Sicknote

Hi there Sorry I've not been on her for a while but I just wanted to update this thread and give anyone else going through insurance companies/claims some hope! It took 4 months of fighting, which to be honest I could of done without but I won - my trauma claim was eventually approved!! They wriggled and squirmed but thanks to my neurosurgeon, who ended up having to provide 3 reports to them, all stating the same thing they approved the claim! So to anyone else there who is fighting at the moment - keep fighting, dont take their first answer, don't let them get away with it. You pay your premiums and deserve to be paid out when you meet a claimable condition! Keep fighting! Kate

Feeling angry, frustrated and fed up! Put in to claim on a trauma policy we have! SAH is under the stroke definition BUT they have denied me stating I didn't have neurological sequlae for > 24 hours!!! Insulted!! I may not of been in a coma or had issues with speech or paralysis but 5 months on I still have daily headaches and concentration issues making it impossible to work! How is this not having neurological sequalae for > 24 hours! Having glandular fever at the same time has complicated issues the insurance company has conveniently only picked up on parts of the medical report mentioning this and ignored all else! They are blaming my symptoms on the glandular fever! Going to appeal - they've made me so angry, case manager made me feel stupid as if nothing wrong with me! Tried to get in to see specialist to get a letter from him stating symptoms related to SAH but he's on hol for a month!!! Anybody got any links for good articles I can use in my response? Just the knock back I didn't need at the moment.

Hi Sue I am at a similar stage to yourself, my intial symptoms were 1st Feb, although I didn't get my NASAH diagnosed until the 8th Feb. As you it was only the LP that showed up the diagnosis, my CT scan was clear. I feel like I'm making things up sometimes, the CT was negative, so perhaps this is all a dream and I didn't really have a bleed.....although my CT was 8 days after prob NASAH I'm told they can be negative especially if small bleed. Then I think well if such a small bleed why am I still recovering - why aren't I back to normal as the neurosurgeon stated I would be. I can only reiterate what others have said on here aftercare and follow up is non existent....why would the neurosurgeons know what the recovery was like for us NASAH sufferers....we get discharged very early on in our recovery (because we're not interesting enough to need surgery - prob not the case but I felt that too!) and they never see us again... so how do they know how long its going to take us and what we will go through on our journey! I think you're doing great at this stage from reading your post - I am currently still suffering fatigue, although I can see improvements, have good days and bad days with this, have minor memory issues but my main issue is headaches and concentration - I'm unable to read/concentrate for longer than 30 mins without getting headaches....this is the most frustrating for me...no sign of returning to work yet, sitting twiddling my thumbs is just not me.... This time last week I was feeling bad about this recovery, I knew I was lucky in many ways but could only see the down side and felt something was wrong with me that I hadn't made that quick recovery my Drs led me to believe would happen. Then I found this site and it has helped me heaps this week, reading through bits and pieces when I can and realising I am not alone, unique or abnormal....we're all different. All the best Kate

Hi Thanks to you all for all your support! Feel better after a good sleep! I know I'm lucky to be where I am with my SAH, things could be a lot worse, and it's only metal at the end of the day and the important thing is I'm not injured! (and she did have insurance so all will get sorted eventually!) Sometimes things just seem to pile on top of me a bit - looking on the positive side of things again today....and things can only get better! GP on hol til end of June Rhiann so appt then! Thanks for letting me rant. Kate

Hi all What a week - the only good point was finding this site! I've had enough of it all this week.....was getting fed up with the SAH and all its ongoing effects and lack of recovery (was coming to terms with these a bit more after reading through some of the posts on this site...) Then got kidney infection wednesday - which has really knocked me around, and set me back It was worrying because when my SAH got diagnosed I also had a UTI, my headache was worse than it has been for a while for a couple of days and I couldn't stop thinking about it.....although I know it was coincidental, it doesn't stop you worrying! Then to top it all off had to go to post office this morning, so decided I'd treat myself to a 10 min car ride out, first time out of the house all week....and some kind person decides to crash into me!!! Argh!!!!! Do I really deserve all that.....I must of been a very bad person in a previous life! Roll on 2012! Moan over. Kate

Thank you all for your kind comments and support! I am starting to feel more "normal" in my recovery now, I was starting to think there was something wrong with me with the medics telling me I'd had the best type of SAH to have and recovery should be complete, they were talking weeks....and now we're months down the line and recovery is far from complete.....its been a big help to read all your comments. I'm realising now I am only in the early stages of recovery....as much as I don't like to think of it that way and feel I should of been recovered weeks ago....I have to learn patience (not my strong point, wanting to run before I can walk). I'm certainly resting and drinking plenty.....even just out of boredom I seem to putting the kettle on all the time for something to do Thanks again, its been a huge help finding this site and hope to catch up and chat with you all again when I've worked my way round the site and caught up on some of your stories. Kate

