GrahamG

Lost 90% of my vision in my left eye and significant visual field loss in my right - Optic nerve was damaged during clipping surgery. I have also been diagnosed with Glaucoma for which I have to take eyedrops. I find it difficult when crossing the roads, even more stressful when walking the streets in London.Cyclists who don't obey the traffic lights and rules of the road are the bane of my life.

It was a friday afternoon at the end of a particularly stressful week. Bent over to tie my shoelace and was hit by a massive pain in the back of my head.

Yes, I take a combination tranquiliser and anti depressant. Though I have just be referred to someone for a course of Cognitive Behavoural Therapy.

wow so many barometer heads, me too; though I feel it in the metalwork more than anything.

Yes, I suffered Migraines since I was 14. Prior to my SAH was having 1-2 attacks a month ranging from the painfiul head to full blown aversion to light, visual aura and transient aphasia (unable to pronounce words) Post SAH I'm still getting the occasional migraine but they are nowhere as near as bad as they used to be - touch wood.

It's the Anterior Communicating artery a tiny little artery which forms part of the "Circle of Willis". It's only about 1 cm long, my aneurysm measured 8mm. The below is the picture shown to me by the neurosurgeon, it's lablled "Ant Communicating A" in the diagram. click to enlarge

2 and bit years on from my ACOM aneurysm bleed. Physical problems the inevitable fatigue, occasional crippling headache. Permanent loss of sight in left eye and optic nerve damage in the right eye.

Many thanks everyone, you've all helped allay that small nagging doubt I had in the back of my mind. No idea what sort of clip I have, but pretty certain it is titanium - the plate in my skull definitely is Thanks again. Graham

Hi Everyone, Hope all are well. Has anyone who has had their aneurysm clipped had a subsequent MRI scan ? Following my op I was told that I shouldn't have any MRI scans as there was a slight risk that the magnetism involved might dislodge the clip. So I was a little surprised when my neurosurgeon scheduled a MRI scan for me in an effort to identify the cause of my constant headache. Obviously I trust the surgeon, but am interested to read of any others experiences. Thanks

If you are receiving DLA, then you qualify for a Warmfront grant. The grant provides a package of insulation and heating improvements up to the value of £2,700. http://www.warmfrontgrants.co.uk/ As a result of my SAH I qualiified for a small DLA and have since had my house insulated and heating system repaired under this scheme.

Have you had a visual fields test ? info I lost the sight in my left eye due to either the SAH or clipping and thought my right was undamaged, however visual fields tests indicate that I have large areas (almost 3/4) of my peripheral vision missing. I can see fine if I look directly at something which gave me the impression that all was okay. But things can and do catch me out. Cyclists jumping traffic lights at pedestrian crossings are a particular bane of my life, still I'm a big bloke so they tend to bounce of me Hope things get better for you, I can certainly appreciate the frustration you must be feeling. All the best Graham

Same here, 17 months post SAH, when tired my speech deteriorates quite significantly; words are slurred and often I say one word when I mean another. I used to have a very quick mind/tongue but these days it's like trying to think through treacle. Very frustrating.

I was 36 when I had mine.

Yes, my entire brain feels like it is being squeezed all the time. I mentioned it at my last neurosurgeons meeting and whilst he couldn't explain it he wasn't overly concerned.

Fingers crossed, hopefully you wont have to go for the operation. Wish I had hair to cover my scar Gruesome 'ish pic of my op scar, taken last year,2 weeks after the op. http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/4807/scaruq8.jpg Looks a lot lot better now. I'm always aware of it but have come to accept it as simply part of me. Best of luck with your CT scan.

I had a craniotomy. scar runs from in front of my right ear up and over my eyebrow, it is fairly bumpy and lumpy and my skull feels a little battered but doesn't look too bad. I had 4 large swellings in the first 7 months after the op, these all turned out to be foreign body infections and in each case a large ( 3-4 inch) piece of stitching popped out. I mentioned the first at my initial follow up with the surgeon at 3 months,his initial reaction was a muttered "Oh Sh** , which didn't do much to inspire confidence however all turned out okay in the end. Indeed once the last stitch surfaced the scar settled down and has been no trouble since.

I agree it is a relief to read that you are not alone in these things - I'm not the most prolific poster but I do vist the site regularly and gain an enormous ammount of comfort from it. I still use the wrong words for things or simply can't remember them, it's like your brain is slipping a gear and freewheeling, very disconcerting.Luckily my family and work allow for the gibberish I spout You learn to look for the confused look that flits across their faces when you say the wrong word.

I was clipped and I too couldn't open my jaw easily for 4 months or so. The surgeon had to peel back some of the jaw muscle so it took a while for that to heal.

Hi Cal, Good to see you and Jim doing well. I don't feel "High" more "overwhelmed" whenever I am in stores or busy places. On occasions I find the movement, colours, light, noise and sometimes smells are simply just too much. Moving from daylight to a bright artificially lit room always makes me feel a little shaky and is particulalry unnerving. This has lessened over time, though some days it catches me unawares. All the best.

