Karen

Luke, I also had a thinning of my hair and very dry skin too, after the coiling .... I was told that it was down to shock and my hormones were all over the place too.... such is the brain and what it controls. It's all okay now....

Is she keeping hydrated and drinking enough? 

If she takes a bath and her skin is very dry, try Oilatum bath for dry skin (you can get it from supermarket) ... it's pretty greasy, it's not cheap and it will leave a bit of a ring mark around the bath tub that will need scrubbing, but it's great! .... very natural and soothing for dry skin. If I remember rightly, you can get this on prescription too or you used to be able to, but it's probably cheaper at the supermarket now, unless she's entitled to free prescriptions.

I'm not sure what your Mum uses for her hair ... but try the Dove products ... they're pretty good and quite gentle on the scalp and hair ... 

Also, if nutrition is a problem, then perhaps a trip to the Docs to see if she's deficient in anything? xx

Hi Sandy and welcome .... have you asked your GP or Southampton if these scans could be performed at Bournemouth or Poole Hospital? 

I'm also from Dorset and yes, I agree that it's a pain in the proverbial having to go to Southampton for a scan ... however, Wessex/Southampton Neuro are specialists in this field, whereas Poole, Bournemouth and Dorchester are general hospitals. xx

Sorry Katy, I can't help you with this one .... you need to ask your Doctor the question.

One size doesn't fit all post SAH and everyone's case history is different.

I would imagine that the medics wouldn't scan you, unless there's a potential problem or they're following up with a scan post SAH and checking up to see all's well, but that's something that you need to ask your own Doctor to clarify.

xx

Hi Verna and welcome.

We've all had the feeling of being scared that it's going to happen again. I can only say, that time is a great healer and your confidence does return.

However, if your anxiety is severe and it sounds as though it is, go and visit your GP. Be honest with them as to how you're feeling, you don't have to cope with this alone and without help. You're not a failure to ask for help and the aftermath of a SAH is hard to deal with. Anxiety and depression are common post brain injury.

Unfortunately, I wish I'd had the BTG info and hindsight and the knowledge that I now do about anxiety and if the brain has been injured it can also affect all parts of our emotional well being too ... chemical/hormonal imbalance which can lead to anxiety and depression. 

I struggled with everything and wouldn't give in to it .... However, I did eventually speak to my GP and I was put on a beta blocker to help calm things down.  It really wasn't enough and I still struggled.  I also had family problems and the menopause was giving me a severe kicking too.

The menopause can give symptoms that mirror the fallout from the SAH, so if there are any ladies of a certain age who are finding life more difficult, please speak to your GP. HRT didn't work for me and it increased my headaches, so I tackled it alone for quite some time.

I decided to go back to the GP this year and I've been put on an anti depressant called Sertraline. It took a while for it to kick in and you have to be patient with it, but I haven't looked back .... it's given me a better quality of life overall and I wish that I'd taken this route sooner, rather than being stubborn and thinking that I had to cope with it all .... 

I've learnt that taking medication isn't the sign of failure and to stop struggling with my faulty brain ... I also know of men on this site who struggled with anxiety and depression after a SAH who thought that because they were a man, that it was weak to admit that they were struggling. However, they did eventually see their GP as for some, they were the major wage earner and it was affecting their work and their personal life. For most of these members the medication helped to get their life back on track and to actually be able to enjoy life again. xx

Lol Luke, I don't know about the warrior spirit, but when you have good family about you, it makes the world of difference! Yep, I've had two bleeds.

I hope that your meal goes well, gently does it and I'm sure that your Mum will enjoy it!  Ear plugs can be a good thing on family occasions post SAH .... or just a quiet corner ...  I'm sure that it will all go well... xx

Luke, bless you... I didn't have any information. I've had two bleeds too. 

I'm still here .... Glad that your Mum is doing well and cleaning! You know what? Get your Mum out in the car if you can ... take her for lunch or some nice countryside views.... if she's not up to walking, a wheelchair would be good ... contact your local social services.... they will be able to help you...

I initially had a wheelchair ... it was borrowed from a friend with elderly parents ...  it was the only way, that I could get out and get some fresh air. Getting out from these four walls was perhaps the best thing and only thing that I could do in the first year.

Getting out and about, helped me .... it diverts your mind .... there are some times, when I still need to walk with a walking stick ... it's still a learning curve for me too.

Take care, your Mum is lucky to have you. xx

Luke, I have a neck left on my aneurysm from 11 years ago... I'm expecting to be re-coiled at some point. I've lived with this for quite some years. My aneurysm neck was quite small and at that time it, possibly posed more of a risk to insert more coils, rather than leaving it alone and cutting off a major artery.

