Tina

Congratulations Karin on your marriage ❤️ So happy all went well and you enjoyed your special day xx Wishing you lots of love happiness and health and hope things work out ok with work. Take care Love Tina xx

So glad you have found this forum helpful Contact the DVLA and as you say, put the wheels in motion. We look forward to hearing how you get on. Good luck Take care Tina

Congratulations Gary on your 1st SAH Anniversary a huge milestone, well done on doing so well. Enjoy your celebrations with family and friends. Take care Tina xx

Hi Staystrong21 a very warm welcome to BTG. All i can say is never give up. Read all the posts from others here, they are very helpful. Good to read you are DETERMIND to get your independence back, that's a great place to start I had double vision and was lucky it did improve and i eventually got my Driving Licence back after 2 years. I had to keep chasing the DVLA and get letters from Specialists etc. I was very nervous about getting behind the wheel again after 2 years. My husband came with me, we found a quiet road and then one with a width restriction to go through. As soon as i started driving my fears went. I drove well and felt great. Went through the width restriction and impressed my husband Saying that, on my bad days i never drive. I just know when i wake up. We wish you well and please let us know how you get on. I do know from experience the DVLA take ages to reply and you do have to keep chasing them up. Good luck Tina P.S. please click on the links below, may be helpful. https://web.behindthegray.net/topic/6865-reapplying-for-license-with-exceptional-circumstances-uk-only/ https://web.behindthegray.net/topic/10610-help-needed-re-criteria-to-reinstate-driving-licence-under-exceptional-circumstances/ https://web.behindthegray.net/topic/9789-getting-so-stressed/

Hi Gareth A very warm welcome to BTG, glad you found us. To help with the not sleeping at night, can you have nap during the day at all ? I found i needed to sleep during the day as well as at night in the early stages. Dont rush back to work, as much as we know you want to get back to normal. Most go back on a phased return to see how they cope. I hope all goes well on the 15th May and you get the green light. From experience, just pace yourself and see how you feel. I found if i pushed too hard too fast my body let me know. Wishing you well with your recovery and we look forward to hearing more from you and how you are doing. Take care Tina xx

Hi Jean Congratulations lovely lady on your 6 year SAH anniversary Hope you can do something really nice to celebrate how far you have come. Thank you for all your supportive encouraging posts to many too xx Take care Love Tina xx

Congratulations on your 1st Anniversary i was also very emotional too. So pleased you have been lucky with your recovery. Hope you celebrated how far you have come and enjoyed the day . Like Skippy i used to celebrate is like a second birthday, 15 years later i'm just so grateful to be here take care xx

Congratulations Iola on your 10 year anniversary Thank you for sharing your journey and giving others positive hope. Here is to many more Take care Love Tina xx

Congratulations Kathy on your 5th year anniversary Here is to many more and thank you for all your caring posts and support to others Great to hear you had a lovely time in Italy, but sorry you had all the delays that caused you stress. I would have been the same as also dont cope well with unexpected change. Belated Happy Birthday 🎂Hopefully Spring will make everything feel better xx As you say....together we are making it Take care Love Tina xx

Hi Jo I can relate to no.2 & 3. All very normal at such an early stage in your recovery. Dont push too hard, go steady, things will improve, just takes time xx Take care Tina xx

Hi Jo A very warm welcome to BTG, glad you found us. As you have already found there is a wealth of helpful information here and also friendly caring support from those that understand what you are going through xx It is very early days in your recovery, you are doing really well. Hopefully the Tinnitus will continue to improve, just horrible for you. Here is a link to some posts re Tinnitus that may help: https://web.behindthegray.net/search/?q=tinnitus&quick=1 I was very sensitive to noise and also bright lights too. I think its because your brain is trying to repair and function as normal which also causes the feeling slightly out of it. The not sleeping very well is a nightmare. Can you have a nap during the day at all ? You say you know you have to be patient with your recovery but finding it hard to accept. Totally empathise with you, I was the same. Your whole world has been turned upside down and a huge shock and trauma for you and your family. Dont rush things, if you push too hard your body will let you know. ( speaking from experience ) As for returning to work and the worry of being able to cope etc. One step at a time, you will get there, things will improve Most on here that feel ready to return to work, do so on a phased return to see how they cope. As for the screech of a PE whistle 😳 and noisy 6 year olds.... maybe earplugs that take away alot of the background noise. and a medal For now just try to rest up as much as you can. We look forward to hearing more from you. Wishing you well with your on going recovery. Take care Tina xx

Hi Nic a very warm welcome to BTG So glad you found this site, it was a Godsend to me, to find others that have been through similar and understand how you are feeling. Like you i was sent home after a month in hospital with no information, just told to take Paracetamol and Ibuprofen. So very scary. It is very normal to sleep alot in the early days of your recovery. Never feel guilty, bless you xx Your brain has been through a major life threatening trauma. It's trying to mend and function as normal. Listen to your body, be kind to yourself. Easy to say i know with two young children. As Jess says above, drink lots of water, it really does help with the headaches. Maybe your hubby could read the posts on here so he also understands better what you have been through. Your brain needs time to mend. Especially with two young children, you will need as much support as possible until you are feeling more able to cope. Very early days for you in your recovery. Do you have family/friends close by that could help out a bit ? Things will get better and improve, just takes time xx Re the driving, i was told to let the DVLA know and surrender my licence, but i had double vision. I think if your Dr deems you ok to drive, also the hospital and write a letter to confirm that, you dont have to surrender your licence, just notify them. Again, check with your Dr. Good to know you have a scan in 6/8 weeks time. That will hopefully give you some peace of mind. Here is a link to A Letter From your Brain: https://web.behindthegray.net/articles.html/inspiration/a-letter-from-your-brain-by-stephanie-st-claire-©1996-r167/ We look forward to hearing more from you. Wishing you well with your recovery. Take care Tina xx

