Karen

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.

I agree and stress certainly does make you tired and you've got heaps to cope with. I would definitely go see your GP and can you get anybody to help you out with the children or do some ironing or house tidying etc just to ease your load? Never worry about asking for practical help as it's not a failing, as most people are more than willing to lend a hand and be useful to you in a practical way under these sorts of circumstances. xx

Hi Susan, If you do a search on this site, there are a few threads on flying post SAH. The following may be of help to you - http://www.uhs.nhs.uk/OurServices/Brainspineandneuromuscular/Neurovascularservice/Neurovascularconditions/SubArachnoidHaemorrhage/FrequentlyAskedQuestions.aspx

Posted on behalf of Jillbb - sent via email to the site. [TABLE] [TR=bgcolor: #E0E0E0] [TD]Message:[/TD] [TD]Hi Juliette and all hopeful drivers. I had my driving license removed after my SAH in march 2012, I was not allowed to drive until I under took a number of quite hard tests involving written psychological tests ie picking out different words from a story while they played another story through head phones , I had to drive on a simulator, then having not driven for 9 months was presented with a bran new ford focus! And told we were going for a drive. I had the examiner in front and another assessor behind plus a camera filming me. We drove round Cardiff for approx 3 quarters of an hour. I had to observe all the road signs on both sides of the road as I drove, the whole thing was very stressful although they did there best to put me at my ease! I had to then wait a few more weeks before they agreed last February to allow me to drive. Now I am 70 the process starts again. I want to go on driving a trailor, the dvla have said I have to wait 3 months for decision although they have had all my medical reports and contacted my consultant only a few months ago! I do not hold out much hope. I find it hard to understand how the dvla works some people drive really quickly with no problems others like me have had terrible problems to get their license back, and now I am back to square one again! At least I hope I will be allowed to keep my drivers license. Good luck Juliette with your MRI love Jill[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

Wem, I have parents that talk at the same time, normally about a different subject matter, so I'm having to juggle two conversations at once. They've always been the same, so it's not an age thing, it's more like they need to compete with each other and don't have the good manners to let somebody finish a sentence without butting in. I can normally do a maximum of 2 hours with them and then I'm completely wiped out and I'm 8 years post this SAH. I still find one to one full on conversation after a few hours tiring and after a while I shut off ... or should I say, my brain does. My emotional state, especially during the first 3 years post SAH was awful and I was all over the place ... I was extremely sensitive and overly so. I'm happy to say, that I'm back to normal on that score. There is a condition called Emotional Lability post SAH/Stroke - http://www.strokefoundation.com.au/blog/?tag=emotional-lability It's something that I certainly suffered from. xx

That's really great to read Julie and I think that having a positive attitude (I know that it's not always easy!) and noticing/marking the improvements, big or small, are all key to making a good recovery and keeping your mental health on track too. Well done you! xx

Hi Julie, I'm about to start HRT so will let you know how I get on ....xx

Oh Myra, you've certainly been through it since I met you on here ... xx Think that my hearing is becoming a slight problem too .. not sure whether that's just an age thing or is it due to the SAH? Mine is only slight and often Eric can ask me if I can hear something and I say "no" ... but if I really listen to the described noise, then I can hear it, albeit faintly. It does make me wonder whether my brain has learnt the behaviour to block out unwanted noise because of the SAH and what I can tolerate? Who knows! Hope that you can manage to get your BP under control and try not to stress out ... easier said than done, I know. My physical symptoms, even at 8 years on, seem to vary from one week to another....the worse one that's been affected, has been my eyesight/balance and when these two are out of sync, my ears tend to play up as well. Glad that you have an appointment with the Neurologist and I hope that all goes well for you. Take care lovely. xxx

Lesley, I can truly relate to the anxiety when withdrawing ....it was probably the worse period post SAH. If you feel that you're withdrawing far too quickly, please go to the Doc's ... As your SAH is about you and none of us are text book cases and you need to do what's comfortable for you. xxx

Lesley, I eventually had to reduce my anti seizure meds in order to stop taking them completely, as I was having bad side effects from them. I found the withdrawal just a bad as being on them and experienced some weirdo stuff and the anxiety about experiencing seizures returned, so I went back to the Docs and he re-evaluated the withdrawal dose and the time period. The withdrawal dose was done in much smaller amounts and the time increased between each withdrawal and it was the only way that I could do it and feel comfortable about it. I would say that if you're worried or experiencing bad withdrawal effects, then go back and see your GP. My anti seizure tabs came in different mg size doses (and I presume that this is the same with other makes) therefore instead of withdrawing say for example 50mg every two weeks, I withdrew 25mg and would do it over 4 weeks... therefore the withdrawal/anxiety symptoms were less....just took me a whole lot longer! Hope that all makes sense. xx

Hi Julie, I think that the disturbed sleep has happened to most of us ... listen to your body and take naps when you need them. Your night time sleep will return and it will go back to normal. I can remember not being able to get to sleep until 4am and would have just nodded off when the rest of the family were getting up for work! ... so frustrating and know exactly where you're coming from ... May be it's the brain healing and trying to re-adjust? Who knows! It really does get better and your sleep pattern should return over time .. patience is a huge virtue post SAH and lack of information with this sort of problem, post hospital release doesn't help. You will get there ... take care lovely. xx

Debz, you need to go and get yourself checked out, especially if you have any swelling or pain. Give the NHS telephone number 111 a call and see what they advise. I was head butted by our dog whilst playing with him on the floor (I was quite a way into recovery) and it hurt ... nothing untoward happened, but I was still worried. Give the 111 number a call. xx

Congratulations Sarah Lou and glad that you had a good day! Sending love and hugs xxx

From what I've seen on these message boards, follow up scans seem to depend on which hospital and the individual patient case and varies greatly ... there doesn't seem to be anything set as standard. xx