Tina

Hi Tania A very warm welcome to BTG. I can relate like Clare, to all that your husband Sam is going through. I also had bleed in the brainstem, mine was a ruptured aneurysm. I was clipped. Like Sam i had terrible headaches, neck and back pain. The lower back pains for me lasted for about 2 months, but did ease. My balance was also affected and had double vision. I came home from being in hospital just over a month with Paracetamol and Ibuprofen which i was told to take together every 4 /6 hours. This did take the edge off a bit. As Clare has mentioned its important to take the pain meds regularly because boy do you notice the pain come back with a vengeance if you dont. It is very very early days in his recovery, he is doing really well. Things will get better & better with time. Clare's post above should give you that reassurance Just make sure Sam paces himself and does not push too hard too quickly. His body will let him know if he does. Rest rest rest and drink plenty of water, it really does help. You take care too Tania as it is such a worrying stressful, emotional, scary time for you all xx As Clare has said, feel free to ask any other questions you may have. Wishing you all well, Take care Love Tina xx

Congratulations on your 18th Anni-versary Super Mario you are a huge inspiration to many and thank you for all your support lovely lady xx Hope that bucket list can get started again very soon xx Take care Love Tina xx

Congratulations David and thank you so much for sharing. Happy driving

Bless you Sarah, what a horrible terrifying month you have had ! Good news you now have a face to face appointment with your neurologist in March. Great to hear your GP has been amazing and you have the reassurance they are there for you if you feel unwell straight away. Really hope everything gets sorted and you start to feel better. Take care Sarah and let us know how you are doing. Love Tina xx

Hi Cookiebutter Good to know she has a nurse visiting her. It is very early days in her recovery, so hopefully things will settle down for your Grandma. Keep informing the Drs and nurses so they can make a decision what to do to help your Grandma and maybe if it continues they will try different meds. Horrible that her skin hurts so much and she is so confused and hallucinating, bless her, wishing her well xx Take care Tina xx

Hi Cookiebutter A very warm welcome to BTG. So very sorry to read about your Grandma. Such a worrying time for you too. We are based in the UK. Has there been any aftercare or rehabilitation set up for her on returning home ? If i was you i would take her back to hospital. The fact she has deteriorated so much that she cant walk, lift her legs or turn over. No real appetite can be normal at first after a bleed. The bruises if not bed sores need investigating. Is Grandma on any blood thinners? This can cause people to bruise very easily, just a thought, but then the Dr would have known that. So many unanswered questions and worries, i really would take Grandma back to hospital to get those answers and also make sure support and help is put in place. Write down all your questions. I hope her memory and confusion has improved, bless her xx Take good care of yourself too and when you get time please let us know how you are both doing. Wishing you both well. Tina xx

Hi Carolyn Mine was an SAH not a NASAH, but a bleed is a bleed, mine was 14 years ago now. My body still lets me know to slow down even now. If i push myself i pay the price and feel awful. I suffer from fatigue and nerve pain around my right eye and side of face. I also get Brain zaps, which i learnt is the name from Jess, for when i suddenly feel lightheaded and swooshy. I hope that now things are re opening and getting better with Covid that you may have some joy with a referral from your GP. Dont be fobbed off, you know your body and how you feel you have gone backwards in your rcovery. It could just be you have to learn your bodies limits and adapt to the new you. Go steady and pace yourself xx I dont know much about Pregabalin other than it is for anxiety., it may help you . Good luck, keep well xx Tina xx

Hi Carolyn Sorry you had an episode at Christmas. Do you think you may have been over doing it or a bit stressed at all ? I have found my GP very helpful and supportive. I had felt quite unwell with bad headaches, fatigue again recently and i went to A & E and was referred to a neurologist who has been very helpful with scans MRI etc that has given me peace of mind all is ok. He has left it open in case i need to come back. I know you have paid to see someone, but maybe if still not feeling right ask your GP to refer you back to your Neurologist ? Hope you are keeping well as can be. Take care and let us know how you are doing xx Tina xx

Hi Iola Lovely to hear from you. Cant believe its been 9 years ! I too still get the head swooshing out of the blue sometimes. I am 14 years down the line. It tends to be if i have been over doing it but also happens occasionally when not doing anything at all. Like you, when this happened a lot in the early days i went to the hospital to be checked out. All was fine. I recently had this and felt quite unwell too. I have put it down to stress , i lost my lovely Mum to cancer and been supporting and helping my Dad who also has cancer. Also have ongoing other health problems. I think it is your body giving you a gentle reminder to slow down. Its good your yearly MRI's give you peace of mind all is ok Hope your head swoosh stays away. Take good care Iola and keep in touch. Love Tina xx

John, hooray ! At long last, congratulations Thank you for updating us. Happy driving Take care Tina

Hi Paula A very warm welcome to BTG. Wishing you well for your angiogram in January. Its normal to feel anxious as Louise has said. Try not to worry. Ask them to talk you through it and tell them your concerns so they can reassure you. I found it painless and all went ok for me. Take care and let us know how you get on, Tina xx

Hi Debbie Congratulations on your first Anniversary. Bless your Daughter xx We all deal with things very differently. My Daughter got emotional too on my first anniversary celebration. She said it all came back the trauma of being so scared she may have lost me. Mixed emotions of happiness and sad. But yes, a celebration, make it a happy celebration of life. My husband was just so grateful i survived. My Son dug his head in the sand at the time as could not cope with it. Cant imagine how awful and helpless your family must have felt not being able to be with you because of Covid. Must have been so very scary for you too. I hope you celebrate your anniversary even if just a phone call or a nice meal out. Thanks for sharing and wishing you many more. Take care Love Tina xx

