Super Mario

Another thhig is I can now drink red wine by the gallon. Prior to SAH it used to give me a blinding headache with just one sip. Don`t know whether that is a good or bad thing.

Everything I ate tasted foul except for smoked fish salad and mushrooms. Tea was dreadful so I drank coffee. Was like that for months but eventually my taste did come back.

Thanks for that Karen, although it is no longer relevant to me it should be useful for others. I also know of another couple of forums that are good for benefit advice, one of them very good but a membership fee is payable for full facts and help on that particular one. It is always advisable to get professional help in filling in these forms, do not go to DWP or JC+, they will do you no favours. Try the Welfare Rights Dept at your local or county council as a first choice and failing that the CAB. A trained Welfare Rights officer will know the correct way to explain things as key words and phrases are looked for by the Decision Makers.

Karen, it is good that someone is going to take your issues to PALS for you. You have enough on your plate without having to contend with complaining as well. I hope that Jimmy's care will improve and those responsible for the neglect will be taken to book. Keep your chin up, Jimmy is improving, albeit in baby steps, but that is how it goes. May the improvements continue.

Like Louise I have no memories of hospital or for a few following months. I find that hard to come to terms with as I have "lost" several months of my life. I sometimes, but not often now, 8 years on, get flashbacks of when my head exploded initially, the paramedic arriving and inserting a canula and me vomiting. That is all the memory I have of the event, everything else is a blank. Originally I had regular flashbacks of all I could remember but now they have diminished.

Karen contact PALS for the hospital area as a matter of urgency, this cannot be allowed to go on. They will help you complain or even do it for you and get some answers. http://www.pals.nhs.uk/ The one time I used them I found them to be very good.

I often used to have ginger ale after it had gone flat, the sort that you buy for mixers.

I used to have ginger in all forms, drinks, biscuits etc that really seemed to help settle the nausea.

I have a neck left on my aneurysm and when I asked about it I was told that is was of no concern because my burst was at the top of the berry. I have had no follow-up scans or anything other than the first angio check. Only very rarely do I think about it and certainly never worry, life is too short for that.

I think you should be able to get pads on prescription but don't know about wipes. Contact your GP or his District Nurse who will be able to advice you. Headway is a Brain Injury Association and very good for support. Jimmy will have an aquired brain injury. https://www.headway.org.uk/home.aspx You may also have a Stroke Support Group locally who will be able to help. Ask at the hospital or Social Services.

American site only, UK site is payable.

Sadly I was never able to go back to work and am now of retiring age so that is irrevalent. I actually, eventually, made a new life for myself doing only things I wanted to do in the voluntary sector plus all the travelling I can afford. I now still do lots of voluntary work, the beauty of it is I can pick and choose what I do and when I do it. What can you do? You will find something that you are capable of by trial and error, why not start in the voluntary sector as I did.

Is the piping not under your skin draining to your abdomen? I wear my hair extremely short as you can see in my avator and there is a lump on the back of my head but folk say it is not noticable unless I point it out. The one thing that is noticable is the burr hole just above my hairline at the front where there was a temporary drain. I only wear hats when it is cold or hot and the metal in the shunt seems to burn through my brain.

I call mine "my brain drain" as I am sure a few cells are being lost through it daily. Mine, apparently was set several times whilst in hospital but I can't remember that as I was totally out of it. I have had no problems with it at all in the last 8 years. Once they have got the setting correct it will make a huge difference. I think it is just trial and error until the correct setting for you is found.

"What do you want from life?" In one respect the SAH did me a favour, that is how I look at it. It got me medical retirement with my pension enhanced from a job that I loved but in an enviroment that was steadily getting worse and I know that in future years I would have hated being in my place of work and I was too old to get another position plus I had my pension to think of. The SAH taught me a hard lesson, there is more to life than work, work, work and more work with little time for leisure. I now want from life to be able to live it to the full, doing what I want to do, when I want to do it and enjoying it. That is why now, at my own choosing, I do plenty of voluntary work which I thoroughly enjoy and travel lots visiting all the places I have wanted to see for years. Sadly because of the disability that the SAH left me with means that often I can't investigate these places as fully as I would have in the past, but at least I get there and see what I can manage. I do realise that not everyone can afford to be in my position and that my life may seem like a dream to them. I have turned the negative into a positive.

As a stop gap and to get away why don't you book a break in this country. Not the same as hot weather, sun sea and sand I know but a break all the same. TBH I don't think you will forget about it at home or abroad but a break would probably do you good.

First of all welcome to BTG, there is a mine of information on this site. Hi, whether you will be able to go really depends on whether you can get travel insurance and medical OK. I suspect you will have to pay a hefty premium plus there will be a very large excess. The airline may also want a fit to travel letter from your doctor. To travel within Europe may be easier to get insurance for. Before you actually book check out if you can get appropriate insurance as it would be extremely foolish under any circumstances to go anywhere without it. As for the coil, as far as I am aware it doesn't show up but I may be wrong, I have travelled many times over the last 8 years and never really thought about that. As for the risk in your situation you really need to take medical advice. I, for one, would not risk travelling abroad until the problem is sorted, ie possibly more coils inserted. That is just how I would feel and is in no way medical advice.

It wasn't at first and I do admit it still gets to me sometimes. My sister is very selfish and all she thinks about is me, me, me and money. She can't talk about anything other than work and how good she is and listening to her you would think the firm would fall down without her. We are talking about a very large supermarket chain here. The consolation is I have a wonderful husband, daughter and son, why do I need her?

Take no notice, it is just ignorance on their part. Do not let it get to you. I had a similar thing from my sister of all people. She said to me "I'm glad it didn't happen to me and that it was you" and laughed. She finds it hilarious that I have to use a frame to walk with because of my balance issues. Needless to say I have very little to do with her now, only when it is unavoidable.

It is called Terson's Syndrome and the debris is actually in the back of the eye. Info here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terson_syndrome and http://www.sarawakeyecare.com/Atlasofophthalmology/posteriorsegment/posteriorsegmentpictur5tersonsyndrome.htm and this is what they can do http://www.sight2020.co.uk/surgery/vitrectomy-for-floaters Please don't count your chickens and worry about it. Mine was done under a local and I was out the next day, totally painless and it did give me back my sight. If you have to have that done there really is nothing to worry about.

Bev, the floaters you have could be debris left after the blood cleared if it forced its way into your eye. At least you are getting the problem looked at and not just being left to get on with it. In my case there was debris left in one of my eyes after the blood that had forced its way down my optic nerve had cleared causing near blindness in that eye. He could just be checking that you have been left with no debris there. That can be cleared if that is the case. This is just speculation and until you go to the eye clinic and ask why you are there you cannot be sure.

Ask to be referred to an Eye Clinic about your eyes, there may be something that can be done that only an expert knows about. Not all docs know everything.

GG, I have a shunt fitted and have no problems whatsoever. The differance could be that I am an adult and he is a child. May it be prudent to ask the question on a hydrocephalus forum that pertains to children.

Fantastic news, may your wife make an excellent recovery. Her mind will be at rest now. I too have platinum coils, I wonder how much we will all be worth if we were to weigh them in?

I get no medication for it, was told brain damage is brain damage and if there has been no improvement over the last 8 years then that is it. I am not permitted to drive because of the severe dizziness so i did lose a lot of my independance. I manage it now the best I can and whatever way I can by trying not to do things that make it even worse. In spite of these symptoms I try to live my life to the full to the best of my ability and as many of you know I am working down my want to see list so I travel abroad many times.