Chris G

So sorry that you have another bleed.  I understand it is really rare.  Go play the lottery!

I hope you fully recover.  I think all of us have a fear of this all happening again.  Thanks for taking one for the team.

Best wishes,

Chris

Hi Jen,

Welcome to BTG and I send prayers for you and your husband.  I am 11 months post NASAH.  I remember going to the first hospital, then apparently for 2 days I thought it was 1987.  I had an EVD and spend 10 days in ICU.  Now I do have some short-term memory issues, but nothing dramatic.  I never had a great memory anyhow. 

Sometimes when I ask my children something they tell me that I they already told me that.  But it is not dramatic.  We almost treat it like a joke.  Dad and his memory!  Long-term things like names are no issue.  I think the biggest thing is I can spend a day doing something and the next day it feels more like a dream than a real event.  In other words, I feel a little detached from my memories.  I am in the moment, but later, it feels remote.

We are all a little different to a lot different. His sounds similar to me except he is younger.   It's still really early and he has some physical and emotion things to deal with for a while. 

My advice to you is to be understanding.  It's easy for a while, but a few months from now, this will start to feel old to you, but it will still feel very fresh to him, so try not to be dismissive if he has a headache or feels some anxiety.

Best wishes.

Chris

Good luck with the appointment. I don't know what you should ask but I wish you well. 

Chris. 

Congrats on the 2 year mark!

I can only imagine your frustration at this point.  But please try to not let the stress get to you.  Hopefully they will get it together and get you scheduled soon.

Best wishes!

Chris

Ditto to what Clare said.  You have good days and bad days, but overall the trend can be up.  Just hang in there when things are rough, and reach out to your friends on here.

Welcome Nicky. Things are different now but you will adjust. This site is a great resource. As time goes by and others start to grow weary of your recovery issues, we we still be here ready to help!

Julie,

Pick out your least favorite household chore, like laundry, and screw it up.  You will never have to do it again.  Shrink a shirt or something. 

Have a great anniversary!  If you are like me, every day post-SAH seems like a gift.

Welcome Lyn,

This place is a great resource and full of caring people willing to provide advice, just listen, and make your days brighter.

Chris

I think "there" is "acceptance".

Whether you have recovered as fully as you ever will or if you are still actively working on recovery, I think "there" is the internal acceptance of who you now are after this event in your life.   I also think it's just something people say.  I learned from someone along time ago to just be supportive to others and not get too detailed. 

People love to share their own experiences with you at the very moment you don't want to hear them.  Say you lose a parent, people go into, "I remember when my Dad died".  They are trying to connect, but you don't care about their Dad when you are grieving over yours.  I would much rather them say "you are getting there" and I am here for you. 

So hopefully the people telling you "you are getting there" are just supportive people in your life smart enough to not be intrusive of the details or personalize it with their own experience, but just show true concern and love.

Hang in there, you are getting there.

Chris

Welcome.

One of the few on-going problems I have is acute headaches, mostly behind the eyebrows and by the temples.  I always say they feel like a brain-freeze from drinking something too cold.  Luckily, they don't seem to last very long.  So if this is what you are experiencing, you are not alone.

Best wishes,

Chris

Hi Trace,

I am sorry to hear that you are struggling so much for so long.  I don't have much advice as I have been extremely lucky so far since my NASAH.  Other than the occasional headache and some memory problems, I seem to be ok.  But I can send you prayers and hope for things to improve.  The vision thing worries me as colored vision was the first symptom I experienced when I had my bleed.  I agree that a trip to an eye doctor may help. 

Thanks for posting after all of these years of stalking.  This site has great people who can offer advice and support. 

Chris

Welcome!

I had mine in October of 2015 and I still have headaches, but they are usually more like a brain freeze for a little while than a real headache.  I am having fewer of them lately so I hope that means that yours will improve as well.  Good luck with your recovery.

Chris

Welcome Nicola,

Sounds like you are recovering well.  There is a lot of information on there and a lot of support too.  I suffered my NASAH last October.  With the exception of some occasional headaches and some short-term memory problems, I seem to have made a full recovery.  I have also moved beyond worrying about a re occurrence. 

I am one of the lucky ones and sometimes feel guilty to be part of this group.  Others have more difficult and long-term issues to manage. 

I wish you a speedy and complete recovery, both physically and with the emotions and fears that will attack you early on.  Be strong and courageous.

Did I mention I sometimes have short-term memory problems?

Chris

My Neurosurgeon told me that the odds of having another NASAH would be like getting hit by lightening twice.  He said if I had another one, I should play the lottery.  In other words, he clearly believes that because I had one, it does not make me more likely to have another. 

I had concerns too.  Especially since he could not tell me why it happened.  How can you be sure it won't happen again if you don't know the underlying cause?  But he said that he bases it on thousands of cases that have happened and have been researched.  Mine may have been caused by injury (I rode a rollercoaster that day and then went for a run), or it could have just "happened".  But he convinced me that I should not worry about it happening again.

As my headaches get better, I believe more and more that I am at no risk.  Even though my headaches are different now, it could be the result of the EVD or other stress I experienced while filtering the blood.  But they are not coming from another NASAH trying to happen.

As you know, I am not a doctor and cannot give medical advice.  I am just passing along what I was told in my case.  I believe that as time passes, you will lose the fear of reoccurrence.

I wish you all the best.

Chris

Happy anniversary!  One year of recovery.  Hopefully things will continue to get better and better.

I don't seem to have any issues so I think I will just keep a watch on it.  I don't want to go run a bunch of tests just to have them tell me to keep an eye on it.  It speeds up appropriately when I exercise, which is what Dr. Google says is the primary thing to watch.

I don't know what my resting heart rate (RHR) was before my NASAH.  I had been running for a while, so I think I was in pretty good shape.  While in the hospital, at night, my rate would drop to around 27 bpm and so they would wake me up.  I had a heart doctor for a while in the hospital, but he said my heart was fine, it was just the pressure on the brain that was fouling up the signals.  He eventually released me from his care.

Now, I am back to running and my rhr is usually around 42.  That is not too low for a runner, but I don't have a comparison point pre NASAH  This morning, after waking up and sitting around for a while, I took my rhr and it was 33.  I feel fine.  Sometime, I get slightly dizzy when I first get up, but that's it.

So I know there is no medical advice on here.  And I know if I am concerned, I should consult a GP.  So I am not asking for medical advice.  I am just asking for shared experiences.  I am asking if anyone else on here has a lower heart rate post NASAH than they did before. 

oh no.  I was talking about the conversations I have where I drift off.  Not yours.

3 & 4 are very familiar.  I too cannot really know if my memory is worse, as it was never good.  And how do you remember how well you used to remember if you can't remember as well?  But I too use the "brain damaged" excuse often if I forget something.

And I am often involved in a conversation only to suddenly realize I have no idea what the other person is talking about.  I just drift off into other thoughts.  But maybe its just a boring conversation?

Welcome Jan.

I am glad you found this site.  I have only been on here for a short time, but it is really helpful.  And the people on here are friendly and can really understand since most have experienced something similar.  I am one of the "lucky" ones who have a NA before my SAH.

Good wishes for continued recovery.

Chris

Thanks for referring me to this so I can better understand your journey.  I pray and hope for you both.

I haven't been here long enough to know all of the stories.  But I am glad to hear she is doing well.

I have some memory problems with names and remembering things from the past. But mostly I tend to repeat stories to people I have already told the story to. Especially if I have had a beer or two.