adam

Hi Sally I know exactly where you are coming from, albeit from another angle. Like all of us I had to stop driving after my event, unfortunately though I then went on to develop epilepsy, so I'm still not allowed to drive, seeing as my seizures aren't properly controlled it looks like it may be some time before I get my licence back. I do have a disabled bus pass (twirly pass.......Sorry mate, it's too early) you can't use it before 9.30am, I also get a disabled rail card....but unfortunately not the much more useful blue badge. Surrendering your driving licence has to be a very peronl decision, unless of course they take it off you. Ask yourself whether you are safe to drive, if you truly think you are, then make a report to the DVLA and go through a medical assesment. If you aren't sure, then think about how you would feel if something did go wrong. It's a horrible, almost demeaning thing giving up your driving licence and some of your independence, I won't pretend the bus pass makes up for it in any way, it just means the pain costs you less! But if you aren't 100% sure you are safe to drive, is it worth the risk. Sorry don't mean to preach, it's just that I know how you feel, I've done the soul searching and regret bit, unfortunately at the end of the day, I know I'm not safe to be let loose behind the wheel at the moment. Best wishes Adam

Anna I'm really sorry to hear that, if there is anything anyone can do to help, then just ask. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Adam x

Hi Anna My daughter was 20 when I had mine, and has never really spoken about how she felt. I've always thought that the whole situation is much harder for our loved ones who are standing by unable to do anything other than worry. If it would help to talk to someone your age who knows what you are going through, I will be happy to get Rebecca to contact you, I know Karen has already suggested the same with her daughter Lauren. Just remember, you're not alone, there are lots of us on here who will do whatever we can to help, all you need to do is ask. Best wishes Adam

I'm fine with "tame" films, though I find the noisy blockbusters hard to cope with. I thought I was the odd one out with 3D, I really can't cope with those, they send my head into over load, I can relate to Lin Lins comment there. I hope 3D doesn't become the standard, otherwise I'll have to wait for the DVD. Look on the bright side, the kids were trying to persuade us to get a 3D TV, that will save some money

Hi Traci I take daily propanalol and it does work for me. I resisted being prescribed it for some time as I wanted to avoid the neurotic/anxious label but my GP finally persuaded me that it's an adrenal imbalance that was causing the "fight or flight" response (hence the need for propanalol) and that this was a result of residual damage post SAH. I'm glad I did listen and now take them on a daily basis, since I started I've not suffered from any anxiety attacks. Hope they work for you Adam

Hi Karen You're not alone, you can now join the post SAH epilepsy club, it's even more exclusive than the SAH survivors club, admission is by invitation only...unfortunately it's not an invite you particularly wanted. I know it's a bit of a blow, it took me some time to come to terms with it, but you can and you will, mine is pretty much controlled now with anti seizure meds and to be honest I don't think I have any side effects. The only real downside is the fact that they won't give you your driving licence back, but look on the bright side, your other half is now officially the designated driver! If you need any advice or support or just have any questions about living with epilepsy I'm more than happy to share my experiences. Good luck and don't worry Adam

Hmmm I've been left with a stutter and aphasia after my SAH and several people have suggested "singing" the word I can't get out... Unfortunately they haven't heard my singing voice, well my mother has, she should know better! I'm the only person who ever got kicked out of the school choir, I've been told I sound like a strangled cat! On the whole I think it's kinder to inflict my stutter on them, than to sing.

Hi Rog Sounds like you're going through the mill a bit, I can't imagine what it must feel like being on the other side. I often think my wife had it harder than I did, after all I don't remember most of what happened until a month later.... Don't worry too much about her now, the hard part is over and done with and she's almost outside the Vasospasm period as well (4 to 21 days post event). She is probably still on 4 hourly Nimodipine to deal with that. She really is out of the woods now, all that remains is to slowly let her brain and body catch up. You both need to support each other, you both went through a very traumatic experience, you as a helpless bystander..though hopefully you were holding her hand; my wife tells me I nearly crushed her hand..she still complains about it. Look after yourselves, and if you need to talk to anyone talk to us we've been there, seen it and got the t shirt. There are also several members in the same boat as you, who watched their loved one go through it, as i said it must be very scary watching it from the outside. You should be aware that there has been a study by Newcastle (I think) University that linked SAH with post traumatic stress disorder, that just shows you're not alone. if you need help or support don't be scared to ask for it, from wherever you can get it from. Good luck and best wishes Adam

