Sandi K

Sallym25, your post is funny and makes me smile but I know underneath that good spirited text there must be months and months of sadness. good for you for keeping a smile on your face. I think you are amazing, I've read lots of your posts. thank you for your inspiration! Sandi K

Hi Karen, I'm not sure if you are still gathering info on these old posted questions but I love reading the answers and find it helpful to see how everyone replies so I'm adding on! I started feeling dizzy about 6 years ago. Had a CT scan then and the doc said the 'damage' at the back of my head indicated I had done too much cocaine. I was not doing cocaine. I had tried it a handful of times 20 years prior but not enough to do damage. We never did figure out what was happening and the dizzy went away after about 6 or 8 months. They looked for MS but negative. Three years prior my vision started to blur and I had one of those eye migraines. Eye doc said I had 20/20 vision and was very lucky to be mid-40's with such good eyesight.... She said get some reading glasses at the drugstore for when I get tired. I don't smoke. I hardly drink: every 2 or 3 months I have a night of too many martinis but nothing in between. I eat well, mostly cooking at home. I forget to eat at work sometimes. I exercise on the treadmill. Was doing 21kms a week. Now.... Maybe 6 or 9. Financially I'm ok, good pay. I'm in a good solid and happy relationship. Live in the country on an acre of gardens and work in the city. The only thing I can think of is stress. I'm an IT manager in healthcare. 2 of us manage a team of 17 - 20. We look after the computer network and telephones for 200 locations. There are 10,000 phones alone. If a radiologist can't see an image on a computer screen we get called. Its very demanding. We are currently provisioning a new 8 story hospital. Of course none of it is all by ourselves, we have help and many people are in the same boat (clinical staff and management, facilities, etc). But all I can think of that contributed to my brain blowing up is stress. Sandi K.

My office is in the largest hospital on Vancouver Island. I was very lucky to be at work when I had my NASAH and was vey lucky that the paramedic who came to my office recognized quickly that 'something was happening to the brain'. I had the stiff neck and thunderclap headache. While vomiting into the garbage can in my office I remember him saying 'I don't think you are having a stroke but somethingnis happening to your brain. Do you mind if we take you to the hospital across town in the ambulance'. The other hospital is where neurology is. Thank goodness for that paramedic! In the ER they began treating me immediately as if I had an aneurysm (ct scan, bp meds, morphine, codein, ECG, and so on). in the end it was a perimesencephalic brain bleed. The only complaint I have is that I was discharged with no information. The anxiety from the uncertainty is what I'm angry about. That much anxiety can't be good for recovery. Sandi K.

Good morning Di, thanks for posting. I'm glad Mark is having tests this Friday and I hope it's all good news. It must be very annoying to have the doctor say it's due to stress. I mean, maybe it is but could it be part of recovery? There are so many symptoms and so many questions which makes it all so worrisome. You are doing the right thing by going to doctor and scheduling tests so you know for sure. I hope you and Mark are having a good Sunday. Sandi K.

Gill and Laura how scary it must be to have stabbing pain. I haven't had anything so severe since my NASAH. I get pains for sure, but not to the the degree that I'm scared of another event. But.... As I'm learning, every day is new and anything can happen. It's nice to be forewarned! Vivian, I've had a pain running across my left temple for days about a month after my NASAH. It has subsided. Both my eyes have been sore and blurry to various degrees every day since it happened almost 3 months ago. Wondering if I'll need glasses now, have used reading glasses in the past. I hope you are feeling better today. Sandi K.

Welcome Rog, you have come to the right place. Reading the posts and threads will help you find answers in other's experiences. No one offers medical advice but the sharing of daily experiences during recovery is a huge help. I had my NASAH November 10th no aneurysm (it was venous bleed) and was home on the 13th. I'm not moving at my old pace yet but started doing some things like walking the dog (slowly) by the 16th. Your wife will likely want to do some regular routine stuff just to make herself feel normal. I started doing laundry by the 20th because it made me feel normal! That was just so very important to me. My husband has been beside himself with worry. I think for as hard as this has been on me he's had it worse. He could do nothing in hospital and felt totally helpless. At least when I came home he could care for me which helped his sense of helplessness. He was afraid too, we had no information and didn't know what to expect. He came to the family doctor with me in hopes of learning something but she didn't know anything about what I had! 2 months and 22 days later my husband is now frustrated because I won't rest enough and listen to my body. I'm jeopardizing the one thing in the world he loves the most. Although I logically know that I struggle with finding the balance. Your wife will want to be 'normal' (how she was before her hemorrhage). Tell her how you feel. Tell her you are scared. And please read the threads. There are other carers here and I'm sure you will feel reassured!! Please post again, we all care here. Sandi K. Xoxox

