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 Vivien,

Great news to hear that you are now deemed OK neuro surgeon wise. Congratulations. I have a final scan in July next year (at the 5 yr mark) and hope to have the same outcome as you. Although, I still have lingering niggles that if no-one ever checks again, how will I know I haven't got any new ones??? I had 3 and was told it's likely to be genetic & I am at higher risk of developing more. That does scare me. Does this cross your mind too or do you feel confident that you are & will stay ok now? I hope to have that feeling by next year too.

I loved your explanation of how you felt each year, I think it is very realistic and it has been almost identical for me. Reading your post makes me look forward to what year 5 is going to bring!!

Many congratulations,

Michelle xx

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

Hi Zoe, We have all seen from reading your posts on here, how hard it has been for you and the children, you are making the best decision for you all. You haven't rushed into this you have obviously thought long and hard over it. Maybe when you are gone Richard will do some long hard thinking or maybe he needs time on his own to recover, who knows how the future will turn out. At the moment you are the one closest to him and you are the one taking the brunt of his anger and frustration, and the children are there watching it all. Please do not feel guilty for your decision.

Best Wishes

Vivien x

Hi, I have posted a new picture in the photo gallery, it is of a page from a magazine and the photos are mine! When I had my SAH four and a half years ago, I knew that I couldn't work at my old job again, ( I ran my own business doing accounts for small businesses and also repaired and built computers). I suffered / suffer from all the usual post SAH problems, fatigue, poor memory and concentration, confusion, insomnia and sometimes depression. I got a camera to help motivate myself to get out and about and it also helped me to look at the photos and remember people and events, a kind of visual diary. Also I think it helped to hide behind a camera when there was too much going on! A couple of years ago I decided to join a local camera club, my friend had to take me and keep an eye on me for the first few months, I found it very tiring and after a club night I couldn't sleep as my brain tried to process what had happened and what I had learned, so was usually laid up the next day as well! Over time this has improved and I have gradually learned more about photography and processing but still have a long way to go ( although I still forget most of it and in a way have to keep relearning, but it does eventually get retained ) Anyway, I am now photographing new babies, a friends wedding, and anything else that takes my interest. I was asked to take the photos for this magazine as the photographer was off sick, the children are my grandson and his friend,I am quite pleased with how it looks, but mainly really pleased that I am recovering and making progress, albeit quite slowly.

I hope this makes sense, I still have trouble expressing myself with the written word, and you might not be able to see the photo yet as it has to be moderated

Vivien

Hi Sandi, it is great to hear of your progress and how much you're learning about yourself and how much you can do. this is a really good thread and gives an insight into the problems people have post SAH and the determination needed to get back to work.

Take care of yourself

Vivien x

Hello, and welcome to the site

Great news Win x

Well done, you did it!

Hello and welcome to the site, there are people here who understand.

Vivien

After posting the rather grim self portrait, I have done a more humerous photo of three green cardigans, to show my memory problems I keep going out thinking that I need a new green cardigan and I now have three nearly exactly the same! I also have 10 boxes of red kidney beans and a large selection of tubes of toothpaste!

I have posted in my photo album a self portrait that I took recently on the theme of Inner Landscape, it does make me look pretty grim, but I was trying to make the point that on the outside I look fine, but on the inside I struggle daily with the limitations imposed by my health and that just because somebody looks ok on the outside, doesn't mean that they are, which I think is a common problem among those of us who have had a brain injury.

It is now four years since I had an SAH and I feel that I have come a long way since then. I no longer think about it every day, I can sleep at least six hours a night now and although I still sometimes get very tired, I can definitely do more. My mid term and short term memory are still pretty bad, but I have learned to live with it and laugh about it. I still have times when my head aches, but know that they are usually my body telling me to rest, which I now do instead of fighting it.

I also have dystonia, which is progressive, so you can see in the photo that my neck is twisting, but I am considering getting the botox treatment for this, which might help.

I took this photo for a competition that my local camera club is running, but have been unable to submit it because it is too personal, but thought I could manage to post it here

I have also realised that I am able to express myself visually more than verbally

Vivien

Hello and welcome to BTG, I also suffered from RLS after my SAH, I think I had it before but not as bad, I can't really remember! I still do get RLS occasionally, but it is slowly going away as I now sleep a lot better ( it is now four years since my SAH). When it does happen, I get up have a cup of tea and watch tv for a bit or read a book, then go back to sleep.

Vivien