Skippy

Hi Joanna Not sure how it would work in Japan, I work in a school in England and all of our teaching staff are on site from 8.00am to 4.00pm with one afternoon a week off for PPA (Planning etc). As for the person who thinks you look fine - I remember someone once saying "I look well from afar but I am far from well". The only way to explain to this idiot is by telling them your brain has had a heart attack - it worked for me when I had to tell people. Good luck with returning work full time and if it gets too much it might be worth having a word with the Principal there.

Hi Chris You sound like an angel child hun - it is very difficult to see your parent in a situation where you feel helpless, but you sound like you're doing a great job. Like the others have said, plenty of fluids does help enormously with the headaches but they do take a while calm down after an SAH - it was a good three to four months before mine calmed down. Make sure she rests and doesn't try to do too much - let her know that its ok to let others look after her for a change - that was the hardest thing for me - letting go and letting others help without feeling like I was a burden. If you get worried to the point where you don't know what to do, then feel free to call the GP - its what they're paid for. At this stage of her recovery sleep is the best thing - its the only time the brain can really rest - like most of us on here, all I did for a good few months after was sleep. Stay positive and cheerful and just let her know that everything is being taken care of and she needn't worry about a thing. When she feels up to it - get her to have a look at some of the stories on here - it certainly helps you to realise that what and how you're feeling is perfectly normal and common after a SAH. Take care hun

SarahLou Please don't feel ashamed or embarrassed hun - those looking at you and thinking you're drunk should be the ones who are ashamed. You've achieved soooo much - probably more than some people I know who haven't had a brain trauma!! You're an inspiration to Miss C and many of us on here!!

Hi hun Yes, its perfectly natural for you to feel anxious at the moment. We're not qualified to give you medical advice, but it may be that it's the blood is still dissipating back into your body from the bleed. I had headaches for a good year before they stopped. I was also told that it could take up to six months for the blood to be reabsorbed by the body. As for when do you ring for help - that is entirely up to you and given what had happened to you, no-one will blame you for calling even if it's a false alarm. I was told by my consultant and GP that if I ever got too scared by a headache to call for an ambulance straight away. If you're worried, see your GP and let them take it from there.

Hi Tinks Many moons ago when this site first started, we had a guy on here who's wife had basically become a bit of a sex maniac since her SAH. It was diagnosed that her inhibitors had been damaged by the bleed and she was totally unaware that her behaviour was not socially acceptable. My guess is that your Dad has a mild case of the same damage to his inhibitors - they're basically the parts of the brain that allow us to be embarrassed and mindful of others feelings etc. Find out from his consultant where the bleed was and if these inhibitors could have been affected. In the meantime, try to remember that he is still your Dad and he is the same person he has always been but his brain is a little addled at the moment. Hopefully, when the affects of the bleed settle he'll be virtually back to normal, but like I say, ask his consultant where the bleed was. You never know, they may be able to prescribe something to dull the inhibitors back to normal. Good luck and try to stay as positive as you can - we're all here for you.

Hi Glyn Fellow Nottingham-ite here too - Rise Park!! Misdiagnosis never fails to annoy the hell out of me. Maybe its about time the paramedic were given more training into identifying SAH's instead of putting everything down to a migraine!!

Hi Glyn Welcome to the site and to the family. Could you tell us a bit more about yourself - it helps us if we know your age occupation and lifestyle etc - its also because we're incredibly nosey

Hi Chloe I agree with Wem re the rebound headaches - I was rushed back into hospital 3 weeks later with horrendous pain and couldn't lift my head - turned out it was caused by the Codeine rather than the paracetamol - they tried me on Tramadol which made the whole experience even worse. I don't advise you to do what I did, but I discharged myself and stopped taking anything but paracetamol - the headaches disappeared virtually overnight. Please speak to your GP about reducing your codeine meds - its an opium based drug (as is Tramadol) and a nurse friend of mine was shocked that it had been prescribed to someone who had suffered a brain injury anyway!!! Make sure you're keeping your water intake up too - about 2 -3 litres throughout the day - to help the brain stay hydrated and aid healing.

Win that's fantastic hun - really happy for you - you're "Walking back to happiness oh la oh yeah yeah" sorry, couldn't resist

Just to let you know ladies that the three month mark is usually when the emotional impact hits and is sometimes called PTSD = Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I suffered from it and like you all I cried at the drop of a hat - sometimes it didn't even have to drop. Don't fight the crying - let it flow - it actually eased the feelings for me. Definitely get counselling - it helped me no end and that along with BTG definitely saved my life. Counselling will help you deal with anxiety and also help you realise that your feelings are perfectly normal given what has happened and that you have nothing to feel guilty about (surprisingly this will be part of the reason you're crying even if you don't realise it yet!) Counselling is definitely the way forward and in the meantime - we're all here for you. Sending you all much love and lots of sympathy.

