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Graham Oxburgh

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Everything posted by Graham Oxburgh

  1. Hi Steve, Glad you have found us on this site. I had my NASAH on 31/10/15 and I have found it really hard to feel physically well and then not to be able to mentally perform. It has played tricks in my head regarding what I feel about myself when people say "you look great" and I know I am not the same as I was. I have found it particularly hard to understand that when I have been on holiday and actually felt really good and then return and tried to do some work my concentration and stamina have been diminished. So all I can say is that in my world feeling good physically then finding work a challenge and the combination making me feel in a low mood.....is quite normal. So hang on in there! All the best Graham
  2. Hi Mario, Thanks for your comments. I don't belong to a Union but have good support from friends in fighting this. Regards Graham
  3. Hi Susie, Having been through the extensive papers provided to me by the insurers I can't find any reference to specific research but just general opinions expressed. In my next response I will I ask for substantiation of these opinions and also stress that these opinions are interesting background at best, but say absolutely nothing about me in particular. Regarding my occupation I was a Finance Director and required to work in a very mentally demanding environment for long hours. In my next response I will also be stating that there does not seem to be much attention given to understanding my Neuropsychological Assessment in the context of my specific work role. I will keep you posted....and any further thoughts are most welcome. Graham
  4. Thanks Susie, I agree with all your comments and the research article is very helpful. My impression has been that the medical fraternity do not fully understand the long term outcomes from NASAH and this research suggests that the experts have more research to do. I will use this in my next response arguing that my Insurers advisers are too quick to dismiss fatigue issues. Many thanks for your help. Graham
  5. Hi, I have made a claim on my income protection policy and this has been rejected, which I challenged. In my challenge I made reference to Behind the Gray pointing out that my experience of only being able to work significantly reduced hours is entirely consistent with others who have undergone a NASAH. I then requested all the documentation on my case under Freedom of Information. In the file that I received I noted a comment by a doctor which said, " I don't feel it would be appropriate to comment on this further as it is always hard to interpret these types of sites. It is well recognised that there is a tendency for people with extremes of the condition to be more likely to contribute and there is no indication of whether this would be a representative sample" The file also contains comments from three doctors that say the "overwhelming medical evidence" is that people who have suffered a NASAH make a full recovery and go back to the same jobs working the same hours. Does anyone have any comments, or even better any data on recovery and returning to work? Many thanks Graham
  6. Hi SamS, Thanks for your post and welcome to the community. Headaches, what can I say? I am 16 months post my NASAH and have recovered well but can still get headaches but it often seems to be when I do too much. Last year I had a week's holiday in the sun and felt great, it almost felt like nothing had ever happened to me but it is when I try and work that I can get a sore head if I attempt too much, I have had to experiment and find my new level of normal and it has improved but now seems to have plateaued. The thing I am still taken by surprise by is the things my brain seems to find difficult now. A good example would be my 60th birthday party last Friday evening. I loved the evening mixing with about 70 friends but by about 11:00 pm started to feel very fuzzy headed and less able to interact. (In case you are wondering I only drank two pint shandies so I was sober!) The following two days I felt fuzzy head, sore head, a bit sick and all because my brain found it a strain mingling with people I like! So I guess I am saying a mixture of "normal" days and a bit weird days with a sore head have and are my experience but I am definitely better than I was after 5 months. Take care.....and share your thoughts and experiences, I have found it so reassuring to know that its not just me! Graham
  7. Hi PJ-ND, So sorry to hear of your trauma and disgraceful treatment. Sadly lack of quality, or any, information seems to be a thing many of us have experienced following a SAH. I am astonished you are back at work so soon. Like you I had no obvious defects and was discharged from hospital and it was only months later that I began to discover and accept that something had changed. Nearly everybody said, "you look so well", and I felt pretty good.....until I tried to go back to work. Doing nothing was absolutely agreeable for me, but when I started to try things that required concentration (like work) I have come to realise I quite simply do not have the same amount of juice in the tank. Long before a day's work is done I will find I am losing concentration, starting to get sloppy in my thinking, and can get a sore head. The thing I still find hard to accept is that something has changed, the evidence is there, but I keep wanting to kid myself on that I am capable of the same as before. So my advice is....listen to people on the forum. Listen to your doctor. Rest. Be realistic with yourself, don't listen to that voice that says, "just get on with it." Hope the stress of caring for those around you does not get to you. Do take care. Best wishes Graham
  8. Thanks Clare, Very helpfully, and totally unexpectedly, I have discovered that one of the guys my 25 year son plays five-a-side football with is a Chartered Psychologist, with 20+ years of experience in specialising in returning to work following a brain injury. He has read the neuro-psychological report and the "decision of the insurance company." He says it is clear from the report that I am not able to perform at previous levels and has written a response to the insurers on my behalf! Well that is what friends are for! Thanks again, I will keep you posted. Graham
  9. Hi, Thanks for these comments. I did receive a report and to be honest I thought it was very fair. When I asked the psychologist how she would know if there had been any change in brain function she admitted that without a "before" and "after" test it was hard to know. However, she told me if there was a wide divergence of scores it was likely that the SAH had impacted brain function. The report does show this wide divergence and also draws attention to this. It seems the insurance company have conveniently not taken this into account. I will keep you posted with the outcome of my appeal. Many thanks Graham