How's your Mum doing? xx

Hi Suzi,

I was on anti seizure meds for some months after my SAH and I can only speak from my own experience.

I can only say that the side effects for me, were terrible and I was glad when I could withdraw from them and that process took quite some months and I felt pretty rough to say the least, as the withdrawal was worse than taking them and it was probably the toughest time in my life.

I couldn't have carried out any work when I was on them or when I was withdrawing from them....so I'm a little bit biased and can't understand why you would feel safer on them?

I would imagine that the American health system is a totally different ball game ... private health care and perhaps it's a monetary thing, but knowing what I know, I wouldn't touch the anti seizure meds with a barge pole .... if I didn't need to. I reckon that I lost 10 months of my life to them... 

I'm not sure why you would be worried about developing Epilepsy post surgery, as from what I can see, you haven't had a bleed?... I had seizures before and after coiling, but I never went on to develop epilepsy. That's not to say that it won't ever happen because of the bleed, but so far it hasn't and I believe that the percentages are pretty low.

Wishing you the best of luck with your clipping. x

Luke, I must admit, that even though I'm pretty savvy with phones and internet etc that I do prefer the "written word" with pen and paper ... I use a conventional A5 diary and post-it notes ... it has to be more visual for me and something that I can't ignore or switch off. I leave it in the kitchen and where I can see it.

Even, when I'm writing a list for food shopping, I often leave the empty packets or goods in front of me .... yesterday I had a tub of empty Bisto ... jar of chilli powder and a can of deodorant ... I then write those onto a shopping list, before I re-cycle them.

I'm still thinking of getting a chalk or white board to be honest, as I still need things to be visual, in order to remember them. x

Good luck Ian and keep well! x 

Win, I think that it's a man thing to be honest and sometimes the way that they've been brought up .... Partners/husband's are all very different people, whatever their sex...some are more accepting as to what has happened and work with it and their partners and others would prefer to put it out of their mind and try to forget what has happened.....that's perhaps how they deal with it.

It's not always easy to work with a partner that does decide that all's okay and have been told that you've been "fixed" by surgery .... we all know on here, that's not the case. 

There's a lot of talking to be done and a lot of tears to go through .... on both sides... and communication is the key. I still don't have the magic answer. x

Hi Evelyn,

Lovely to hear from you!  I was found to be severely calcium deficient post SAH. I've been on something called Adcal D3 for about 10 years now. http://www.healthline.com/health/calcium-deficiency-disease#Hypocalcemiaininfants5 Hope that you manage to get the problem sorted out. x

Hi Peter,

I'm truly sorry if you feel upset that one of our Moderators has removed the individual brokers name that you used and it's never our intention to upset any member.  Insurance brokers can be found in most areas.

The use of an insurance broker will help to do the leg work on a persons behalf, if needed, but often a broker will charge a fee for their services, so hence the edit to your post. 

If you let us know what insurance company your broker has used to underwrite the travel policy, once you know, that would be absolutely fine and I hope that you will let us know, as it's very helpful information. Many thanks. 

I can see that the lovely Lesley Foulkes will be speaking.... she was one of my neuro specialist nurses at Southampton and has always participated in life post SAH/research and has contributed to many medical papers and still helps to run the support group at Southampton, as well as doing her day job.... I've got a lot of admiration for her. 

I'm not sure if the Brain and Spine Foundation will share with us .... they're a great charity and I would imagine that any info, would be on their website after the event, so if anybody finds a link to that info, just post. xx

Congratulations Carolyn on your 2nd anni-versary and it's been my pleasure getting to know you!   .... sending love and hugs. xxx

I'll keep you all updated with any news/results.... x 

Behind the Gray has been approached by Southampton General Hospital to help publicise a clinical study launched on Monday 23rd May 2016. 

"Surgeons in Southampton are trialling a new drug based on a chemical found in broccoli to try to improve outcomes for brain haemorrhage patients.

Diederik Bulters, a consultant neurosurgeon at Southampton General Hospital, and his team will assess the effect of experimental drug SFX-01 on patients who have received treatment for a bleed on the brain known as a subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH), which is a type of stroke.

SFX-01 is a synthetic form of sulforaphane, a small molecule that occurs naturally in the vegetable and is part of a group of chemicals found in plants – phytochemicals – that are strong antioxidants and can help regulate some of the body’s functions."

To read the article in full, please click on the following link: -

http://www.uhs.nhs.uk/AboutTheTrust/Newsandpublications/Latestnews/2016/Surgeons-trial-new-drug-to-help-brain-haemorrhage-patients.aspx

Hi Jan and welcome! 