Hi Lauren Welcome to the site and to the family. Anxiety is very common and only to be expected, so don't beat yourself up about that. The only advice I can give is that even the smallest step is an achievement. Try just walking to the end of the street at first and then, as you feel more confident, try to walk a little further each day. I also used to confuse anticipation and excitement with anxiety (sometime still do it now). Sit down, ask yourself realistically what is the worse that could happen and then go for it - like I said earlier - little steps are just as rewarding as huge leaps. You will get there eventually and it does get better for most (I can't promise as we're not all the same). We're all here to support and encourage you every step of the way - good luck.

Hi Stuart A very warm welcome to the site and the family. You will find a wealth of knowledge, experience and understanding on here. So glad that you found us - but very sorry that you had to. You're early in your recovery and there may be a few hurdles that you come across, but rest assured that you will never be short of support or encouragement here. Take it easy and make sure you're drinking plenty of water at this time in your recovery. Listen to your body too, it'll tell you when you need to rest up. Look forward to chatting more and learning more about your experience.

Zoe, so very very sorry for you and your family. Sending you all much love and many prayers.

Dear zoe thoughts and prayers with you all xxxx

Hi Emma I'm coiled and luckily I was taken straight to hospital and treated within twelve hours (9 coils to two aneurysms). Firstly, you must rest as much as you can and sleep when your body tells you that you need to. Plenty of water is essential for keeping the brain hydrated so that it can repair. I was told to compare it to breaking leg and multiplying it by 6 in terms of minimum recovery (a leg is in a cast for 6 weeks x 6 = 36 weeks). I had to declare to insurance and DVLA as mentioned above but, again, luckily for me I was able to drive again in 3 months - I have had no lasting effects from the SAH. Give yourself time to heal, its very early for you yet.

Hey Hun Unfortunately the "specialists" aren't the ones recovering - I'm seven years in now and it took a good year for me to even start to feel remotely normal again. You recover at your own pace hun not that dictated by someone with letters after their name who have never gone through what they apparently specialise in Bottled water next to is also a good way of keeping track of how much you drink - 2 - 3 litres a day but throughout the day not in a couple of hours,

Hi Chloe I'm sure that this has been said to you before - but make sure that you drink plenty of water - keeping hydrated helps the brain to cope and to heal. Take it easy hun - you're very early in your recovery.

Hi Kate I had to take nimodipine for 21 days after my SAH. I didn't experience and worse headaches than I was already suffering from. The worst headaches I got was from taking codeine as I ended up with an analgesic headache. Plenty of rest and drinking plenty of water should help. You're very early in your recovery so headaches are to be expected. Don't try to do too much too soon and listen to your body - it will tell you when to stop and rest. Take care

Congratulations hun -you've done fantastically well.

Hi Julie Welcome to the site and the family. So very sorry that this has happened to you, but you have done the hardest part - you survived. It is a very scary thing to happen, especially when you don't know what's happened. I too was answering questions, even though I don't remember being asked them and certainly don't remember answering. I even took an earring out that no one else could do - don't remember that either. Feel free to ask any questions on here - there's bound to be someone who can relate or has experienced the same thing. Take it easy, get plenty of rest and drink lots of water - it really does help with the brain repairing itself.

Hi there Welcome to the site and to the family. The most important thing right now is that you get plenty of rest, drink plenty of water and don't overdo things. Think of it as a broken leg in plaster - it needs rest to heal. There's always someone about to answer questions or share their experience - believe me a lot of what you are feeling is very common and therefore quite normal. Take care hun

Hey Hun For me it was 18 months between my follow up and my final scan, before being discharged - I'm coiled too, but have only ever been scanned 3 times including initial emergency scan - and that's the only time I've had an angiogram.

Hey there Ask away hun - there's bound to be someone on here who can answer or put your mind at rest. Were you treated at Derriford? I was on holiday in Devon when I had my SAH and was taken to Barnstaple and then rushed to Derriford. I have to say, the care I got there was second to none - it was fantastic. Glad you found us and I hope that you get all you need from this site - there are some amazing people here.

Hey there I'd had an epidural but that was 9 years prior to my SAH so whether they're related or not I really couldn't say. But if epidurals cause SAH's does that mean that everyone who has had an epidural should have had an SAH or that all SAH sufferers would have had an epidural???

Hey ladies Well done to you both. Little baby steps make big achievements. Rome wasn't built in a day remember lol. Proud of you both.