cworden0124

Hi Becky, I too had a spontaneous SAH. Mine was about 2 years ago (September 21, 2012). I felt the same way as you did. People just don't survive things like this. I also didn't need surgery, just an angiogram, and they couldn't figure out how it happened. There were no damaged blood vessels or anything to "fix". I just had to let the blood be absorbed and hope the damage it caused to the brain tissue wasn't permanent. I can tell you that it was hard to return to work and a normal life. Everyone I knew just looked at me and said "you're fine". And trust me, it takes a very long time to return to what is "normal". Take it day by day. Some days will be good and some days will be bad. I returned to work on a part time basis after about 4 weeks. and full time after about 3 months. It was tough and some days I think I was losing my mind. My concentration was gone. I seemed like I was in a fog all the time. Some days I felt like my hands moved in slow motion. And I was tired ALL THE TIME! It does get better though, but like others have said, it takes some time. This place was the best for me. Everyone here is very supportive. Ask all the questions you need! Best of luck! Christine

Hi Dan, I too am one of the "lucky" ones I think. I didn't have anything major to signal my bleed...my right arm went numb while driving. No headaches or anything strange, but the thought of having a stroke sent me to the hospital. My bleed was very small also and after an MRI, CT Scan and Angiogram, they were unable to determine the cause. They also ran an EEG, EKG, and Carotid Artery Doppler and found NOTHING. I returned to working as a corporate auditor WAY TOO SOON, but being a single mom, I needed the income. I returned after 6 weeks. I began with a few headaches that were very mild. And except for fatigue I did really well. I just finished my first major audit last week and I am paying for the hard work I put in! I have had a horrible headache for 3 days...not dibilitating, but annoying as anything! My advice (being still new to it all too...6 months last week)...take it easy. Listen to your body as much as you can. It's true that some of the symptoms you read on here make you think, "WOW, I'm glad mine wasn't that bad", but we all seem to have the same issues...different degrees, but the same all around. The people on here have been my saving grace on my bad days. just knowing that what is happening to me is "normal" and I just need to be patient. You have good days and bad days....just take the good ones and cherish them and take lots of deep breaths during the bad ones. They do pass! -Christine

Headache question for anyone who might be able to help. I have been suffering through a head cold the last week. can't take much because of high BP, so I have to suffer. My sinuses are bugging me, but pain in my face hasn't been bad. What has been bugging me is quick stabbing headaches in the upper left side of my head (my SAH was on the upper left, but I never had a headache with it, so I don't know what a SAH headache feels like). The pain lasts for 10-30 seconds and then goes away. I am not having any other symptoms except my BP is a little higher than I like it (138/93 at last check). Has anyone else had these types of headaches? I read about "ice pick" headaches and that sounds like what I am having. It's more annoying than anything.

HELP! I thought going back to work was going to make me feel better. I was going stir crazy staying at home all the time. I has my SAH at the end of September (21st)...I stayed out of work (I am an auditor...so I sit at a desk, but I have to do a lot of thinking and computations) completely for 5 weeks. I returned to work with direction from my neurologist to return as tolerated. I began my return working 3 days a week 6-7 hours a day...I did that through the month of November. Then in December I worked up to 3 days a week a full 8 hours a day...but in December my personal life slowed down a bit (I have two teenage daughters and I am divorced, so I have the girls every other week...they are very active in school activities). I was still pretty exausted by the end of the week, but was functioning. My plan for January was to try and work 4 days and work from home 1 day a week. I have been doing this for 2 weeks now (along with picking back up all the girls' activities again)...I have worked monday through thursday and then home on friday...by thursday night I can't function (I fell asleep at 6pm last night and woke up at 10pm...up until midnight and woke up this morning at 7!) I can barely function without at least 8 hours a sleep a night as is and then this. I get this "out of body" feeling when I get this tired. It seems like my brain is trying to tell my body it is done and isn't going to work any more. I hate feeling like this I have a neuro appointment next tuesday. I am hoping she will tell me that she wants me to stay out of work longer. I am soo afraid that I have over done the return to work and now I am stuck and can't reverse what I have done. I just want to start feeling "normal" again. The "fuzzy" feelings when i am soo tired and the mild headaches are making me crazy. I just keep hoping I haven't done any damage to myself or I have been ignoring anything I should be paying more attention to.