  10. Hi, I had my NASH on 31/10/15 and am now working about 20 hours per week. Previously I worked 45 hours per week plus about 10 hours commute over the week. "Fortunately", I thought, I have an Income Protection Policy which will help with my reduced earnings. In assessing my claim I underwent a neuro-psychological assessment which scored me as "Superior" in one category and "Average" in the other three. Prior to suffering the NASH I have had a career in executive roles and certainly now don't feel up to going back to these long hours with quite a lot of stress. The insurance company are saying I am well able to go back to my former role. Anyone any experience of similar "discussions" with insurance companies? Many thanks Graham
  11. Hi Myra, I would echo what others have said. It is not remotely surprising that you find your current work schedule difficult and the thought of increasing it seems highly unrealistic. Regarding your employers demands I would definitely seek expert legal advice. You seem to be in the USA and I don't know what employment law regulations are there but in the UK it would be very difficult for an employer to fairly ask this of you. Hope it works out for you. Best wishes Graham
  12. Hi Jennifer, I am one year out and can relate to much of what you are saying. Sometimes I wonder if I am obsessing about how I feel, sometimes I feel great, and the constant "encouragement" of others telling me I look and appear fully well makes me want to say, "Well actually things are not always what they seem ...." ~It is a bit of a bizarre journey. For me I am trying to work out my new norm and am trying to be content with that. I find it very interesting how many people say after two years, "...so early on in your recovery." Perhaps for all of us now we are not "ill", we are "different", and "different" doesn't have to be bad! Take care. Graham
  13. Thanks Win. Where on the site do I find the Green Room? Graham
  14. Hi Fiona, Sorry to hear all you are going through. Let me share my experience which has some similarities. I suffered my NASAH on 31/10/15. The CT scan was negative, the lumbar puncture was positive and I then was given an angiogram which confirmed a ANSAH. However, no treatment was required and I was discharged after a total of 5 days in hospital. My GP initially signed me off work for two weeks, despite the fact that the hospital had said I was likely to be off for three months. The GP subsequently changed my sign off to three months. I have been progressing since then and can now work for about twenty hours per week although this can be a struggle. From about four months after the NASAH I started to very gradually build up work. I am not a medical professional but I would not be surprised if you can only build up work again very gradually. One year later I still have very tired days, sometimes a sore head and can sleep poorly. So regarding your recovery I would suggest you go back to your GP and discuss what is normal, although it seems to be that a long slow recovery is the norm. Regarding driving the DVLA website tells you when you need to notify them of a medical incident and SAH is such a notifiable event. When I notified the DVLA I was told I could not drive until they had received a report from the hospital consultant. This took about three months for the DVLA to process. Towards the end of this three month period the DVLA informed me that my GP could decide if I could drive! My GP, after reviewing the documentation that the consultant had sent to the DVLA, decided I could drive. So in summary, push your GP for some proper information on your recovery and on driving although I would not be surprised if there is no quick way back to your previous “normal” way of life. Hope this is helpful, and don’t despair, there is life after suffering a NASAH! Best wishes Graham
  15. Hi, in my very limited experience the medical community have not demonstrated great understanding of what it is like to experience a NASAH. For example, on my discharge from hospital I was obliged to visit my GP who decided I looked quite well and signed me off work for two weeks! Very many months later I am not fully functioning in work mode. Meeting people on the forum who have experienced a NASAH has been a breath of fresh air for me. Regarding the wider views of the medical profession I have not read widely but I did find the attached article which did resonate with my experience. You may have seen this before but I have uploaded it in case it is new and helpful to someone. http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/69/1/127.full
  16. Irene, it's interesting how so many of us share the same experiences. I could put it like this...."I'm fine" / "some things feel different" / "I don't think anything is getting better" / " I'm fine" / "I'm a fraud"......and as I learn about others experience I'm shouting....I'm authentic! its good to have the BTG community!
  17. Susan, thanks for this, our situations seem very similar. It's particularly interesting you mention a fuzziness at the back of your head. I get that and never had it before my NASAH, it's not exactly a sore head just a weird "something's not right" feeling. Also very interesting what you say about the first five months feeling easier, I can echo that. I lost my job three months after the NASAH and was able to do very little except relax, play golf and potter about. I have started working for myself and in the last two months I have had a steady stream of work, and despite only working for about 20 hours per week I definitely am aware of more symptoms now than I was aware of a few months ago. Which I guess confirm something has changed, or not recovered yet. But isn't it helpful just to hear someone else's experience and say "me too!" Hey ho, we have a lot to be thankful for.... onwards and upwards.
  18. Thanks everyone for these wise and helpful comments. At 8:20pm its time to go and recharge my battery....what's on telly tonight? Best wishes Graham
  19. Thanks Daffodil, I guess my fear is that they will conclude I am ok and will be able to work normally when the reality is that I can manage about 20 good hours a week but used to work 45 ish. I also feel that I am a bit of a "fraud" when so many people of the BTG forum have had enormous issues to cope with compared to me. Thank you for the info which is helpful.
  20. Thanks Win, good to see you have maintained your sense of humour
  21. Hi, I had a NASAH on 31/10/15 and lost my job in January 2016. I am now working in self employment about 20 hours per week but used to work about 45 hours per week. An insurance company has arranged for a neuropsychology assessment in a few weeks time. Not sure what to expect or how useful it will be. Anybody got any advice or insights? thanks
  22. Thanks Macca, this is very helpful. And thanks for the welcome to the forum. Graham
  23. Hi this is my first post. I suffered a NASAH on 31/10/15 so have reached my "Anniversary". I find that most people seem to know so little about this. Some days I feel great and people say I am doing so well but sometimes I feel tired, sometimes a bit light headed, some times a sore head at the back of my head and sometimes sleep very badly. I don't know if this is normal and related to a the NASAH or just normal life. I used to work about a 45 hour week with 2 additional hours commuting each day but lost my job and now work from home and feel comfortable doing about 20 -25 hours per week. Is this a normal post NASAH experience or have I just got lazy? Any comments or advice greatly appreciated.
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