Hi Sandy Like everyone else I have to say I am amazed at your return to work, are you sure you're up to it and are not just pushing yourself. I remember someone posting "A message from your brain" on here some time ago, but couldn't find it, so apologies to whoever did post it, your worthy of a mention in dispatches. Anyway, read this, it did me good. http://mbia.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/a-message-from-your-brain-fact-sheet.pdf Like you I was very keen to get back to work post SAH, in fact the day I woke up after surgery I asked my wife to ring work to re-arrange an appointment with the internal auditors till later in the week...thankfully she ignored me. Two years later I'm still not back at work, the old grey matter doesn't work the way it used to and I'm just not good enough at my job anymore...difficult to accept, but worth it in the long run. Thankfully I have good benefits from work. What I want to say is please don't push yourself more than you feel able, pre SAH I used to think that everyone off sick should push themselves to get back, but a brain injury is different, the body may heal fairly quickly but the barin takes longer. Remember this quote I also saw on here. "I May look well from afar, but I'm far from well" Good luck, and welcome to BTG Adam

Hi Karen Smoked 20-30 a day since I was 16, though gave up 2 years pre SAH Suffered head aches pre SAH for many years (never far from a pack of Nurofen) High stress job, bit of a workaholic SIngle parent for 18 years teenage girls, doesn't get much more stressful than that. Was about to get married, had just moved up country from Reading and my boss was being a pain! Never had blood pressure checked so don't know about that. Had a fairly active life, though not a fitness freak With what I've learned post SAH, think I had a sentinel bleed 3 years before the main bleed, didn't go to the doctors, but I recognised the pain when it happened for real. Hope that helps, sometimes I wonder why it didn't "Blow" before TTFN Adam

Hi Rog There isn't much more i can say that hasn't already been said, welcome to BTG, you've found us very early on in the journey, hopefully that will help. The only bit of "advice" I would give is to talk to your wife, be aware that she will be having some pretty weird and worrying feelings, the type of thing a near death experience will give you. If she is anything like me, these things will take a long time to come to terms with, let her know that you understand these concerns and tell her what worries you. She may well have memory gaps, I lost about a month, and don't even remember getting married, much to my wifes annoyance! Remember you are at the begining of a long journey, it does get better, but don't worry she will have ups and downs, expect them and know that itr's just part of the journey. Good luck and stay with us, she's been through the worst, it will now start to get better. Good luck Adam

Hi Karen Age 41 Anterior Communicating Choroidal Artery Male Guggli whatsit coils, I think they said 11 of them. Ischaemic stroke whilst on table. used to smoke, gave up 2 years pre anni. fat lot of good it did me! Would love to know the results of this little survey TTFN

That's a familiar story, no after care, it seems as though the surgeons know how bad it could have been and just figure, well at least you're still alive, get on with it! I did so much research afterwards, I nearly scared myself to death, my sister who is a nurse got quite cross with me for looking stuff up all the time, mind you I think I know more about an SAH than my GP does now, I even know the names of the arteries in the brain..how sad is that. I'm amazed at you going back to work, I was in hospital a similar amount of time to you, but there was no way I was capable of doing anything vaguely useful at home, never mind at work, are you sure it is the right thing for you, don't be hard on yourself if it turns out it is too much for you, you've been through a major life changing trauma, and are lucky to be alive. I hope things do work out for you, listen to your wife, I've learnt that mine always knows best...or at least that's what I let her think Good luck and best wishes. If you need any advice or just a shoulder to cry on, I found BTG was far better than anything available elsewhere, use us, moan at us, whatever it takes, we've all done it, it did me good, I don't drop in very often nowadays, but when I do it's good to see the support network is still there. TTFN Adam