All of you are so amazing, I'm blessed to have your time and thoughts. Thank you. Lynne, I think it's absolutely incredible the changes you have made in your life - I've been reading and re-reading your posts. You must have worked so hard and committed yourself to being a corporate solicitor and you have gracefully (please don't read 'easily') acknowledged that 'solicitor' is no longer the right fit or definition of what you do or who you are. I'm absolutely in awe of that. Many writers have made huge changes but I think your posts speak to me most. I appreciate the detail you provide and the explanation of why and how you have come to the realization that your life has changed. It's early for me to know if I will follow a similar path. I sent an email to my very supportive boss today and explained that I'm having trouble pulling back and I may need to make some changes to my schedule. He is not pressuring me. The pressure comes from me. I love my job and there is lots going on that I want to be part of. And so continues the struggle. Acceptance of ones limitations after a hemorrhage is part of the process isn't it. Exploring capabilities would be a more positive way to view it I suppose. A huge part of me still feels 'super human'. Maybe I've developed multiple personalities!! Thanks again, and Lynne thanks for permission!

Hi Karen! I don't know anything medical but just wondering if it perhaps has taken this long for your nerves to heal enough to feel the pain? I didn't have a craniotomy or any surgery at all, my heart goes out to you. I can only imagine that everything is intensified and takes longer for anyone who had surgery or coiling or clipping. If the pain means your healing then it must be good news, but too bad you have to feel the pain now.... Sandi K. Xoxo.

Hi Karen, I don't know all the answers but here's what I do know: Age 46 Perimesencephalic hemorrhage No coiling, clipping, or anything I'm told the cause is unknown but likelyna venous bleed and it was at the back of the brain. And I'm female! Sandi K.

Hi new friends! I'm still having difficulty finding the balance between what I want to do and what I actually can do. Stayed home and worked remotely (computer and telephone conference calls) on Monday for 4 hours. Tuesday woke up feeling GREAT! Went to the office. It's an hour commute to the the office. 8.5 hours in the office and 2 hours on the road. Tuesday night I had the sensation that I was falling along with a headache and exhaustion. Wednesday stayed home and worked 5.5 hours. Today back to the office. !!!! I met with our Wellness & Safety dept at work today. It was good news and bad. Good: they want to help me and I've got good benefits. Bad: again I realized that I keep going back into denial. I was in tears. It's like learning all over again for the first time that a serious event has happened and I need to rest and recover. But the old me wants to get up and go!!! How long did it take you to stop fighting the recovery time? My wellness rep said I was only putting myself in jeopardy if I don't start paying attention to my body. It's been 2 months and 10 days since my NASAH. I want to be my old self.

Win! I've just read yours and Bessie's threads and my heart sings seeing you on here!! How very wonderful!! I'm new too and I'm sure you will find BTG the best place for answers and Bessie will have told you all about how supportive everyone is! So happy to see you doing well and signing on for yourself! Sandi K. Xoxoxox

Hi! Because I had no info and thought I should be on the mend I went to a Roger Waters 'The Wall' concert in Vancouver 1 month ( to the day) after my NASAH. I think about it now and realize how crazy that was. It was in Vancouver. My husband and I and another couple who are dear long-time friends stayed in a 2 bedroom suite so I could escape and lay down and nap whenever I needed to. My friend didn't drink because I couldn't drink which was supportive! At the actual concert I wore earplugs and closed my eyes often. I was sooooooo tired, I thought I'd have to leave from anxiety a few times. I made it though, and slept a lot the next few days! I've been to see 'True Grit' over Christmas time and found it loud but I could keep my eyes open! Also went to IMAX over Christmas and watched a movie about surfing. The blue sky and sunshine on that big screen did so much for cheering up my tired and sad soul!! I did shut my eyes sometimes though. Try it and good luck, I hope it goes well! Movies provide a nice break for us! Sandi K. Xoxoxox

