Ian53

Ha ha, I wonder why they say everyone from Liverpool is a comedian?!? Now I remember (!!), in my first six months of post-SAH recovery, I did a lot of reading and started walking down to use the local library regularly. On more than one occasion, I'd pick an interesting thriller from the Newly Returned section and then find when I arrived home and started reading it that it was one of the books I'd just returned that day! I've always blamed this on the effects of the SAH rather than early senility ... but sometimes I'm not so sure .... :lol: It does get better in time though.

Hi Donna Yes what you're saying makes total sense. Over 4 years on from the SAH, I still experience similar problems. I can finish reading a book then by the next morning can't remember how it ended! Sometimes I have to ask my partner the same question several times because the answer doesn't seem to stick in my brain. I also have days when I can't remember the names of particular friends or neighbours, yet the next day I have no such problem. In other respects my memory and concentration is still very good, so it all seems very random. I've just learned to live with it and make a joke of my occasional memory failings .... I find that trying too hard to remember something just makes your brain 'stall' and becomes very frustrating! Ian

Hi there yourself! The Walton Centre is probably one of the best in the country and I'm sure they wouldn't discharge your partner if they considered there was a likelihood of further recurrence. Statistically the greatest risk is not surviving the initial SAH. Now your partner's successfully come through the op, hopefully the recovery will be plain sailing. Obviously everyone is different, but I found the hardest parts to be the initial 'panic attacks' when I thought every bad headache was another SAH about to happen, and also just getting used to the changes in memory, concentration and energy levels .... but I learned to take it easy and not worry, which probably helps on the road to recovery. I think there are some good leaflets about post-op recovery on other sites, such as the Brain & Spine Foundation. They're usually also available at reception at the Walton Centre. Good luck to you both Ian

Hi Victoria As others have said, you're doing really well to get to this stage after only a month. A month after my op, I was still lying semi-comatose and unresponsive in hospital! Don't be rushing back to work unless you have to. After the initial buzz of being back with your friends, you may start to find difficulty in doing everything you used to do and that can be frustrating at this stage. Take some time for your body and brain to recover from the trauma they've been through. My enforced break from work enabled me, for the first time in my life, to appreciate and enjoy the art of relaxation! I'd be surprised if you don't receive some follow-up aftercare - as it's only been a month or so, perhaps your appointment letter will come later. I'd thought that follow-up checks were standard to ensure that the aneurysm repair was secure. I had 9 coils inserted to seal my aneurysm and, following discharge from hospital, I had repeat MRI scans at approx 6, 12 and 18 months, each followed by an appointment with the neuro consultant to confirm that all seemed OK. Last consultation was January 2009, but I'm due a final scan in summer 2012, five years after the event, before being "signed off". I somehow assumed that this sort of aftercare would be standard procedure throughout the country ... but maybe not !! In the meantime, take it easy and make the most of the sunshine! Ian x

Hi SarahLou It's comforting to know that so many of us share the same sort of post-SAH problems, even if "the outside world" (including, in my case, the GPs) doesn't understand! As a result of the local government cutbacks, I actually finished work a few months ago after getting an early retirement offer. Though the finances are tight and I miss the company of my workmates, I'm loving the fact that my brain seems to cope much better without the stresses of work and so I don't have to "Control-Alt-Delete" my brain cells quite so often now! The only trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off, lol. Ian xx

Great post! I can so relate to all the comments made here. When I had my SAH, I was 54 but was still more active and energetic than most people at work who were half my age. I also had a tremendous memory and was known as someone who could recall precise details of cases, names and addresses, etc dealt with over the past thirty years. Returned to full time work 7 months after the SAH and started to encounter random problems with short term memory, particularly when trying to manage several different cases or investigations at the same time. Every now and then my brain would appear to stall, like a duff computer …. and I’d find myself sitting at the keyboard or standing by a filing cabinet, trying to remember what I was about to do. The harder you’d try to retrieve the ‘lost’ information from the recesses of your brain, the more painful and frustrating it would become. When I tried to explain the feeling to colleagues, I’d often get the flippant (and annoying) reply that they too were getting more forgetful as they became older. I’d try to explain that there was a difference and that, rather than just being forgetful, I usually knew that information was in my brain but that I couldn’t quite grasp or retrieve it. Eventually I too gave up trying to explain to people and just adopted the “I’m fine thanks” approach. The one advantage of having had an SAH is, I think, that I’m now more laid back about things and have a better sense of priorities ….. so I don’t really care anymore if others don’t fully understand the memory and fatigue effects of the often slow recovery from an SAH !!! Good luck to everyone! Ian xx

Hi there Yes, I am four years on from the SAH and I still get severe long lasting headaches once or twice per week on average. At their worst, they can get a bit scary, especially as I live alone ... but they always go by the next day once I finally manage to get a good sleep. If there is any pattern, it seems to be that the worst headaches come after a period of insufficient sleep ... whereas before the SAH, I'd happily existed for 50+ years on 4-5 hours sleep per night, now I seem to benefit for sleeping longer. When I had my final 18 month checkup at the neuro clinic, the consultant indicated that it was quite normal to experience severe headaches and just said that "in time you'll eventually find you have more days in the week free of headaches" .... certainly the frequency of the headaches has very gradually declined over the last year or so. Hope your GP can be of help - mine are fairly useless - normal reaction is "I don't know much about SAH - when's your next appointment at the neuro clinic?" .... then again, these were the GPs who misdiagnosed my aneurysm as an inner ear infection for 4 months before I finally suffered the haemorrhage!!

My first ever post on here .... though I have been dipping into the site for a couple of years and have found it so useful as a source of information and for realising others are going through similar post-op problems. A belated Merry Christmas to all who contribute to this site and all best wishes for 2011. Ian