually. I'm about 17 months post SAH and still get tired easily but only get the bone weary fatigue if I overdo things. You still need to get plenty of rest its the bodies way of telling you to slow down even though you think you're not going much faster than a snail anyway. Also drinking plenty of water can help that and frequent catnaps. Janet x