Vivien

It is 5 years since my SAH and it does get easier, the headaches ease off and are not so frequent as time goes on. I don't panic when I get a headache now ( unless it is a bad one!) but I reckon it was at least two years before I stopped getting anxious about all sorts of aches, pains, twinges, weird feelings etc. I have to agree that rest is the best thing, not easy with little ones, but try and get some quiet time, even twenty minutes or so on your own in the quiet can help. It will get better, just not as quickly as you hoped I am afraid Vivien x

Congratulations and merry Christmas x

Hi Michelle, Yes it does cross my mind still every now and again, I think a little bit of doubt will always be there, but the times I think about it are getting fewer as each year passes and it worries me less. There really is nothing we can do about it, so worrying doesn't really help, although at times that is easier said than done!

I still forget words and sometimes get them jumbled up, but now it doesn't bother me like it did, I mainly find it funny

Hello All, A little over five years since my SAH and I have finally been discharged by the neurosurgeons I have a small remnant of the aneurysm left which has been stable for the past three years, so I no longer have to go to see the neurosurgeons, Hurrah! It has been a long slow road, but I now feel as good as I am going to get. The first year I didn't really know what was going on and it was all very confusing and scary. I could not return to work as I seemed to have lost the ability to add up and being in accounts that is not a good thing! I picked up a camera and started taking a lot of photos, these helped me to remember and it was a good prop to hide behind when things got too much. The second year I got depressed and spent a few months in counselling which really helped. Headway are also a good source of support The third year I began to have hope again and started going to a Photography club. I also could cope better in social situations and started going out a bit more, although insomnia was a big problem then. The fourth year I began to accept that I would always have problems with my memory and need more rest than most! I am now a professional photographer doing what jobs I can ( weddings are too confusing and stressful ) Now onwards and upwards in my fifth year post SAH. Vivien x

Hi all, I found that over stimulation was a problem for me during the first couple of years after my SAH. If I had a quiet boring day, then I would sleep well, if I did anything out of the ordinary my brain would go into overdrive trying to process everything. So I gradually realised that if I went out in the evening then I would be awake most of the night, but took this as the price worth paying. Now five years on, it happens rarely and I no longer am a night wanderer

Hello Dawn and welcome to the site Vivien x

Hehe, I just started reading this thread and found my post so maybe I haven't improved as much as I thought!

Hi Michelle, with all that you and your family have been through you sound remarkably sane to me I hope that things improve for you soon best Wishes Vivien x

Hi Anne, belated happy Anni-versary Glad to hear that things are still improving for you, as they are with me. Best Wishes Vivien x

Congratulations on reaching your 12 year anni-versary Sorry to hear about your memory problems, but glad to hear that you are still improving after all this time You are a great inspiration to me on this site, you always make the effort to post and give a kind word or a bit of encouragement. Best Wishes Vivien

Hi, it does happen to me but not as much now four and a half years from my SAH. At first I could watch a tv programme or film, watch it the next day and not know what was going to happen! I also spoke to my doctor about it, and he said that I seemed safe on the road, but just had times when I didn't know where I was, then said ' you haven't told me this' so I kept my licence. I am very careful when I drive and don't go too far, and it has improved with time. Vivien

Happy 2nd Anni-versary John, you have made great progress and have accepted the limitations really well Vivien

Hello Lynne, I am really pleased to hear of your progress and acceptance of how you are now, I am sure that you will be happy and healthy in your new role Your new voluntary work will open doors to employment and fulfilment, which trying to stay in your old line of work would not have done. Onwards and Upwards. Best wishes Vivien

Hiya, I have flown since my SAH and was fine I get these little blue ear plugs called airplanes ( I think) and put them in before take off and again when landing and they stop my ears hurting. I had this problem before my SAH something to do with pressure changes, now solved with the blue plugs, I feel a bit of an idiot with them in though Vivien