Hi Sarah Congratulations on your 4 year SAH Anniversary xx Sorry to hear you are feeling worse. Wise words from Daff above. It is so true that we do tend to do more and more and sometimes your body lets you know and make you take notice. I really hope the new meds help you when you change after Christmas. I have not heard of these drugs but good to know Daff has done well on Candersarten and you can PM her. Wishing you a wonderful restful good Christmas Sarah xx Take care Love Tina xx

Hi Vicky a very warm welcome to BTG So sorry to hear your poor Father is in so much pain, but glad he is now back in hospital where they can hopefully get his pain under control. Such a worrying time for you. It could be blood dissipating down his spinal cord. I had bad pain from this for a few months after my bleed. Back of my head, neck and back. I did eventually improve but took some time. I hope things improve very soon for your Father and he can get back home. Wishing him well with his recovery. Resting up as much as possible and drinking plenty of water helps a lot. Please keep us updated when you can. Take care Tina xx

Mac, a very warm welcome to BTG. Thank you very much for posting and we wish you the very best of luck too. Please update us when you can. Take care Tina

Hi David A very warm welcome to BTG. I cant offer any advice on the assessments but want to wish you good luck and hope for a positive outcome. Hopefully if you read through all the helpful informative posts on this section you will find the advice you need. Please let us know how you get on. Take care Tina

Congratulations Louise on your 22nd Anni-versary You are a true inspiration to us all and helped me so much when i first joined BTG and still do, thank you lovely lady 💞 Hope you had a fabulous day celebrating life with Ronnie Take care Love Tina xx

Pat Congratulations on your 5 year anni-versary and your new job Thank you so much for sharing. Its lovely to read how well you are doing. Take care Love Tina xx

Jess i also have had the priviledge to meet you and your lovely boys. Huge respect ❤️ you are a lovely caring thoughful lady and i agree with Sami & Subs you're amazing and inspirational Thank you for sharing xx

Hi a very warm welcome to BTG So very sorry to hear about your Mum, a very scary time for you both. So glad you found us. It is very early days for your Mum in her recovery. Every little thing she does will totally exhaust her. She has had a major trauma to her brain. It is working overtime to repair and also work as normal. You mention they did an angiogram but not confirmed if they have gone ahead with her surgery yet. I had to wait for 14 days for the swelling to go down in my brain before they would even attempt my clipping. Coiling was not an option for me. They were watching and waiting for the right time to hopefully operate. I had to lie flat on my back too. Like your Mum, found it very uncomfortable and difficult to sleep. My mouth was also very dry and uncomfortable from nil by mouth. The retraints sound just awful but may be necessary for her safety. The lack of communication must be so very scary and frustrating for you. Firstly I would try and make an appiontment with her Consultant so they can explain to you everything they have done and are doing so you have a better understanding. Especially bring up about how the constraints are irritating her and affecting her sleep. Sleep is so important for mending her brain. They cant always give you a time as everyones recovery is different. Write down all of your concerns and questions so you dont forget anything. As it is early days they are watching and waiting (their words) because the brain has to slowly repair and her body respond to her treatment. Your Mum seems to be doing well which is all very positive, that she can converse with you and move her appendages. From my own experience of recovery in hospital, i was in there for just over a month. My short term memory was dreadful, my husband had to repeat many times. I also dont remember lots that went on. I got confused. Hated any loud noises. Was very light sensitive, my Daughter got me some sunglasses which helped. I slept most of the time. So very reassured that my husband and family were there. I also had double vision and balance problems, which were scary. I would definitely try and sort her some glasses and see how she gets on. She may not want to be bothered about reading but to be able to see better may help. They may refer her to an eye specialist at a later date, they did for me. Your poor Mum bless her, will be trying to process whats happening and it is very normal to become aggitated. This will improve with time. Just be there for your Momma as you have been bless you, not an easy time for you. Remember to look after yourself too. Please keep us updated and let us know how you are both doing when you can, we are here for you, rant any time . Take care Tina

Dear Claudette, I am so very sorry you are having to go through all this again. Bless your heart, not surprised you are feeling so down, you have been through so much and a huge shock for you. Sending you big hugs xx Hopefully, when you have your appointment with the Consultant and things are clearer for the way forward, you will be able to get your head round what is planned and then can sit down and tell your children. You will need the support from your family and friends and they would want to be there for you. Sending loads of positive thoughts your way. We are always here for you xx Let us know how you are doing. Take care Love Tina xx

Hi Ericp A very warm welcome to BTG I suffered with hearing loss in my right ear. It was like i was underwater like Jess and Digglydog and was very painful and drove me mad. I had my ear checked and because of my craniotomy surgery it was blocked wth gunge from surgery. I had it suctioned out which sorted that. I found afterwards i was very noise sensitive and would suddenly a hear loud noise that would make me jump. It did improve over time. I also had back pain and was told like you it was the blood dissipating down my spinal cord. It did subside eventually. It is very early days for you in your recovery. As Compostc has said be kind to yourself and dont rush things. Wishing you well with your recovery and we look forward to hearing how your are doing. Take care Tina

Hi Ann Will be thinking of you tomorrow, just wanted to wish you well for your surgery and for a speedy recovery. Take care lovely lady and when you feel up to it please let us know how you are doing. Take care Love Tina xx

A very warm welcome back to BTG Davie Lovely that Subs found your original postings and it brings back some memories for you and reminds you of others We look forward to hearing more from you. Wishing you well Take care Tina

Great news Jean xx