I flew home to visit family for christmas last week. It was a little scary to say the least...I had I my SAH in September but was not told I couldn't travel. Since I am in the US and didn't leave the states, insurance wasn't a problem...but as for the pressure changes, I did have a headache while flying, but nothing severe. I took an ibuprophine and was ok...just tried to sleep for most of the flights.

I am having the same issue with the weather. I was always one to have really mild sinus headaches when the weather made drastic changes...but this year (after my SAH in September), I am dying! Sinus headaches everyday and then I get stress over them and the next thing I know by the end of the night my neck hurts...then when my neck hurts the muscles pinch nerves and the tips of my fingers go numb (that is something I found out about years ago)....It's been a rough couple of weeks lately!

Thank you all for your advice...I have been MIA lately on here...things were going really well. I had a very "brain intensive" weekend this weekend (my daughters are competative cheerleaders and we had a big competition this weekend...LOTS OF STRESS!)...I had what I would call a bad headache (I don't get headaches at all "normally")...but nothing like anyone on here has described as the one that caused their SAH...and I was out of town and scared to go to a hospital I didn't know...so I went to sleep (one of those if something bad is going to happen, let me be sleeping things!). I woke up yesterday morning and felt fine. A little headache in the afternoon after driving for 4 hours, but I took a nap and felt much better. I am the sort of person who doesn't take ibuprofin unless I feel like I really need it and I haven't taken but maybe one or two since I came out of the hospital 2 months ago. So I just tell myself that since I don't seem to need to take anything to get over these headaches, they must not be that bad. So tough just trying to become normal again...I just hate the headache thing when i never used to get them before. Just scary.

Just want to say...I feel like I am in the same position. I went back to work this week and my management has NO CLUE what I am dealing with. They seem to think I can just jump back in. And with the reason for my SAH being unknown...I am constantly parinoid about any ache, pain or weird feeling in my head I get. I think we all recover at different rates...but I am working with some great neurologists and they seem to have my best interest at heart.

Thanks Louise. I am hoping to get some good advice and hopefully as my time progresses on, be able to give others advice in their journey. This whole experience has been scary and eye opening. I am learning to enjoy life more and more and not take anything for granted.

Hi everyone. I am new to posting on the forums here, but I have been "lurking" around since I got out of the hospital in September. Here is my story...I was driving home from work and as I was traveling on the interstate, my right arm went completely numb (dead numb) for a couple of minutes...then turned to "pins and needles"....I had pulled off the road and called EMS...by the time the Ambulance arrived, I was completely back to "normal". Trip to my doctor office (had to see another doctor, not my normal doctor...QUACK!) he indicated he thought it was nothing serious and sent me home. I then went 2 more days with no symptoms at all except fatigue. The third day woke up dizzy and with a dead arm again. At this point I had had NO HEADACHES. I went to my doctor and he recommended I have an MRI. I no more returned home and I recived a devistating phone call indicating I had a SAH and was to immediately go to the hospital. After a CT scan learned that there was no annurisum, so they ordered a angiogram. Angiogram did not show any residual bleeding with no indication of why the bleed occurred. They also performed a doppler, an eeg and two more CT scans. Nothing showed up. All the symptoms I had were the "pins and needles" feelings on my right side. I never had a headache through any of this. Now I have been out of work for 5 weeks with little to no symptoms (a frequent annoying headache here and there..mostly sinus due to the weather changing...but I have chosen not to take any pain killers -advil, tylenol, etc.- so I know if anything major happens). I returned to work on Monday working 3 days a week for up to 6 hours a day. I worked Monday and Wednesday and today (thursday) and I having periodic numbness and I am exhausted. I am coping fairly well emotionally, but can anyone give me some feedback as to whether this periodic numbness is just my body saying "you over did it this week"...slow it down and relax?? This whole not knowing what happened and what symptoms to watch for. I did not have the "classic" symptom of headaches and I still don't get anything that I would even call uncomfortable...but the momentary pins and needles feelings I am getting today worry me a bit. UGH!