iola

Hi, You are so lucky to be alive. I cannot believe they did not figure this out for so long. How does your head feel? Good grief, I was a mess the first three months. Take is slow and do not pick up anything heavy or do anything that would cause pressure on your head. Rest, rest, rest and lots of water. iola

I will keep your brother and your family in my prayers. Every little bit helps. Iola

I have never heard of this and will promptly google. Thanks so much for the info. Iola

Hi, Mine was non-aneurysmal but at the same time it is still a bleed in the brain so do not let anyone make you think it is not as severe. I had to learn that myself. I went back part-time around 4/5 months and it was hard. It's still hard and I am seven months along. Take the longest amount of time you are offered and then more if you can. You will be exhausted and may end up with worse headaches and dizziness if you push too soon. I am well aware. There is a thread about going back to work that may help you as well. Lot's of good info in that thread. Take it slow and think about you. iola

Hi, I assume the PSAH is Perimesencephalic SAH. Mine was non-aneurysmal too. Check out what I wrote a couple weeks ago. I am hitting 7 months and still not quite myself. Went to see my neurosurgeon and you will see what he told me. You are going back to work very soon after yours. People are different though. You may be fine but I know I am exhausted after work and I am part-time. I know all about the dizzies and walking around in a fog. Not a great feeling. http://www.behindthegray.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?8869-My-Neuropsychology-appointment/page3&highlight=iola Hope you are feeling better soon. iola

Dawn, Wow, that is a tough one. I work part-time and when I went to work part-time it did benefit the company an me. It's a balancing act. Hiring people takes time, training, and loss of money to the company. It is better to keep a worker happy on the job, which includes managing hours that meets both needs. The most productive employees are happy and working for company's that are able to meet their needs while still getting the work accomplished. Unhappy employees leads to lost sales/profit and an exodus of employees, which goes back to time, training, and money. Hope this helps. iola

Hi, This seemed to be the best thread to ask. I went to my NEW neurologist yesterday and he is good but definitely does not have the full understanding of what I went through and going through. Only my neurosurgeon understands. But, I did tell my new neuro about the pains in the back of my head that like to shoot through my eyes and predominantly my left eye and the constant dizziness. He mentioned a procedure he would like to do that helps people with migraines. I have not had a migraine (that I am aware) but I do have very bad pressure headaches and pain in the back of my head. He called the pain Occipital Neuralgia and the procedure Occipital Nerve Blocks. Basically injecting you in the back of the head with a steroid. There are three separate sessions for this. Has anyone done this and found it helpful or not? iola

Hi Julie, You are one lucky lady to survive the initial SAH and then days later end up in the hospital and survived the seizure. Wow. Take things slow and rest. iola

Well, my husband likes me better. I do not yell and scream any more. I was a big yeller before and very quick to respond. Not the case now. I am still adjusting to me. I do let so much go now and not as serious about my job. That I like. It takes time to get to know yourself again. Iola

I went to see my neurosurgeon yesterday. He is 4-5 hours away so it took awhile to get there. I just had to see him again and ask the typical questions. Things I've read on here and thought about over and over again. Something very important he said, "To be clear, you had an SAH". Did not matter how it happened, I had a bleed. We can call it an NASAH but it is first and foremost an SAH. For me, it was not caused by an aneurysm rupture (unknown etiology) but I still had this bleed and I am very lucky to be here. I guess I was trying to think it was different somehow because it was not by an aneurysm rupture. I don't know why. Most likely a venous bleed. That's what they think. He also said, all the physical and emotional feelings are normal. The tight head, pain points, short circuits, neck aches, tender temples, dizziness (the worst), crazy sleep patterns, anxiety, etc... All Normal. Feeling like I am progressing forward and then "slam" rolling backward. He said I will plateau at times and feel like nothing is happening. Most importantly, do NOT compare yourself to who you were before because you are NOT who you were before. It is a life changing event and you will never be the same because of this. He and the nurse both said there is 3%, or less, of a chance this will happen again. But, I could also get hit by a car on the way out. Who knows. That's comforting. Another important fact, he and the nurse both stated, is that it will take 12 - 18 months to start feeling "really" good and for the weirdness to calm down. I believe that. He told me to stop reading all the information on the internet (I'm obsessed with finding information) and maybe should try therapy. Maybe I should. Instead of calling my type of bleed perimesencephalic he liked calling it Negative SAH. Of course that begs me to look up all the info I can find. All and all it was worth the trip. I have read most of what he told me, on this site, but sometimes you just need to hear it in person. Hope is helps some folks. I have ranted on longer than usual. iola

Hi Julie, Take the advice and call and make an appt to see whomever you need to see. When I was admitted they thought the same thing. Because of the pattern of the blood and the thunderclap headache they thought it was a ruptured aneurysm. One of the reasons they kept me in ICU to pay close attention to me and why I had a second and third angio. It is so very scary and I understand your concern. I wonder myself "why and where and how" all the time. Do yourself a huge favor and push to find the results of your tests. Write down your questions so you are armed with the information you need when you go in. That is what I am doing. I had questions after my last angio but, like you, I was kinda out of it so I rely on my husband to tell me and now I want to hear is first hand. Honestly, it will help your mental state, which I completely understand. I am right there with you. I have cried buckets and prayed for faith this will never happen again. It changes you. Call and make your appt and feel better about the outcome of your journey. iola

