Karen

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.

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[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]

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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

Desy, you can sometimes get muscle twitches from other medical problems and it doesn't mean to say that you have gone on to develop epilepsy.

I did have seizures during and after my SAH and still experience some muscle twitching ... restless legs etc, but haven't developed epilepsy and have been off anti seizure meds for 7 years. There can be plenty of other causes, so please don't worry.

I'm sure that the medics will carry out the correct tests for you.

Wishing you well. xx

Hi,

You really need to go and get yourself checked out/talk with your GP. I believe that there can be problems with the ears that might cause you to have tinnitus and nausea/sickness ... so the two may be linked....if what you have been prescribed isn't working for you, then never feel worried about questioning it. I also experience tinnitus/change of frequency in ears, but no sickness. xxx

Hi Tricia,

It sounds as though the hospital just want to get him back/establish a natural night time sleep rhythm and then I would imagine that they would stop the sedation? Perhaps you need to ask the hospital as to whether they just want to administer a sedative in the short term?

Quite a few of us on here experienced not being able to sleep at night time post SAH. I could often still be awake at 5am in the morning and it was so frustrating, as you knew that you would be absolutely tired out when the rest of the family were getting up and then having to nap through the day.

I didn't take sleeping tablets, but I know that some BTG members have just to establish a routine sleep pattern. My sleep was all over the place for a long time, but it did and has improved greatly.

Good luck xx

Hi Daff,

Sometimes in the UK the traffic is completely awful...You did really well..xx

It's going to be a first for me in September. We're driving (Eric driving, as he does long journeys with work within the UK and Europe) to the Loire Valley in France for a weeks holiday, via the Channel Tunnel in Folkstone.

We'll be heading towards the Channel tunnel the day before and having an overnight stop before we catch the train in the morning, as it's about a 3 hour journey from where we live and a 5 hour journey to the Loire Valley in France.

Watch this space ... l'm 8 years on and have quite a bit of difficulty visually (plus being a horrendous back seat driver, which doesn't help, as my foot is often on the brake!) just makes me feel completely whacked .... I sometimes sit in the back seat for a while, rather than the front .... as it does help. There's less visual stuff for the brain to have to interpret and basically, I can't see where he's going! Worth a try if any of you find it difficult with travelling distances...

I also have problems with ear pressure even with the most gentlest of hills in Dorset and have to keep popping my ears ... not nice...some days it's worse than others and I don't have a shunt.

I'll let you know how it goes. xx

Congratulations Kris and I truly believe that the first 2 years are the hardest, so well done! xx

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Acceptance isn't about thinking your circumstances are great. I do not like living like this. I wish things were different. I don't like missing out on things, particularly with my son; but I can live with it. However, when I had the mentality that I had to push myself better and improve week after week - my issues with fatigue became a battle and a major sticking point. I considered myself a failure and I felt dreadful.

Lin, I totally agree with all that you've said in your post and if you have to manage long term fatigue, it really is the best way to handle it, in order that you can mentally stay on top of it.

At 8 years on, it's become part of my "normal" life and I factor it in, especially if I'm having a busy week ... not that it always rears up at the point, as I can experience it when life is quiet, so there's often no rhyme nor reason as to why it happens. xx

Bless you Wem!

You're doing really well though and just try to write off the rubbish days that you're experiencing at the minute ... don't dwell on them, as they will pass.

At 8 years on, I really hate the "fatigue" word ... and now just use "tired" ... normally with an expletive or two added into the mix...

The really hot weather knocked me for six and ended up with having a day in bed and just slept on and off, felt completely rotten ... none of this stuff helps any of us, but felt better for doing it!

Keep your chin up. xx

Liz,

I was also another person allowed by the DVLA to drive with one eye being patched to correct the double vision. xx

Hi Tricia,

Could you please add more detail as to why you're asking this question?

Third nerve palsy here too ... eye still slightly out of alignment, slight double vision left and noticeable when tired and a bit of nerve pain on occasions, which does hurt! I think that my vision has definitely been one of the worse problems to deal with.

Kerry, I must admit that I found the leg and back pain worse than the headache, which was bad enough .... I was on morphine for it in hospital and it only took the edge off it, but it did improve and went away. It's horrid, totally feel for you.... go see your GP if it's really bad, as they might be able to prescribe a decent painkiller for it. xx