Karen

Mike, if you're able to give me the link to the site, then I can have a look at it.

You can't really change what has happened and can't turn back the clocks ... I had lots of if's and but's too. I had an undiagnosed bleed at 38 and had another one, which was a lot bigger at 42 ... with seizures and a stroke on my left hand side. I've never had my question answered, so it's been a case of seeing how things go.

8 years on from the second one, I still suffer from dizziness, which is often brought on by doing too much ... if you're only 6 months on, then yes, you still might experience dizziness, mine was worse at this stage as I wanted to get back to normal too quickly... you need to ask these questions to a professional, as nobody here is qualified to do that and each case of SAH is always different, as to where the bleed was and what might have been affected in the brain.

Personally, I think that you're perhaps doing too much and you might need to re-think what you are doing and calm it down a little ... the recovery time is at least 3 - 6 months (set by the Doc's for the physical sense ie. blood to dissipate etc and the healing process to take place, but it doesn't mean that you'll be totally healed in other senses) and that is the minimum time.

For a lot of us, it's at least a couple of years before a decent recovery sets in.

xx

I've been asked by Tony Banks from the Stroke Association to promote their annual Life After Stroke Awards for 2014 as nominations are now open. http://www.stroke.org.uk/LASA

Do you know someone affected by stroke who’s truly inspirational? Then nominate them for our 2014 awards and help them get the recognition they deserve.

All over the UK, there are people who show amazing courage, determination and compassion on a daily basis in an effort to overcome the debilitating effects of stroke. We want you to help us find them. Whether that person is a stroke survivor, carer, professional or volunteer, let them know just how remarkable they are by nominating them for a Life After Stroke Award 2014.

Nominate someone online or request a nomination form in the post by emailing lasa@stroke.org.uk or call 0207 566 1540. Nominations close on 28 February 2014.

Karren Brady needs you....

BBC’s Apprentice star, businesswoman and football’s first lady, Karren Brady, is urging people to nominate stroke survivors, carers and volunteers in the Stroke Association’s 2014 Life After Stroke Awards (LASA).

The 2014 Life After Stroke Awards, which are sponsored by TONI&GUY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION, recognise the courage and determination of stroke survivors, and celebrate the commitment and dedication given by carers and volunteers. In 2006, Karren survived a brain aneurysm, which could have led to a stroke.

Karren, a long-term supporter of the charity, said: “Stroke remains one of the greatest health challenges of our time. Too many people don’t understand it or ever think it’ll happen to them, yet stroke is closer than you think. The Stroke Association’s Life After Stroke Awards are about celebrating stories of courage, commitment and determination.

“As Patron of these brilliant Awards, I’m inviting you to do something special for someone who has shown that there is life after stroke. Nominate a stroke survivor, devoted carer or passionate group of volunteers for a Life After Stroke Award and give them the chance to shine.”

There are several award categories and the closing date for nominations is 29 February 2014. Winners are invited to attend a star-studded award ceremony at London’s Dorchester Hotel on 12 June 2013. Details of how to make your nomination are available at www.stroke.org.uk/lasa.

For further information please contact the Stroke Association’s Life ATER Stroke Award team at lasa@stroke.org.uk or 0207 566 1540

My hormones were affected after the SAH and my periods stopped for a few months and came back with a vengeance. As Gill (bagpuss) has said, the Pituitary gland is close to the Circle of Willis, where a SAH bleed occurs.

Gill has offered good advice... don't suffer and go and have a chat with your GP. I was tested and was found to be low in Folic acid, Iron which needed to be replaced. My periods have always been heavy, so a lack of Iron due to this can contribute to your fatigue/dizziness.

I'm not sure what age you are, but I think that I was also peri-menopausal which didn't help.

Good luck and I know exactly how you're feeling with the dizziness and the menstrual headache as everything is heightened and in the early months it does cause a huge amount of anxiety. xx

Zoe, sending love and huge hugs to you and your children .... so very sorry to hear your news. An absolutely awful time for you and all of Richard's family.... so very sorry. xxxx

Hi Liz and a warm welcome,

As a site, we can't give you medical advice for obvious reasons, but if you're at all concerned with the vomitting give NHS Direct a call/or the hospital where she was treated for advice, especially as it's Christmas day tomorrow and it might give you some peace of mind.