It does take a while to adjust to the "new" you .... You kind of have to compare yourself to the person that left hospital and not the person before.... it gives you a better perspective and something more achievable.

However, it does really get better and you will find, like most of us, that time is a great healer .... you will achieve more and more .... it's often baby steps, but you will get there.

My aneurysm isn't completely "fixed" .... I also have another abnormal artery on the other side of my brain, but I'm still here .... alive and kicking ..... 11 years on. 

Try not to think that you are a ticking time bomb .... a lot of people will have aneurysms and won't be or never be aware that they are present ... those smaller aneurysms, will probably never pose a risk in their life time.

I hope that you will give yourself time to heal .... from what I see on this site, it probably does take at least 2 years to adjust and to come to terms with what's happened to you.

Be kind to yourself and understand that what you've gone through and are still going through, is pretty major and it will take a period of adjustment. However, it doesn't mean to say that you can't have a good life, post SAH. 

Take care lovely and I'm glad that you've found this site helpful.

Hugs to you....K xx

Happy anni-versary to Mrs. Subs!  A lovely, generous way to celebrate the day by raising funds for the emergency services .... hope you raise lots of money. Have a great day! xx

I asked for a sedative for my follow up angiogram ... I'm in the UK and you have to ask for it, as it's not offered routinely and has to be administered by a Doctor.

It did help and I felt calmer and much more relaxed.

May be ask them if they can have something underneath your spine/back to support you and to make you feel more comfortable whilst lying flat. I didn't lay there for three hours ... it was probably about 30 minutes. x

Paul, I so feel for you and your Wife, but you need to go and have a chat with your GP....perhaps together.

Please do not order Viagra online. As far as I know, you can only order Viagra online in the UK, if you have a prescription from your Doctor. Anything else that you order online, probably wouldn't be safe and not tested in the UK.

Please go and see your GP and discuss your problems .... Erectile dysfunction is pretty common for many men, irrespective of having a SAH or taking any other medication.  

I wish you well...x

Daff, enjoy those precious hugs today and I wish you a happy SAH anniversary. 

For me, my SAH anniversary is always a day of reflection and a celebration of life and being thankful for the extra time that I've been given. Life is different and very challenging at times.....but it's certainly taught me to take time to smell the roses. 

One of the greatest rewards of running BTG is seeing the progress of individual members over time and despite all of your tough challenges Daff, you've done so well on your journey and it's been my pleasure to personally meet you along the way.

Thank you for all of the help and support you give to this site and for sharing your experiences with us and I know that many members, including myself have found great comfort from your compassionate and thoughtful responses on the forum. 

Hugs Daff.....wish I could give you one in person today! x

Hi Sarah,

You're still pretty early in your recovery and add the return to work into the equation with all of the pressures that it brings, it's probably no wonder that your headaches have increased.

I will say the usual and that's to make sure that you are keeping hydrated, as that does help.

I haven't heard of Zoplicone, but does the taking of this medication tie in with the increased headaches in any way?

Maybe you aren't ready/fit enough to return to work at the minute and as Super Mario has said, that many on here have had to take 12 months off work. The 3-6 month time zone that the hospital give us, tends to be the minimum time frame and just a guide really, as we all vary medically post SAH ...I don't think that I've seen many people successfully go back to work at the 3 month stage.

It's certainly worth going back to your GP as there are many different types of medication that can help .... one size doesn't fit all and something that suits one person, may not suit another. 

Be kind to yourself and don't stress if your return to work doesn't go to plan at the minute .... another month may make the world of difference to how you feel .... also go and have a chat with your GP re: medication.

xx

Some really good responses on this thread .... love to all. xx

Hi Nat,

Your fear is pretty normal to be honest ... it takes time to build confidence up ... in the sense that your body won't let you down in such a horrendous way ever again.

Stop searching .... I realised that Google wasn't my friend after a while and to be honest, you'll just drive yourself nuts with worry.... I know that I did exactly the same as you and now, I don't search at all re: SAH, unless it's website related ... sit on your hands and don't be tempted..... you won't find the answer that you're looking for and you'll just make your anxiety worse and then it becomes a vicious circle.

Time is definitely the best healer and it does take time to re-build confidence. My first two years were the hardest ones to tackle and as time passes, it gets easier and the negative thoughts will go.

If it helps, I've been running this website for nearly 10 years and I don't know of one member who's had a re-bleed.

Take heart Nat ... you will be okay and as Super Mario has said, go see your GP and get help if it's overtaking your life. xx