Hi Jo You will find lots of good advice here on how to claim benefits, please do use it, we've all been through it. Headway were very helpful for me, I ended up with DLA (Disability Living Allowance) and ESA (Employment Support Allowance) despite the fact my wife works and I get sick pay, the ESA is only for 28 weeks for me as it is contributory based, not income based. You should also look at what benefits you are entitled to under your contract of insurance, have you been paid your full sick pay entitlement, both contractual and SSP? Do you have any critical illness insurance or any other form of insurance against illness of accident? Also you should check whether you have any PPI (payment protection insurance), it gets slated because it was mis-sold, but it is this very event it is designed for. You might not even know you have it, check with any credit cards or loans you have, is there an insurance premium included, or was it added on when you took out the loan, your mortgage may even have PPI behind it. I won't pretend financially it can be difficult, but do ensure you claim whatever you can from your employer and any insurer you have paid a premium to. The other thing you should consider is holiday pay from your employer, I know it's a bit of an anathema as you will have been off sick, but a recent ECJ ruling confirms you still accrue holiday pay whilst off sick. If you need any specific advice on any of this please do PM me, I've done quite a lot of research since my SAH and have learnt a lot about how we can look after ourselves. Good luck and dont worry, as everyone keeps reminding us, at least we are still alive:razz:

Hi All, Some of you who were lucky enough to have critical illness insurance will hopefully already have claimed on that insurance. You may also be able to claim on a personal accident policy, you may have bought it yourself, or it may be one of your employment benefits like mine is. The upshot is that dependent on the policy wording of your own particular insurer, you may well be able to claim against it in respect of your SAH. The important point is that the haemorrhage is spontaneous, and causes physical damage (ie burst artery), these points allow you to describe it as accidental injury rather than illness. This is not true with all insurers, some of them have cottoned on and incorporated exlcusions into the policy wording, examples are "excluding injury attributable to Cerebral vascular accident", this catergorically takes it out, another exclusion which may still allow wiggle room is "excluding natural causes". Not all insurers have these exclusions, from my research I would estimate that somewhere in the region of 30% of them don't have the exclusions and as such should be open for a claim. Don't expect an easy ride, they will fight it, however without a suitable exclusion, you should be able to succesfully make a claim. Do please give look out your policy, I am proceeding with mine, the claim should be worth 3 times annual salary, so it's worth a fair bit of effort on your part. If anyone needs any specific advise I am happy to help. Regards Adam PS, I've spent 25 years working in insurance, at least the tedium has finally paid off

Hi Jimbo I'm nearly 2 years post annie now and like you, have weird sensations in my head, I've had the cold water thing and the tingling as though I've got ants running round in my skull! My GP tells me it's nothing to worry about, all part of the weird and wonderful stuff that happens in SAH survivors heads. If it's worrying you,then I would go and see your GP, mine has always been very understanding about odd sensations and the like,But if like me they are just a bit of an annoyance and one of the qurks that make up life post SAH, then I wouldn't worry about them. My GP has always said "don't worry, you'll know if anything nasty happens up there, you will recognise the pain and won't be in any doubt if anything untoward is going on" Hope you get some comfort whatever you decide to do

Hi Kath What more can I say that hasn't already been said. All the nurses in Neuro ICU do a wonderful job and we never get a chance to say how grateful we are. It's not just the surgeons who fix us that make us better, it's the dedicated nurses who are there for us in our hour of need, without you and your colleagues I'm sure many of us would not be here. Thankyou to you and your wonderful colleagues

Unfortunately you can't part exchange them! My wife says she's going to have me cremated so she can sell the scrap! You know how it is, if you can't laugh..what's the point. Glad it all went well, good luck and remember don't push yourself...it's not worth it

Hi Mark You'll be please to know that I can help on this one. Generally speaking most critical illness policies include a stroke as a triggering event, you would need to check the policy wording to be sure, however if it is with a reasonable insurer I would go so far as saying I would be very surprised if it didn't. In the event that it isn't included, brain damage will be, if this is the case, then it is simply a matter of asking your neuro surgeon to confirm residual brain damage...which let's face it we all have! Incidentally I had critical illness cover and mine paid out! If you need any help, please don't hesitate to ask, I spent many years working for an insurance company, indeed they still employ me though they wont let me go to work! As such I know how to read and interpret policy wordings if required. Hope this helps, and I hope Annette is concentrating oin recovering and leaving this stuff to you Best of luck Adam