Hi guys.... Feeling fed up and searching for inspiration when I came across this site...just what I needed! Read through a few posts and felt instantly comforted knowing there are others out there going through or been through all this with similar symptoms and experiences...its not just me! So a little about me..... I'm 34 yrs old and suffered from a NASAH 1st Feb 2011. Totally out of the blue and out of character for me to be ill, I'm always (well was always) on the go, I can't sit still and do nothing... It started tues night whilst watching TV, felt a sudden headache come on, TV noise and lights started to annoy me. I was known when studying to get migraines which settled after a lie down in a dark room etc...so I took myself off to bed. Woke up next morning, headache a little easier, still there and feeling a bit dizzy and under the weather but went to work anyway...up until now could count on one hand all the days I'd had off work due to illness in my whole working life....boy has that changed now! Anyway lasted about an hour at work, the computer was making things worse so came home....put up with it for a couple of days but decided this was not me so went to see out of hours GP who told me i had a bad headache...(Einstein!!) gave me painkillers and sent me home. 2 days later still suffering I went to own GP (had now developed photophobia, neck stiffness and fever) he diagnosed viral meningitis but as I was still keeping fluids down no need for hospital...sent home told to keep up fluids and analgesia and rest! 2 days later not keeping anything down now....presented myself to ED....they said it was UTI to start with, then perhaps migraine so gave me some medication, which made headahce worse, then eventually said they would do LP just to rule out more serious casue but they really didn't think it was. To their great surprise (and mine) it was xanthochromic positive....highly suggestive of SAH. Subsequent CT was negative, I was transferred to neurosurgical unit in the city, where I spent a couple of days on HDU and had a cerebral angiogram which was also negative....Neurosurgeon said I'd had a NASAH and sent me home with 6 week follow-up. To complicate matters, my liver function was also noted to be highly elevated whilst in hospital....they sent me home to have it followed up and investigated by GP if needed. To cut along story short it turned out I also had Glandular Fever!! I know how unlucky can one person be....a NASAH and Glandular Fever at the same time! Well I'm rambling sorry....needless to say I was shocked and taken a back by it all but not one to be deterred vowed to get over it all and be back at work ASAP....that hasn't happened. My 6 week review appt with the surgeon, he discharged me as I wasn't interesting enough for him as I had nothing surgical he could do for me. He told me 80% of people are better within 6 weeks, as I had Glandular Fever complicating my recovery mine may take a few weeks longer but I would make full recovery. My GP has been great...I go back for sicknote after sicknote but she doesn't really have any experience with all this and just keeps saying it will take time and I she hopes I will back at work in the next month or two.....and she has been saying this since month one, but to take it easy and listen to my body etc etc I know I've been v lucky and have no neurological defecits and physically I look and appear fine but I still have issues with fatigue, and more disabling to me is headahces and concentration issues - I have daily headaches, especially when tired, and I can only read/computer work/anything requiring conentration for 30 mins max a day, anything more and I get headaches that knock me out for the remainder of the day and the next one to. I promise I'll finish soon....but its nice to know I'm telling people that understand where I'm coming from.... I'm frustrated at my progress, initially led to believe this would be short lived...having read thro some posts on here though I see thats not the case...I feel a fraud...I mean CT and angio were negative (although I now CT was done 8 days post onset of headache so can be negative) but sometimes I think am I making all this up.....although I know I'm not.Physically I'm no different so its hard for people to appreciate whats going on internally and they think I'm ok. I feel isolated and lonely sitting at home day after day wanting to be at work, wanting to be doing things but not being able to...can't even use all this free time to sit down and read a good book....and there's only so much day time TV a girl can stomach! I'm starting to have more low days then good days and worrying that I won't get better...then I kick myself and tell myself to buck up after all this could have been so much worse! I'm starting to realise this is going to be a lot longer recovery than I ever dreamt....when Dr first gave me intial sick note for 2 weeks I was thinking no way I would be back before then.....but its now been 4.5 months, and with concentration levels as they are and my job being 8 hours a day computer work I have to realise thats not going to happen anytime soon... Well I really have waffled now and reached my limit of computer work for today so will go...I look forward to reading through more posts on here and catching up with some of you in a simialar situation....I'm so glad I found this site and that I now know its not just me! Kate