I know of a few members who have suffered with vomitting/nausea problems. Keeping up the fluids such as water is something that I can only say is helpful with the headaches in order not to get dehydrated.

Tiredness post SAH is something that we all experience and for a lot of us, our eyes hurt or are sensitive to light.

Go and have a chat with your Mum and see how she feels .... xx

Hi Michael,

That's really good positive news! xx

Zoe, my thoughts and prayers are with you all. xx

From my own viewpoint, I can only say that I didn't change, not as a person, just needed to adapt and adjust to this new life that was suddenly thrust upon me. It took me a fair few years to work it out and it wasn't easy, but I needed to stop comparing myself now, to who and what I did before the SAH, as all I did was set myself up to fail each time and become more miserable.

I think that I became emotionally more stable once I accepted that I would have some pretty big limitations in my new life and instead of working against them and fighting it, try to work alongside them and have as good a life, as I possibly could and no, it's not a perfect situation, but I'm fairly happy with it all now and have finally found some peace.

I think that it really is a question of time, not months, but years and adaptation and to be honest, I can't really remember what life was like pre-SAH now, it's almost like looking at another person, but life's pretty okay and as the years go by, I'm doing a lot more than what I was doing in the early years.

Good luck guys, you will get there too. xxx

That's a very good analogy Lynne!

Zoe, there are times when I really just don't have the words ..... sending you hugs and love xxxxx

Michael, keep fighting for your brother and never give up on hope .... sending you a much deserved hug. (((()))) xxx

Daff, it's okay to be scared ... I was scared witless for many years, not that I would have admitted it back then. I don't think that there are many of us that don't get another spell or two back into A & E and nothing has been found. I've been there.

It sounds as though you've totally gone into overload ... or meltdown ... you're doing too much and you're going to have to off load some of it where you can.

I'm just a phone call away Daff, if you ever need to talk.

Sending huge hugs and remember that you're never alone with this. xx

This is something that you would have to ask his medical team, as I was able to sign my own surgery consent form albeit with some help and was coiled about 3 or 4 days after my bleed, when I was more stable. I have no idea what happens if you're not able to sign. xx

Bless you and I hope that you can keep positive. They must think that coiling is a good first option to try and that the aneurysm shape is suitable to hold the coils in. Try to remember that they have given you the worse case scenario, which is worrying for you all, but it won't necessarily happen ... but obviously a patient has to sign a consent form before the op so they have to give you all the facts and the "just in case" scenario... they did the same with me before I gave my consent and signed.

Hope that you can get hold of somebody at the hospital to speak to with your concerns. xx

Hopefully you will get the answers and it will put your mind at rest, but it must be frustrating for you all and seem never ending. Hopefully, if it's just the coiling op and there are no delays at the hospital, things might start moving forward for you all.

My Mother in Law was coiled, she had an unruptured aneurysm and she was literally only in hospital for a couple of days and apart from having to rest up a little, she was fine. It's the fall out from bleed that causes the problems. May be it might be worth asking about the recovery time scale post operation.

Good luck xxx

Maybe they had to stabilise him and remove the blood clot first which probably would have posed more of a danger than the aneurysm .... could probably be a lot of medical reasons as to why and would imagine that they have to weigh up the risks to your husbands condition at that point and that may be surgery posed too much of a risk at that time. I would imagine that they would have had a good medical reason for the delay, so ask them the question. xx

Many congratulations on your 4th anni-versary Lynne and for all that you've achieved since, especially with the birth of your Son too....many of us will know how hard that is, without the complications of having a SAH, so you've done wonderfully well in my eyes, be very proud of yourself and I wish you all good things for the future.

Life is definitely different and acceptance plays a huge part and a lot of compromises have to be made ... and you're quite right, that there is no part of your life where the SAH doesn't have an impact, but a good life with some quality can still be achieved and we learn to prioritise as to what is more important in our life to achieve that outcome.

Your thread is beautifully written Lynne, as always and you certainly haven't lost that gift and I know that you've been a huge help to others on this forum.

