Southern Girl

I was on a spin bike at home. About 10 minutes into the ride I felt this incredible headache, but being an idiot, thought that if I kept on going the pain would ease off. It didn't, so I got off the bike, went to find my husband and get some pain meds. Not surprisingly the headache didn't go away. He kept on telling me we should call and ambulance, but I was still sure it would stop in time. I was convinced that it was just a bad migraine and I didn't want to waste anyone's time for nothing. It was when I got up off the sofa and felt what seemed like a rush of fluid down the back of my neck and across my shoulders that I realised that we should call an ambulance. A scan at the hospital revealed a significant bleed at the base of my brain. So much for exercise being good for you!!

It's interesting that you bring up the feeling of impending doom. I found that after my SAH (and to an extent even after 4 years), I had the constant worry that something bad was going to happen. This was usually to do with family members, particularly my teenage sons, but I worried about "bad" in all sorts of other areas too. Finances, the house, work. I was a bit of a worrier before the SAH, but generally had a positive attitude. After the SAH, things definitely changed. I would be interested to see if others have experienced this too.

Thank you all so much for your kind words. It really has been a huge comfort for me - just knowing that there are others out there is so reassuring. I am determined to stay positive and count my blessings each day!

I am so glad to have found this forum. I had my SAH 4 years ago and was fortunate to make a remarkable physical recovery. I've always been quite a serious runner, so I was in good shape beforehand and I think this helped me bounce back faster afterwards too. I was out running after 5 weeks and working part-time as well. Since the doctors had given me a clear bill of health, I thought I would be back to my normal self in no time. I wish that someone had prepared me for the enormous emotional turmoil that follows a SAH. It has been such a comfort to hear other people's stories on this forum because now I realize that I'm not the crazy woman that I sometimes appear to be. Sadly, I have had to go through 4 years of guilt and self-doubt and lack of support at home. I don't blame my family for not understanding (why would they since no one gave them advice either), but it has been very isolating. I have shown my husband this site, along with some of the stories I've read. I'm hoping that this will help him understand that I get overwhelmed for a reason and my ability to diffuse stress is not the same as it is for most people.