kim0811

Hi Tisha I only lost consciousness for about 4 hours when I had my SAH but I have no memory of about 10 days or so. From my earliest memories, I don't recall fear. I think I was in denial as I didn't really believe I'd been that poorly. Tiredness was a big thing for me, I just wanted to sleep. Even now, nearly 5 years on, I still get tired quickly. Then confusion sets in and I repeat myself. My family know when I'm tired as I sound like a broken record. Apparently I had a seizure in ICU, although I have no memory of it. I've not had one since. Tina will need time to recover and she's lucky to have such a caring sister to look after her. It is very much a 'one day at a time' process. Take care Kim

Hi You're not whining. Please never apologise for how you feel. Everyone needs to let off steam and share experiences and we can all draw strength from this site. I had my SAH in Oct 2004, it took me 18 months in total to get back to work and 'be myself'. I never thought it would happen, I'm still not sure it has totally. I was on my own when my SAH happened and my husband found me over 4 hours later, unconscious in the bathroom. I still have no memory of what happened that day. I had speech and physio therapy to help me in recovery and even now I still have moments of tiredness and confusion. For you, it's still early days and both of you will need support. Give him time. Stay strong. Kim

Hi Laura I guess what was missing from my earlier post was, don't lie. If they ask the question, tell them. If they don't, then don't. But be sure to tell them at interview stage. I do hope all works out for you. Kim XXX

Hi Laura I have changed jobs since my SAH. On my application form I did declare everything and, as Karen suggests, I really stressed the point that I'm better and was at no more risk of having another SAH. I reiterated this during the interview and talked about how I'd returned to work. I was (an still am) having yearly angiograms. Just after I started the job my angiogram result showed that I had a second aneurysm appearing although too small to coil. I informed HR of this immediately, they been really good about it. I guess I'm lucky in as much that I don't get lots of minor ailments needing odd days off work. Only a few people know the full details. My manager, HR and a few close colleagues. I've chosen not to tell everyone as I don't want to be viewed any differently or judged on my ability to take on new tasks. Good Luck Kim

Hi I get something really similar, no pain but a 'zipping' sensation across my head that seems to get worse as I get more tired. Some mornings when I wake up, it's really bad. Unrelated (I think) is an electric shock sensation across my forehead, usually when I'm startled. They say this is trigeminal neuralgia resulting from a damaged/compressed trigeminal nerve. I did start to take meds for it but they were the same as for epilepsy and they had strange side effects. I now just put up with it. Kim

Well Done, Neil. But please do listen to your body, I can still over do it and I'm over 4 years post SAH. Do you work local to Tadley? (All I know near Tadley is AWE)

Hi Caroline My SAH was Oct 04 and I still have a loss of feeling along my left cheekbone. I've never had it checked out though. Kim

Hi Phil and welcome to btg. As it's been said here already, 7 months isn't long and we all recover differently. I'm 4 and a half year post SAH and I still get tired and forgetful. Don't try to rush things and be patient with yourself. Take care. Kim

hi and welcome to btg. You'll certainly find lots of support here and I'm sure someone will be able to answer your questions. My SAH was over 4 years ago and I've made a lot of friends here. When was yours? Please tell us a bit more about yourself, it would be good to know your name. Kim

Hi The report makes interesting reading. I think I was in denial afer my SAH for two reasons. One being that I have absolutely no memory of the event itself or the 10 days afterwards. I still don't exactly know what happened that day minute by minute as I was alone when it happened and I was unconscious for about 4 hours. Also my husband still won't talk about it as he was the one who found me. And secondly, I found it hard to accept that I'd been so ill as I'd survived whereas my Dad, who had SAH 6 years earlier, had died. I had / still have emotional turmoil and fatigue. When fatigue hits me, the urge to sleep is overwhelming. Kim

Hi I cry all the time. Good news or bad, anything starts me off. I cry if I'm happy, I cry if I'm sad, I even cry for other people. It's definitely worse sine my SAH. One thing I have noticed though is that I get startled very easily and I'm always jumping. Yesterday at work I jumped and spilt water on my desk when my phone rang! I just can't seem to get it under control. Trouble is, when I jump I get like an electric shock shoot across my forehead which is annoying. Kim

Hi I'm the same as Aine. I used to drink only black coffee, and lots of it. The only time I drank tea was when I was pregnant. However since my SAH, I can't even think about drinking coffee. For me it's tea, tea, tea. Strong with just two teaspoons of skimmed milk. Mmmmmmmmmm, must just go and put the kettle on............ Kim

Hi Deborah Welcome to the site. I had my SAH 4 years ago on my 21st wedding anniversary. These things pick their moments! Looking forward to speaking to you more. Take care. Kim.

