EmmaF

Thanks MaryB - your last comment made me smile. My midwife was telling me only the other day about the number of ladies who decide they've had enough and are going home just as baby starts crowning! I live in the UK, near London. You're absolutely right of course that although I'm focused on how it will be post-SAH because that's the situation I'm in, nobody knows for sure how their birth will go so think I need to come up with my preferred plan but be prepared to change it if my body tells me it needs to. I'm fortunate in that I've always had normal BP - if anything pregnancy seems to have made it dip a little low - so at least that's one things I don't need to worry about for the time being - the relaxation cd's must be working! Thanks again, Emma x

Hi Lin-Lin Many thanks for your reply and for your openness about your experience. I'll be 34 when I give birth so I think I also need to factor my age into considerations. Mum was my age when she had me and was made to feel like an old lady in the maternity ward whereas today age doesn't really seem to factor into their thinking. Luckily to date I've not suffered any additional fatigue as a result of pregnancy but, that said, I'm only 28 weeks at the moment and I understand from friends that it really only kicked in for them in the last month or so - I'll keep an eye on it over the next few months. Its really reassuring to hear from you and Jess about your natural deliveries as proof it can be done now you both have happy, healthy little ones at the end of it. I think I need to plan for my ideal outcome but accept that as things progress, I may need to change my plan if I find I'm not physically up to it. Thanks once again for your support. All the best to you and your little boy. Emma x

Many thanks for your reply Jess. It's really reassuring to hear stories from you and Lin-Lin about how it all worked out for you both. I'll definitely follow the neuro's advice rather than that of the ob consultant as they really seem focussed on the low risk option for them rather than the right option for me and baby. Best wishes to you and your little family. Emma x

Many thanks WinB143! Emma x

Thanks very much for this Bagpuss. To be honest, I'd not really considered fatigue being any worse for me going through a natural childbirth post-SAH. I'm doing Hypnobirthing classes at the moment which is a method which is supposed to reduce the exertion (and pain) of natural childbirth so hopefully that may make it more easy to cope with labour if it is prolonged. I guess it's one of those things that you don't know how you'll fare until you've tried it. I appreciate your honesty in relation to your birth experience though and will definitely bear in mind that things don't always go to plan where babies are concerned! Thanks for the link re: natural c-section - I'd never heard of this - will do some research! Emma x

Thanks very much Daffodil

Hi Rachel I don't often log in to this forum but did so earlier today. I spotted your post and thought I would share my family's experience. The first I heard about SAH was in May 2003 when my older sister had a ruptured SAH aged 29 (she survived and has made a complete recovery but 3 other unruptured aneurysms were found). We asked at the time whether there was any genetic link and whether I should be screened. At that time we were told that the most likely cause was the fact she was a smoker and, whilst in a small number of cases SAH seems to run in families, it's very rare and not to worry about it. In Feb 2007, another of my sister's aneurysms ruptured. Again she survived and has made a complete recovery. At that time we asked for confirmation of what we were told previously and were told the analysis was the same. In Dec 2011, I collapsed (embarrassingly at the darts) and had a seizure. Fortunately, I was with my husband and he had a feeling he knew what it was, the ambulance people took his concerns seriously and took me to the Royal Free where my ruptured SAH was diagnosed quickly. I was transferred to the National Hospital and had my aneurysm coiled within 48 hours. I was 32 at the time and have also made a complete recovery. I had never smoked, wasn't overweight and had always had average BP. This time the hospital were concerned to know if we had any other siblings. We don't but, if we had, they would have recommended screening for them. We asked whether our parents should be screened but were told they should be okay as it was probably our specific gene pool that caused this issue for me and my sister. In September 2012, my Dad suffered a SAH aged 68. Given his age (and the fact he's smoked for such a long period of his life) his bleed was much larger than that of either me or my sister. He survived the bleed but has suffered significant loss of speech and mobility. However, he's now home and receiving therapy and making good progress on both his speech and mobility. Given there clearly is a genetic link in my family in respect of SAH my uncle (Dad's only brother) and his children are getting themselves screened but we don't yet know the outcome of this. Neither my sister or I have children (yet - I'm pregnant with my first ) - but have been told that when baby reaches adulthood they should be screened too. The chances are my husband's gene pool will have diluted the impact of this for our baby but we'll take no chances with this. Hopefully in 18 years time their knowledge of this possible genetic link will have advanced significantly. In conclusion, they know that in some cases a genetic link exists but they're not sure why or for how many people. As one of the other replies said, an alarmingly high number of people are walking around with unruptured aneurysms. In the vast majority of cases, the aneurysm will never rupture, but some of us have a predisposition towards this. This predisposition does seem to run in certain families. There is some research going on currently to try and work out what the link is - we have taken part in this trial - so hopefully at some point they'll know with more certainty what the link is. My only advice would be, if you/your niece, is worried ask the question of the consultant who treated your Mum. In my experience GPs have limited knowledge of SAH and will give the same sort of response you've heard but the specialists tend to take your concerns more seriously. If they consider your niece (or others in your family) to be at risk based on your family history, they may well recommend further screening on the NHS - it may also be available as part of a research project. Sorry, this is a particularly long ramble (!) but I hope it is of some help to you and your family. Emma x