I'm an analyst programmer for an Investment bank in the city. I normally leave for work at 04:45 and get home at about 18:00 - 19:00. The job isn't so bad it's the commute and crowds I have problems with, I've definitely lost my confidence in busy places. I've had to change my working style a little, any meetings have to take place face to face, via telephone and it goes in one ear and straight out the other. I've also found that my concentration span has shrunk, it's a real struggle some days to stay on track. My boss is understanding and I can work from home anytime I feel unable to get into the office. I returned to work 3 months after my SAH/clipping, I realise now that I went back to early and set my recovery back It is important to feel as if you are returning to normal ( though things are never back to how they were) and work plays a large part in that process but not at the expense of your health. All the best Graham

I completely understand where you are coming from, you do feel frightened and worried when you leave hospital. I was signed off work for 4 months. Returning to work was one of the hardest things I've done I saw my company Doctor who agreed a slow return to work, basically a couple of weeks at shorter hours with at least one day working from home.

Yes I had two bleeds within a two days of each other First was tying my shoelace, second two days later getting off the sofa. No pop as such just a thunderclap headache. No, just Nimopodine for the three weeks - every 4 hours day and night. 15 days 12 months down the line I still have a near constant headache of varying intensity depending on how hard I've pushed myself. You've got to learn to listen to what your brain is telling you and slow down rest accordingly. I was clipped so have a scar running up from in front of my ear to my forehead -a little pain from that, especially when there is a cold snap.

Since my SAH coffee is a no no, haven't had one in nearly a year, the last one I had triggered a significant headache and strangely enough made me feel "drunk" - I was all over the place. Before the SAH I found that chocolate and orange nearly always triggered a migraine.

Many thanks for the warm welcome Great site, so many of my questions have been answered and it's a relief ( if that's the correct word ?) to read how others are experiencing what I am as well. It's good to know you are not alone. Hope everyone has a great New Year.

I stumbled across this site whilst surfing for info on SAH, So best introduce myself. Hi I'm Graham, 37 years old married,t wo kids, analyst programmer living in the South East UK working in London. I suppose the first part of my SAH story is one of denial, I simply refused to believe what was happening to me. I suffered a thunderclap headache later afternoon on Friday 26 January 2007, just as I was doing my shoelace up in preparation for my journey home. Literally felt like someone had belted me with a baseball bat, but being a typical man I put it down to a stress headache, it was after all the end of a hard and busy week. The next day I woke up and felt very giddy, had trouble walking in straight line but had no pain so again ignored the signs. Sunday was a different matter, had another severe head pain which this time didn't abate. I've suffered with migraines for many years; and though this headache felt nothing like one I assumed it was a migraine so I went to bed in an attempt to sleep it off. I was due to work from home on Monday 29th Jan as I had to start early 05:00 and monitor the systems that I am responsible for. After a bad nights sleep and with the continuing headache and now lower back pain I started work. The headache at this point was very severe and I had trouble concentrating but still I didn't think anything of it - it was just a "headache" after all. As luck would have it I was scheduled to see a doctor that morning - about a totally different matter. She saw me and knew something was amiss and gently but firmly suggested that I either see my GP or pay a visit to A&E. I basically ignored her advice and went back to work ( told you it was a tale of denial ) My wife called and asked how it went, I jokingly told her what the Doctor said and how I thought it was a waste of time to go to A&E over a headache. The next thing I know my father is at my front door telling me to get my coat as he was taking me to the hospital. So off I went feeling a little foolish, sitting there under all the posters and signs asking patients not to waste Doctors time, especially as the headache seemed to be lessening. I was seen within the hour and given a CT scan almost immediately. It was at this point that I thought things might be a little more serious. After several hours the analysis of the scan came through and I was seen by the senior Consultant, I remember our exchange to this very day. "would you like the hard facts or the soft version ? " he asked. "Hard facts always" I replied still not believing that this was serious "Well" He said "We are not entirely sure how you are still here, let alone up and about" Short but poignant pause "errrr I don't suppose I could have the soft version now ? " I replied. I was told I had suffered two bleeds from a SAH, one on the Friday and one on the Sunday. I was left in no doubt as to the seriousness of the situation and that I was to be transferred to a neurological hospital as soon as possible. So 12 hours after stepping into A&E I was being "blue lighted" up to The Royal London Hospital, strapped to a bed and told not to move. Three uncomfortable and frightening days later I was taken to theatre, where a 6mm aneurysm on the Anterior Communicating Artery was clipped. After 7-8 hours in theatre I came round in Intensive care with the usual paraphernalia hanging off my chest, neck and head not knowing what was happening ,with what felt like a million metal staples in my forehead and the worlds worst haircut. A couple of days later I was moved to High Dependency and then a normal ward and after 15 days was discharged. Four months after the incident I was back to work full time. As a result of either the aneurysm or the surgery I have lost the sight in my left eye and the sight in my right has been severely impaired. Eleven months later my short term memory and concentration span are still poor and I have a constant headache. I've found adjusting to the sight loss to be the hardest part of the whole experience, having your driving license revoked can be devastating. Life is still very much an emotional rollercoaster, but I still count myself lucky, I've been given a second chance. So there you go, my SAH experience. To this day I don't believe that it happened and I suppose that's why I was googling SAH, trying to make sense of it all.