Hi again Miss Moneypenny! It was a big surprise to me as I started searching on the net that are so many different types of strokes and I didn't know anything about aneurysms and I had never heard of non aneurysm SAH's. It is a huge learning experience and most people never need to know about all this stuff. I don't know how rare all of the different brain injuries are but I've read that NASAH's happen to 1 out of 100,000. I may have even read it it here. There aren't many of us out there! It's what makes this forum so special. It would be difficult to create a support group that I could attend physically because there just aren't many others out there. I'm so glad we are all here for one another! Sandi K.

Hi Rhiann! I've had these weird aches and pains too. The elastic band feeling, sore face, blocked sinuses, sore forehead and temples, unbearable back pain, sore legs, and weird chest pain. Not all at the same time. I started going to a chiropractor for the back pain 2 weeks after my NASAH. I explained to her that I had a brain bleed and didn't know the cause so please stay away from my neck. She was very supportive and far more willing to pay attention and learn with me than the family doctor. She helped me through the debilitating lower back pain, is now working on my mid back pain. She also massages my head and neck and works on unblocking my sinuses by touching pressure points on my head and face. For me personally, this has been helpful. It offers me relief and helps me relax and sleep better at night. I hope your pain is subsiding. I'm finding that every day is a new day and not to expect anything. Just let it happen. Take care my new friend! Sandi K. Xoxoxox

Hi Miss Moneypenny! Love your name! How are you doing with scaling back your work hours? I read some similarities between you and I. Your doctor probably won't ever have another patient who had what you had, unless it's a specialist/neurologist telling you to get on with it. After reading these posts I think we have to educate our family doctors because they have no experience with us. We are special! It's not as if we're getting over the flu! I needed someone to give me 'permission' to scale back. My husband and mom have told me to rest and stop working but for whatever reason I pushed on too much too soon. When I read the posts I finally realized its ok to feel this way. I am meeting with our HR dept today for the first time and it's been 9 weeks since my event! I've been in denial that something serious happened right from day 1. If your doctor continues to tell you to get back tom your regular routine I can't help but think that additional pressure is not helpful to you. Please take care, close your eyes and really think about what you are feeling. Let your body talk to you. It's your life and as our fellow NASAH'S say, we really can choose what happens. Sandi K. Xoxoxoxx

Hi Pete! In Canada I too was sent home with no information. I spent three nights in hospital. While in hospital I had tests, one being an angiogram where the technicians, radiologist, and neurologist were all very happy that I didn't have an aneurysm.... But I didn't understand why everyone was so happy and relieved. When I was discharged I was given these instructions: no driving for 4 weeks, no swimming, no lifting over 25lbs. I was very confused. When I finally pulled myself out of bed 2 or 3 days later and my husband drove me to the family doctor she said 'it sounds like you have had an aneurysm'. I didn't find much help on the Internet because I didn't even know what to search for! Almost 2 months after my event the family doctor printed out the letter from the neurologist that she finally received. It said I had a perimesencephalic brain hemorrhage. I finally had something I could search on. I've learned everything I know from this forum over the past few days. It shocking really, that someone could have something so disruptive and so serious and be sent home with nothing. I've been trying to 'pick myself up' and get back to work. I was working from home a few hours a day 3 or 4 weeks after. I expected to be back full time by now. Yesterday I took the gentle advice from our fellow NASAH'S and only worked 4 hours from home. I had planned to go in the office. I felt so great this morning!! What a difference! No kidding, just scaling back that little bit helped. I went into the office today and my head hurts, face hurts, I'm really tired. Tomorrow I'll stay home. I'm lucky to work in healthcare albeit in I.T. No one that I work with understands what happened to me but they are supportive of my recovery so far. The pressure to be 'normal' is all coming from me.

Hi fellow NASAH's. Is it ok to call us that? Wanted to share that today my head hurts mildly along with my temples and the whole front of my face. Even my front teeth. I hadn't thought of it in so much detail before until I read your posts and really started to think about it. Di, please do let us know how it goes with your husband's doctor visit and sinus check up. I'm curious if it's separate or related to recovery. I hope he's feeling better. Thank you for posting!

