Vivien

Glad to hear that you are making such good progress Vivien x

Hi Simon, welcome to BTG, sounds like you were lucky to get out of that A & E department alive! Glad you are doing well Vivien

Hi maggie, I went to see a psychologist who helped me come to terms with my pain and with the changes in my life caused by me being disabled, I have other health problems apart from having had an SAH which gave me headaches for quite a long time. I found it really helpful and also practice mindfulness. There is a book called 'The Happiness Trap' which is also quite good reading. I think that constantly taking painkillers does actually make the headaches worse, as does fighting them. Try to accept that you have headaches for now and try and live with them ( difficult I know! ) Hope this helps Vivien

Good Luck for the 31st, will be thinking of you. Vivien x

Hiya, I have had help from Headway, I phoned them and they sent me a brain injury card to carry, and then somebody came to my house twice to see me and talk, which helped me enormously. I was offered group meetings, but they were a bit too far away for me to get to, so they said I can always phone and somebody will visit. I didn't know anything about joining and have never paid anything, I may now join and pay the subscription because they definitely helped me. Vivien

Hi all, well I finally got the results from my scan, my 2mm remnant is stable, so that is good They did however find that the left mastoid air cells are filled with fluid, so now I have to go see an ENT specialist. At least I now know what the problem is and can stop worrying that it is annie related Vivien x

Hi Charlotte-anne Sorry to hear that you have been through so much at such a young age, I hope the physio helps, I am a great fan of physio so I am sure it will help you loads, even though it is quite hard work, it is worth it. Vivien x

Sending my best wishes to you and your brave little boy, I know how hard it is when your child is ill. Vivien x

Great speech Nessie, really well said. It gives hope and encouragement to others, thankyou. Vivien

Hi Shelly and welcome to BTG I hope all went well with your angio, I think a few of us on here have bits of anyeurism the docs are keeping an eye on. Vivien

Hello Sonia and so glad to read that everything is under control, it is great when the docs answer your questions Vivien

Hi Janet, sorry to hear that you are in so much pain after all this time. I have constant pain which is a result of my having dystonia, not related to my SAH, I was diagnosed with dystonia about 15 years ago ( I can't remember exactly ) I attended a pain management course a few years ago and found it really helpful, I still have the pain, but I have learned to live with it, not fight against it.There were people there with all sorts of problems, one guy had had a stroke, another had been in a motor accident, and a few with bad backs Did you know that you can get accupuncture on the NHS? I found that helpful as well,( not sure how having needles stuck in you helps with pain but it does!) I also had counselling. I think we each have to find our own way of living with it, and as with an SAH it does become easier with time. Hope this helps. Vivien x

Hiya, I am nearly 4 years since my SAH and I still have trouble in places, I can't filter out the background noise, and sometimes I find that I am nearly shouting without realising ( most embarassing!) I also think it is brain rather than hearing related, my capacity for coping with loud noise is slowly improving though. Vivien x

Hello Juliette and welcome to the site Vivien

Great to hear that you are working and doing so well Vivien x

Hi Vicky, Crikey your doctor was not very reassuring, I don't think they realise how scary it is for us. I went for a follow up last year and the doctor said ' good news, the coils have only settled a little bit, so the stem is only small, and you will just have to be checked every year for five years'. I knew nothing about the coils settling and to me that was bad news! I went home really worried, when I had skipped in to see the consultant thinking I would be discharged I now realise that the doctors are just being cautious, and that I really have not much to worry about. Vivien

Helo and welcome to the site, you are doing remarkably well, and congratulations on returning to work so soon. Take care of yourself Vivien

So sorry to hear that things are not going so well, I agree with the others, speak to the professionals. I think you are doing amazingly well, and hope that things improve soon Vivien x

Hello and welcome to the site Vivien

Hello All, I am nearly four years on from my SAH and I have found that accepting my headaches, tiredness, lack of memory etc has helped me to get on with my life. If I can't do something because I am too tired or dizzy, I just rest and the feeling passes and I am then able to do more. If I push myself to do more than I am really able to do then I also accept that I will have to pay the next day and allow a rest day. I think that acceptance is the key, I know that I will never be the same as 'before' and have to accept my new limitations, and because of this I am enjoying my life and doing what I can, when I can. I actually think that I am happier now than I was before. I don't 'sweat' the small things and enjoy more of life as I now realise that it is precious. I also realise that this is easier said than done and I have had to work quite hard to get to this point, and sometimes I still do feel frustrated, anxious and fed-up, but these feelings pass and no longer have such a hold over me. I have had counselling, I do meditation and have taken up photography, as I can no longer work. We all find our own ways of dealing with ourselves post SAH and I hope this helps Vivien x

Hello Fiona and welcome to the site well done for finding us so quickly, look forward to hearing more when you are able. Vivien

Hi Mary, wow! you have been through some trauma over the years, glad you have come through it. I think you have done remarkably well, and maybe you now need some counselling or Headway are really good to get in touch with. I agree with the others, a trip to see your gp may help. Glad you found us here on this site. Vivien

Hiya, Had an MRI on sunday, as it is just the brain they are looking at you don't go all the way into the tube. They put headphones on you as it is a bit noisy, and a kind of head set thingy with mirrors on so you can see the radiologist in their booth. You also have a button to press if you are uncomfortable, it lasts about twenty minutes. Nothing to worry about really, totally painless, just a bit boring lying still for that long, I have been known to nod off in them before now Oh, no metal allowed, so no earrings or bra with wires in. Hope this helps Vivien

Well, I am off for an MRA scan today, apparently my annie was two centimetres from my left eye, so they need to have a look to rule out anything going on with it. I will post results when I get them Vivien

Hi bay, sorry to hear that you are not feeling so good. sounds like you might be overdoing it a bit. I used to worry over every strange pain and feeling in my head for ages, but as time goes on the worry does get less, although probably will never leave me entirely. I was underweight before my SAH and a year after I had put on a stone and a half! it now seems to be going again, but I am still a size bigger than I was. I think having a traumatic event like an SAH does change us, and it takes time for partners, family and friends to get used to the new us. Also I found that my emotions were all over the place for at least a year. I know it is easy to say, but it does get better with time, just not as quickly as we would like. Take Care of yourself Vivien x PS I found counselling and meditation really helped me