Hi Suzie a very warm welcome to BTG So very sorry to hear about your husband, so very hard for you too, hugs xx As Jess has said, your husband is in the right place. My God Mother had a similar situation with her husband. She like you had health problems and needed help and searched high and low for the best home. Everytime she visited he got very agitated and wanted to come home. It was so distressing she changed to visiting only once a week but phoned everyday for updates. The home were lovely and he was very happy and settled other than when she visited. Overtime things did improve. It took over a year as a lot to adjust to. His distress reduced but he still always asked to go home which was really upsetting. The carers were very good and asked her to leave as they needed to check this or that to distract him away from her leaving. She arranged a time beforehand. It worked very well. I really hope things improve for you and your husband very soon. Its just heartbreaking for all involved. We look forward to hearing more from you and always here if you need support or just to off load. We are a friendly caring bunch. Take care Tina xx

Hi Martin A very warm welcome to BTG. Thank you for sharing your experience. As Sami says, well done! You have really sussed the best way to help yourself recover. We look forward to hearing more from you and wish you well with your on going recovery. Take care Tina xx

Happy 19th Anni-versary SM You have had to go through so much bless you xx Wishing you happier healthy times ahead xx Much love Tina xx

Hi Big Al Thank you for popping in and letting us know you are doing well I was clipped in 2007. Take care Tina

Hi Nikoo A very warm welcome to BTG. Thank you for sharing your story. Thank goodness your GP finally sent you for CT/MRI scans. Things could have turned out so differently. Great news your coilings have been successful. Well done on getting back to work. I hope all goes well for your final scan in the summer. Wishing you well. Go steady and hope your headaches, fatigue and ringing in the ears gradually improve. Take care Tina

Great news wishing you well with your return to work and fingers crossed you will get the day off for the first night shift. Let us know how you get on when you get time. Take care Tina xx

Hi AS I was not scared of putting my head down but avoided it as it hurt my head and made me really dizzy. My ruptured Aneurysm happened when i was walking up my drive to my front door. On reflection, thinking back, i was scared to go out of my front door alone. I had double vision and balance problems. I did it one step at a time, a bit further each day as it felt comfortable to do so. Karen who is the founder of this wonderful Forum suggested i used walking sticks. This did help alot and i became more confident. Crazy really how it affects you. I was always a go getting, just do it, independent type of person. I think how you are feeling is perfectly normal after the huge life threatening trauma you have gone through and survived I hope when you see your Neuro Consultant they can give you peace of mind. Great news your CT results came back normal. Maybe do your exercise with a friend for a while and just take small steps, you are doing so well, be very proud of yourself xx Take care Tina xx

Hi Gary A very warm welcome to BTG. So glad the forum has helped you realise you are not alone in your everyday struggles. Hopefully you can now begin to enjoy your retirement and things starting to improve. We look forward to hearing more from you and how you are doing. Also feel free to join in the daily banter in the Green Room, we are a friendly supportive bunch. Take care Tina xx

Hi a very warm welcome to BTG. Thank you for sharing your experience, it will help many. It is still very early days in your recovery. I know you really want to get back to work to see how you get on, but make sure you go back on a gentle phased return and gradually build up your hours. Good luck with your Neuro appointment this week and hope they give the all clear for driving and returning to work. Wishing you well and look forward to hearing more from you and how you are doing. Take care Tina xx

Hi Karin A very warm welcome to BTG, so glad you found us. You will find a wealth of helpful supportive information here. BTG was a Godsend to me Like you, many of us were sent home without any information of what to expect and just paracetamol and ibuprofen. A very scary time for you. So sorry you are having so much pain, but glad the spasms have lessened. The stiff neck and back pain i was told was the blood dispersing down the spinal canal. This did improve over time. You may find that you will need more than 4 weeks off work, but as you say, everyones recovery is different. Listen to your body, rest up lots and drink plenty of water, it really does help. Do what feels right for you and dont be pressured into going back too soon. When you do go back, make sure you go back on a phased return and gradually build up your hours. Hopefully you will get a follow up in 3 months time and will have a better picture of how your recovery is going. If you dont hear, chase your Consultants secretary. I was treated at Atkinson Morley St Georges Hospital Tooting. Congratulations on your forth coming wedding in May you are bound to feel anxious, a very special day you will want to cherish and enjoy. Baby steps, one step at a time. You have been through a major life threatening trauma. Just be honest about how you are feeling and your fatigue levels. Very early days for you in your recovery. We look forward to hearing more from you. Wishing you well with your ongoing recovery. Take care Tina xx

Hi Diane Yes i can relate to crying very easily. Especially in the early days when i would get overwhelmed with tiredness or frustrated that i could not do the things i used to. My emotions were all over the place, my whole life had been turned upside down. I'm sure a lot of others here can also relate to crying easily. You have been through a huge life threatening trauma. Be kind to yourself, listen to your body and drink lots of water. Feel free to join in the daily banter in the Green Room too, we are a friendly bunch Take care Wishing you well Tina xx

Hi Diane A very warm welcome to BTG, glad you found us. Well done for getting back to work so quickly. Did you go back on a phased return ? It is still very early days in your recovery. It is normal to feel very tired and sometimes quite emotional. I also had double vision for well over a year, horrible isn't it! You will find lots of helpful information and support here. We look forward to hearing more from you. Take care Tina xx

Merry Christmas to you too Julian 🎅 xx