Hope that you have a lovely evening...xxxx

I'm really very sorry to hear about your friend, but there isn't anybody on this site that is medically qualified to give an opinion or offer a prognosis as we are just a support group. xx

You're very welcome Kayleigh and I hope that they help you ... I would also say, that try to keep you stress and anxiety levels down to a minimum if you can.... not always easy, as I know....xx

Gail,

Is he in his own room? I ask because when I was at a certain point, my husband brought in a radio and I developed a great new love listening to Radio 4 (couldn't do music, was too much!), where it's mainly talking and not visually stimulating like a TV as I couldn't focus up on it ... it also kept me company and I found it completely soothing.

If you're worried about his diapers not being changed enough and you're noticing it .... this would be distressing in itself for any of us to sit or lie in, then have a word with the nursing staff, as this may not be helping his mood.

Sending you hugs...xx

Hi Kayleigh,

I've been on a daily dose of Propranolol for migraines for many years and it also helps with anxiety. I experience the classic type migraine, normally with aura and then the banging head and fatigue/feeling hungover for a day or so ....I had migraines with aura before my SAH....these developed from being a teenager with light sensitivity/severe sickness and stopped, then I had the aura type migraine after having my 2nd baby.

I take one tablet a day that keeps the migraines at bay, however I still do experience the odd migraine...but it does seem to keep them at an even keel.

xx

Welcome back John and it's good to hear from you.

I still have a neck left on my aneurysm too, but glad that you're finally getting sorted. I'll leave the rest of your post for the other guys to relay their experiences. xx

Julie, as time passes, you will become more confident in yourself and your body too. What you're feeling is pretty much normal after such a scary experience....it doesn't take months, it will probably take years for you to feel confident again and that nothing is going to happen again. You will get there.....honestly ... come back and see me in a couple of years....

Sometimes there isn't an answer and you just have to put your trust in the medics.....I felt exactly the same as you do now.

I haven't known anybody on this site that has had another SAH, whether it's non-aneurysm or not ... that's 7 years so far and quite a few hundred members later....

You are entitled (I think) to read your notes that are held with your GP.

You should also be able to ask for a copy of your scans? .... I had to pay for mine, they were on a DVD and I could see exactly what they could see.

We do have quite a few members from the USA that pay for private medical insurance and from what I can see, they tend to have far more information given to them, more tests and more time given, than we do here with the NHS, but that would probably be the case if you were paying privately for health care, as our NHS system just isn't geared up for it and detailed information is limited as is time with a Doc.

It is very hard to look to the future and plan, but please don't do what I've done and waste too many years thinking about the what if's, as you won't get that time back....and the "what if's", haven't happened to me .... well, so far.

I would advise that you go and get the information that you need .... do what you can to put your mind at ease and don't ever be put off with asking any questions that you need to ask ... you're the most important person in this equation ... Docs get paid to do a job.

I learnt that there aren't any guarantees with this life ... it took me a long time to come to terms with that and I wasted too much time worrying. However, it is natural to be scared and I was one scared person for a very long time, but you will feel better and more confident that your body isn't going to let you down again and you will find some peace.

Wishing you well lovely ....xx

Why am I so tired? - http://www.bafound.org/common-questions-1

It's well worth going to see your GP about tiredness - I had a series of blood tests carried out, such as thyroid, hormones, iron, calcium post SAH - I was found to be deficient in folic acid, low levels of B12 and calcium. All of these added to the SAH fatigue problem and I had to take prescribed supplements for quite some time.

I'm still having to take the calcium tabs and also have a daily teaspoonful of Feroglobin B12 which is a gentle liquid iron, zinc and B complex made by Vitabiotics which seems to help with the reduction of my fatigue. This isn't prescribed by my Doctor as it can be bought over the counter/supermarket and I don't recommend that anybody else takes it. Blood tests should be considered to rule out other causes, as I know that supplements can often mask problems.

I have a full set of blood tests taken at the GP surgery every 12 months and would say that just because fatigue/tiredness is seen to be a common after effect of the SAH that they don't just put up with it, because a cause may be found that might not entirely cure the problem, but it may help to relieve some of it.

I have looked for the magic answer/cure to the tiredness/fatigue for years and I'm afraid to say that I still haven't found it. Medical science seems to think that it could be caused by damage to the pituitary gland which is a structure at the base of the brain.

Interesting article though, but I know that I wouldn't take Ritalin and would rather manage the tiredness (which has improved over the years but definitely not back to normal pre-SAH level) ... then again, I don't have the work issue to contend with, as never made it back on a regular basis. Shame that there hasn't been more research into this area.