Hi all, I'm probably worrying about nothing again, I do seem to make a habit of that nowadays, but does anyone else suffer with nosebleeds since the event? (probably 2 or 3 a week) They have only started fairly recently, but I can't help thinking that the haemorrhage was caused by a burst blood vessel, a nose bleed is also caused by a burst blood vessel, is there a connection? Just a thought, I wondered if anyone else suffers from nosebleeds, or does any one know of any research that confirms a correlation or refutes one. I really don't want to bother my GP for something that is probably nothing. Any info would be good Thanks Adam

Hi That's wonderful news, you're now onto the next step in your recovery. Keep up this pace of recovery and pretty soon you'll be back to your old self! Good luck, hope it goes well Adam x

Hi Kelley Wow what an essay, and what a way to remember your works Christmas party..at least they know you're not swinging the lead Seriously though, it sounds like you had a really traumatic time before getting a diagnosis, I was very lucky in that my GP guessed after my wife had called for an emergency appointment, he called back within 10 mins, asked to see me and within an hour I was in City hospital for a CT angiogram....no spinal taps for me! Anyway, what I'm trying to say, is don 't try and minimise what you have been through, you had a really tough time prior to diagnosis, at least now you know you are on your way to recovery. I wish you well, use this site as much as you need to, I've found it a God send, whenever people at home don't undertstand how I'm feeling, there is always someone here who can help...and often more importantly let you know that you are not alone! Welcome to the big and happy family Take Care Adam x

Hi Kelley Another warm welcome, I look forward to hearing your story, I found it very cathartic writing mine. I can't recommend counselling enough, I was finally referrred by my GP after 9 months only to be told there was at least a 6 month waiting list, I ended up paying myself as the company medical insurance wouldn't "cough up" apparently I had to be referred by a consultant pyschiatrist and even then it would probably be excluded. Skinflints, it's not as though they had to pay for the initial treatment, you'd think they would give us a break for saving them a fortune Seriously though try and get some counselling, before this I always thought I was indestructible and that counselling was for "wimps"...how wrong ius it possible for someone to be??? Good luck and welcome to the family x

Hi Kelley I'll just join in with everyone else and say that weird sensations seem to be a common occurrence, they certainly happened to me and the GP seems totally clueless about what they are!! I think most of us victims gradually become more knowledgeable about the after effects of SAH than the average GP, mine seems to be have learning with me as we go along! Don't be alarmed, the weird sensations do seem to pass in time, or at least significantly reduce in frequency, I won't claim I never get them now, but at least they are a lot less frequent. As for the weather, well I used to complain when I lived in Wokingham that we never got any decent snow down there (I'm a northerner) now you seem to have it all and we've got a measly covering, not even enough to go sledging on

Hi Debbie Rest easy, you are not alone. I find the loss of independence the hardest thing to deal with, along with the fact that I look well physically, but still have lots of brain related issues. One quote I heard which is very descriptive is "I may look well from afar...but I'm far from well" As for not driving, well you do get used to it, I've still not got my driving licence back, though I'm unusual as I developed post SAH epilepsy, look on the bright side, all that walking is good for you One piece of advice is to make sure you apply for a free bus pass and disabled rail card, the fact you have had your driving licence withdrawn entitles you to them, It's a god send to me, means I can get the bus to the local market town, at least I'm not so isolated waiting fro my wife to get home from work. Please don't be too hard on yourself, I was always fiercely independent, I still am when I can be, you really do just have to try and accept that people want to look after you, you have been very unwell and still have a long way to go. Use this time toi get a head start on your recovery, encourage them to read this forum, as despite good intentions, family members don't always understand how you, and others like you feel. Oops, I've gone off on a tangent again, you know what they say about "Idle hands"...must get back to my housework chores! Take care Adam