Hi everyone, I wonder if anyone on here has had a similar experience or can help. In December 2011, I had a SAH which was coiled on 1st Jan 2012. I've been extremely fortunate and have made a complete recovery from the SAH. In December 2012, I found out I was expecting our first baby (what a difference a year makes!). Due to my medical history the hospital looking after me for my pregnancy considers me to be high risk so I've been under the care of a Obstetric consultant. I had a follow-up consultation with him yesterday when he told me that, given the SAH, they wanted me to deliver our baby by c-section rather than naturally. I'm reluctant to put my baby and my body through such a big operation unless there is a sound medical reason to do so. As so as I found out I was pregnant I contacted my Neuro-consultant's team who told me that I could treat pregnancy and birth normally (and that it was safe to have a natural birth) as if the SAH hadn't happened because the aneurysm had been successfully treated and I have no further untreated aneurysms. When it comes to my brain, I trust the Neuro specialists rather than the Ob specialists. However, the Ob team want to manage their risk so, on the basis they don't understand the brain stuff, they want to take the option they consider to be 'safe'. The problem seems to be that the two hospitals aren't communicating with one another. I just wondered whether anyone else has had any similar experiences. Emma x

Thanks Sandi K, Louise & Macca. Macca - enjoy your holiday, you'll need it after this week! I timed my return to coincide with Easter then the May Bank Hols - I found I could cope with the work (admittedly for shorter periods) so long as I had a bit of extra 'recovery time' at the weekend! Emma x

Hi Pain in the Brain, I had my SAH on 30 December last year and managed to start back to work in early April. To start with it was tough - even the simplest tasks exhausted me. I think on top of the SAH, sitting on the sofa watching Greys Anatomy box sets (interesting choice I know!) was not especially taxing so I was no longer exhausted and felt 'back to normal'. Once I started doing more the exhaustion quickly came back! My job doesn't sound dissimilar to yours, juggling multiple projects etc.. Multi-tasking was hard at first as my brain relearned how to do it. Meetings and busy office environments were/are also exhausting. One of the contributers on here suggested I should take a walk to clear my head after a few hours - I'm not sure if your job will allow you to do this but if you can, try it - it really helps to get away from the noise. The doctor recommended a staged return which I did with more working at home (to avoid the tiring commute) and shorter hours which I'm starting to build up again now. My boss has been very supportive which has allowed me to get back into the swing of things at my own pace - in the early days he kicked me (nicely) out of the office if I was still there past the time I set myself. I often found once I got working I felt like I was able to do a normal day - only I paid for it the next by feeling dreadful. How is your boss? Will they also be supportive? Do be honest with them (and yourself!) about what has happened and your limitations. I've been overwhelmed by the understanding of colleagues - I hope you also work with such nice people. I think you'll know in yourself when you're ready to get back to work, or if you're just not yet (I certainly wasn't ready after 2 mths - you're still very early in recovery). In the first 2-3 weeks of going back I was shattered all the time and all the energy I had was devoted to work. Now 2 mths in my energy levels and headaches are very much better - friends are saying I'm more like 'Emma' again so it does get better but it takes time. Make sure you listen to what your body is saying to you and don't rush yourself. Best of luck with your recovery, Emma x

Hi everyone - I just wanted to drop a quick thank you on here. Some of you may remember I posted a little on here about 6 weeks ago shortly after I returned to work. (Sorry - I'm really not very diligent at keeping an eye on these boards!) At the time I didn't realise but I was feeling very scared and inadequate following my return to work and some of your comments really lifted me. I'm following some of your advice, like taking a walk during the working day to clear my head - I'm very lucky that I work very close to St James' Park in London so at this time of year its wonderful to go for a wander, appreciate the flowers and the lovely new ducklings - things I'd previously have overlooked. Having had a quick flick through comments over the last few weeks I'm pleased to see the progress you've all been making - be that getting back to 'normal' or making the changes you need to get back to a life you're happy with. It's inspiring to read - I've still got some way to go to get there but am now confident that I can get there. So, thanks again, and best wishes to all of you in your recoveries. Emma x

..... to each of you for your support. It's very reassuring that the feelings I have at the moment are not unique to me but so many of you have/have had too. SarahLou - I'm very lucky that the people I work with are very understanding and happy to accommodate my need to do less. I'm also lucky that I can do my work anywhere with a decent Broadband connection so am able to fit the work I do around how energetic I'm feeling. The problem is I've always been very career driven, completing my MBA in December etc, with big plans about what to do next so I'm struggling to come to terms with the fact those plans may not materialise in the way I expected. I'm my own worst enemy pushing myself too hard and need to listen to my husband about not running before I can walk! Sandi - I find your experience inspiring. I hope if this return is too much I'll be able to show the same courage you have done and step away (for a while). I'll definitely give the walking tip a try too. Emma xx

Hi everyone I hope you don't mind me invading your thread as it looks like you're a really nice group and have been supporting one another for some time now. I'm 32 and had a SAH on 30 December. I was lucky in that I was diagnosed very quickly and my aneurysm was treated on 1st January. Having spent three months resting up finally I felt well enough to start my return to work on Monday 2nd April - my logic being that with Easter I'd have a couple of short weeks to ease myself back in. Also my job is office based and my company's technology means that I can work from home. So, my strategy has been to work every other day in the office (but reduced hours as I also have an hour's commute each way) and when I'm not in the office I'm at home with an eye on the blackberry and doing things when I feel I have the energy to. Week 1 felt great - really good to be back in the world of the working and excited to be starting to get back to normal. I had noticeable tiredness and was daring to think to myself "ah this is going to be easy peasy". However, its now Week 2 and some of my initial excitement has worn off and I'm feeling the strain of starting work again. Especially today I'm pretty exhausted so have decided I need a sofa day. I can see from the thread that you've each been through this and would be grateful for any top tips from you as to what I should be do and also any unexpected side-effects you felt that I could keep an eye on. Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer. Also well don to you all, it sounds like you're making amazing progress! Emma x