Hi Lauren I did reply to your Dad's post about your Mum. I really do hope she has a good recovery. Take care and best wishes. Kim XX

Hi Steve I had my SAH in 1 Oct 2004 and I have no memory for the first 10 days or so. I do know that my short term memory was poor for around a year or so. Even now I have bouts of being forgetful. I recall confusion, anger and a real fear of never being me again. Your wife, you, Loz and the rest of your family will face many challenges over the next few months but take her recovery a day at a time and don't try to rush things. Please let us know how she is getting on. Kim XX

Hi Angie Good to meet you. I share the thoughts of many here, which is for you not to do too much in these early days. You have a good positive attitude but do accept sometimes that you will need to rest. For me, keeping a daily diary was my biggest help as it let me see how far I'd come since the SAH, that way I wasn't too hard on myself if I couldn't manage something on a particular day. Along with my family, my 2 dogs also helped me. I'm an outdoor person, I love walking with or without the dogs (even if it is raining). I'd love to know more about your dogs and where you walk. Kim Kim

Hi Penny Welcome to BTG and thanks for your story. Although my SAH was also in 2004, I've only recently joined here. Everyone is so supportive of each other and I feel I have a whole new circle of friends who really understand what I've been through. I'm sure you'll feel the same. I love the motto too. Look forward to hearing more from you. Kim

Hi Kaantay and welcome. Sorry to hear about your Mum. I really hope things improve for you. Take care of yourself. Kim XX

Hi I was 42 when I had my SAH. It was coiled, platinum. I was left with a neck / stem. I don't know which artery as it looked pretty central on the scans. I have been left with trigeminal neuralgia since although I've declined meds for it. I also now have a second aneurysm. My Dad died of SAH in 1998, but I have no details. I am female, recently celebrated by 25th wedding anniversary to Kevin, who found me unconscious on that unfortunate day. Kim

Hi Joanne and welcome to BTG. I don't think I can add much more to the other comments but to stress that the recovery period is different for each person. Two months does seem a bit early, I went back to work part time after 6 months but it took me 15 months in total before I was full time with all the responsibilities I'd had before. Don't let anyone push you in going back to work. Wait until you feel it's right for you. Kim

Hi Donna, I do feel for you with your weight. I've gained 4 stone post SAH and I cannot focus on losing it. My GP commented on it last week when I went to see her for an unrelated problem. I now weigh over 13 stone. For my height (very short), it's not good and I've had my blood pressure pills increased. I do take exercise with walking but it's clearly not enough. I want to get back to pre-SAH weight but don't know how to start. Happy to PM if you wish, I could do with the incentive! Kim XXX

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome to BTG. Kim XX

Hi I've been a member of BTG for a few months now but only posted for the first time a couple of days back. I probably need to introduce myself. The start of my story goes back to 1998 when my Dad died. He had an SAH on 26 Feb 1998 and a second bleed on the 3 March 1998. Sadly he wasn't well enough to have a coiling, and he died on 4 March 1998. My SAH was on 1 October 2004. It was my 21st wedding anniversary and I had the day off work. I have no memory of the day itself or for around a week or so afterwards. Apparently, I had a phone conversation with my sister around 9am and told her I was going to have a bath. My husband came in from work at 1pm and found me unconscious in the bathroom. I was just starting to come round and managed to say that I had pains in my head. Because of my family history he guessed I'd also had an SAH. I still have a large ugly burn scar on my left arm where I lay against the radiator. My aneurysm was coiled although it still has a stem or neck to it. I also have another smaller aneurysm. After 4 years, I'm still having checks at the hospital. I'm also on meds for raised blood pressure. After 6 months I returned to work, but it was 15 months before I was full time again. I consider myself to be fully recovered with no effects, apart from a poor memory at times. That could be age though!! In 2007, I took voluntary redundancy from my job as, after 28 years, I felt I needed to prove I could do something else. I moved from financial services to education and thoroughly enjoy what I'm doing now. I am now also a qualified Project Manager. I look forward to contributing to this site. Kim