It is so reassuring to read your posts. I have been thinking that I'm failing and slacking off. With no information it's difficult to understand what to expect. Sometimes I 'perk up', it's liking waking up from the fog. It makes me feel normal and joyful because its a peak into how I used to feel! The trouble is, I jump in with both feet when this feeling comes and I over do it. Then I'm knocked down for days. I'm staying home today. I had planned to go to work but I read your posts and my head feels tight so I'm staying home. I'll do some work but somehow I have to reconcile the expectations and how I feel. Thank you so much for replies and warm welcome!

Good morning from Canada! I get the burning spots in my head too. Scares me sometimes but I feel so reassured after reading everyone's posts.

Hi everyone, I'm new. My name is Sandi K and I had a NASAH Nov 10, 2010. Does anyone have blocked sinuses? Not a cold, but sore between the eyes and in the forehead and pressure in the sinuses. I can breathe, but feel blocked. My bleed was at the back of my head. How do you describe to people how your head feels? I don't have a headache. But my head feels weird. Spacey? Wavy? Not dizzy but....? And sometimes like it is being squeezed. I try to explain and people look at me with confused faces.

Hi Noah, thank you for this post! I am barely thinking of the next month but to see your post about celebrating the 1 year anniversary is an inspiration! I've been asking myself if I'll ever get better and reading posts like this brings great comfort.

Hi Rhiann, I've just finished cycle #3 since my NASAH and I do feel more emotional and for longer duration than before. I'm tired all the time now but the exhaustion is worse during my period. I feel like I've taken some steps backward. I'm 46 and perimenopausal but symptoms during my period are intensified since the NASAH. Sandi K.

Hi! I feel nauseas sometimes but haven't vomited since the NASAH. It comes and goes for no apparent reason. I wonder if I'll be sick but after a few minutes the feeling passes.

Hi, my name is Sandi K and I just joined tonight. Had my NASAH nov 10, 2010. I'm trying 30 minutes on the treadmill every second or third day but no running. I started with 10 mins in December and have worked my way up. I thought it would help with the back pain. It makes me tired, especially with so little energy but it makes me feel like I'm helping myself so I do it. Treadmill days are really tired days, evey day is a tired day! But more so on treadmill days.

I am so happy to have found you!!!! I had my SAH November 10th and although my medical care has been good my neurologist is not a good communicator so I feel blindfolded and alone! I found this site last night and thank goodness for all of you!!! I have learned so much from you wonderful people! Thank you for sharing! I've never participated in anything online before so please forgive me for any errors or faux pas. I can't wait to share and I want to read everything! I wish I had found you weeks ago! I am a healthy 46 year old woman who doesn't smoke, hardly drinks, eats well, and exercises. I have a high stress job as an IT Manager in healthcare. My non-aneurysm perimesencephalic brain hemorrhage was like being struck by lightening. I was in a stressful meeting and it felt like a 2x4 board was shoved into the back of my neck followed by the worst headache ever and vomiting. All the way along it's seemed incredible to me. I didn't believe I was as sick as I was. I was surprised that the paramedics were taking me to the ER. I was surprised I was having a CT scan, an ECG, an angiogram. I was surprised was staying in hospital for three days. When they said I couldn't drive for weeks I didn't think they were serious. Although I was a sick girl, I planned to go to work on monday! Didn't they know who I was?! I was so naive. My poor husband was so scared for me. I felt so bad because he was so scared! When I came home my tailbone was so sore!!!! I kept saying 'if I had a brain bleed why does my bum hurt?'. I managed to keep my sense of humour even though everything seemed to hurt! I began going to a chiropractor because I thought it hurt from sleeping sitting up to avoid nausea. I've read in another post it was actually from the blood being absorbed into the spinal column. Now, I'm back to work but oh so tired. I feel I have the freedom to pull back after reading your posts. Last week was a full week, three days in the office and two working from home. It was too much. My head has pressure and I'm bone tired all weekend. I'm so glad to know from reading the posts that what I'm feeling is normal!!!!