Hi, I had the same. A non aneurysmal SAH (NASAH). Unknown etiology. Cannot find the source of the bleed. I had CT, MRI/MRA and three angiograms. The 1st was when I entered to hospital and they found the bleed. Came up negative for a source. So I had to stay in ICU for 9 days until they did the second. The 2nd was 8 days later. The 3rd was 6 weeks after I went home. All negative. My third was done to ensure they did not miss anything. I was told I had a perimesencephalic SAH. How many angiograms did you have? You should talk to your doctor for peace of mind. I am going to see mine this Thurs and I am 6 months out. He is 5 hours away but I need to see him now that I am in a better frame of mind. iola

Hi Brent, Sorry this had to happen and happy you are here to post. Win is right, it will be a long haul but you are here and that's a blessing. Rest, rest, rest. Iola

I am sorry you had such a bad day and also for the passing of a loved one. I have thought the same thing and it breaks me down to tears thinking of leaving my family. You have survived a terrible ordeal and doing so well so soon. At night aways pray that tomorrow is one more day toward healing. I do hope you have a better day. Iola

Hi Susan, Don't rush anything. It is hard but time and rest are your friend. Each day comes with its challenges and rewards. God Bless. iola

Hi BigBlue, I had mine in Apr this year and started back part-time from home in Aug and then at the end of Sep I worked 4 days in one week and I suffered for it. On top of the weather coming in and working long hours I had a headache for 2 weeks, along with a case of the dizzies, and exhausted. Just today I feel semi normal. We do what we can physically do and it is frustrating. You are not useless just tired. There is a person I've known for years that has lived a life of "poor me and life is so unfair and what did I do to deserve this." Frankly, I am quite sick of hearing it. She cannot keep a job, lives off the kindness of others, gets up at noon, and wonders why she cannot get a break. The reason I tell this story that even though she COULD have so much she chooses to live life uselessly. You, and others on BTG, CHOOSE to be people of substance and work hard to get up in the morning and do the best we can. It takes character and courage to want to be better. Rest. Your strength will come back because you want it. Okay, off my soapbox. iola

Hi, Better late than never I guess. I don't have a magic potion, wish I did, but I do know getting in the shower every day and getting my self together helps a lot. I get very tired in the afternoons and by 8:00 I am done. I have a small one at home so homework, dinner, etc.. are a must. I also just started walking slowing on the treadmill. That seems to help too. Little things. iola

Hi Bev, Congrats on your wedding and in Greece! I am sure it was beautiful. I do hope this gamma knife surgery works out for you. I had to look it up to understand what it is and how it works. I will pray for your safe recovery. Honestly, I pray for all the BTG group. Your positive outlook is so refreshing. Today is my six month mark and I sure hope at a yr and I am as uplifting as you. Take care. iola

Wow. All so true and such good information. Thank you for sharing. iola

Thank you everyone. So much good information. I like knowing they cannot hurt me. I had not thought about that, but, you are right they cannot hurt me. I volunteered today to make dinner for a family going through hard times. That has put my mind in another place and helps. I've had anxiety attacks before but they have always been at home. This one just really shook me. Thanks again for responding. Puts my weary little brain at ease. Iola

Thank you Daff, It is scary and hard to manage. I was type A and had to please everyone and do it all. My daughter told me the other day she wished this never happened and I could do more. Makes me so sad. I am forced to slow down. I have to learn how to slow down and clear my mind. Maybe I'll try yoga again. I was not very good at it before, but, that was my fault. Iola

Hi, I just had the worst anxiety attack. It's been coming for the last two weeks. I've been going to my place of employment to work more these past two weeks and coming home vey tired. I have also been having more headaches than I normally do. I am coming up on my six month date and want so much to be better. I have read how we can do great in the beginning and then feel like nothing is happening or we are regressing somehow. I feel like that today. After working I came home and got my daughter off the bus and it just hit me. Started feeling nothing but dread. We went to dinner and sat outside at one of our favorite places on the water and I tried to be okay but I felt this pain across my head, which reminded me of that awful night, and started having hot flashes and butterflies in the pit of my stomach. I got dizzy and told my husband we had to go. My poor little girl. She is such a trooper. I got in the car and just cried. Could not even go into the store to pick up a few things. I have been having awful dreams lately and I must just be tired. I so wish the gloom and doom would go away or I could find a way to just accept what is. Very hard to do. Okay, I'm done. Thanks for letting me get that out. Iola

I have always had a sweet tooth and when I came home I did not want a thing to do with sweets. Not the case now. I have found my sweet tooth. I always like something sweet after I eat. If I restrict myself I just eat more in the end. Boy, I wish I had nice dreams like Win. Iola

Julie, When I came home from the hospital in April just about all my house plants were dead and my garden, that my husband tilled up for me about a week prior to my NASAH, was overgrown with grass and looked like part of the yard. What was amazing to me was a couple weeks later I was outside walking around and noticed this very large group of Impatiens had seeded itself and were starting to grow in my flowerbed. I could not believe it. I thanked God for seeding them for me. I also looked over in my planter and I had one beautiful purple petunia in bloom. My favorite color is purple and I thanked my mother (in heaven) for that. I do understand about the pain and I get afraid too. I am also six months and this morning I had pain directly across my head with pressure. I don't like it when that happens because it reminds me of the night mine happened. I, too, had the pain in the back of my head as well. It does get better as you get better. Just think of it, you have next year for your garden. Look for the small miracles that are surely there for you. "I"

Hi Catherine, Hope you are healing comfortably. It takes quite awhile. My experience has been that it is a slow recovery process. The questions you ask here are answered with heart. Iola