Hi
I am a new member to this group having suffered a SAH on 10 Jan 2014. I have just turned 38 and in good health.
It was 11.30pmon a Friday evening when my SAH occurred. I switched the light off to go to bed when I had a shooting pain go up the back of my neck and around to the front of my head. I had never experienced pain in my head and neck this bad before. I don’t suffer from migraines so thought this was maybe one. I also felt like I wanted to vomit but it hurt too much sending a shiver sensation down my spine when I tried to be sick. After an hour and a half I said to my partner that I needed to go to the hospital as something was wrong. I had thought of calling an ambulance but could not wait any longer as the pain was so bad.
The hospital staff were brilliant and I was lucky that when I arrive there was not a single person waiting in the emergency waiting room…very usual for 1.00am on a Friday evening / Saturday morning.
After a CT scan I was told I had bleeding on the brain – SAH. I was told that my bleed was a grade 1 (out of 5 grades) which was the best type of bleed to have. I spent 6 days in ICU and during this time I had a MRI and two angiograms. The doctors could not find an aneurysm. The Radiologist did tell me though that I did have a fairly high amount of blood with the bleed.
I stayed in hospital for 10 days (initially the doctors said 3 weeks). I took medication to prevent vasospasms every four hours (which I continued at home) for a period of 3 weeks.
I am still recovering at home (this week being the 8th week since it happened). I get tired and cannot do a lot but I have been lucky as I don’t get many headaches across my forehead but do have pain in my head on the top to the left and also at the back of my head. I find the pain occurs if I do too much during the day or have been walking. My main concern at the moment is my balance. I am only able to walk around for a short period of time because the whole time I feel like I am going to fall over. It is not a nice feeling and when I am out of the house and having to navigate around people and take in surrounding noise and activity I really struggle, so don’t like leaving the house.
I have a follow up CT scan on 7 March and seeing my neurosurgeon on 11 March.
Just wondering if others have experienced the balance issues. I imagine that they will get better but it is something that is going to take time.
I feel I was very very lucky that my SAH had not been worse and am grateful to the doctors and nurses at the hospital.
Best wishes
Simone
