New member Doug

[Igodoh]

Hi all.  I am three weeks from my SAH.  Husband and I had gone out to dinner with friends and I got very nauseous and went outside for air.  I got very dizzy and the last thing I truly remember was reaching for the car door.  I must have fainted (they are not sure why) as I fell I broke my left fibula and fractured my skull on the pavement.  That caused a small volume bleed (dx was Sah).

 

Was in hospital three days and fortunately stopped bleeding and cleared on its own with no surgery. 
 

Besides the constant headaches and fatigue the main concern I have at the moment is anxiety and I had a panic attack.  While I had been treated for depression before, anxiety attacks are new.

 

I’m curious if anyone else found this happening after their sah?  Mine tend to be at night at or around dinner.  
 

Glad to find this group.

[Skippy]

Hi there

So sorry that this has happened, but welcome to the family.

 

Yes, anxiety used to grip me all the time after my SAH.  I couldn't be left alone for a good few months and the attacks would hit me from nowhere.  I could feel them coming but I was powerless to stop them.

 

I would imagine that yours are triggered around dinner time as you were out for dinner at the time.  I discussed my attacks with my GP and was referred for therapy.  Besides finding this forum, it was the best thing I ever did.  Talking everything over with an impartial stranger was amazing. Before I had the weight of the world on my shoulders and was suffering terribly from PTSD.  After? Wow!  I felt mentally better than I'd felt in years. It might be worth discussing this with your GP.

 

 

[Louise]

Hi there

 

Warm welcome to the site, glad that you found us...

 

Keep yourself well hydrated and try to rest and relax as much as you can...

I'll vouch for that talking it through with a councellor really, really helps...

 

Stay-safe.

[Swishy]

Hi,

 

I also found a therapist to be a great help.  I never have struggled with anxiety but did find myself to be fearful in certain situations, maybe could considered anxiety haha I don't really know.  

 

Coming here on the BTG site was and continues to be helpful for me and the therapist helped me by just letting me tell my story and I have embraced mindfulness (which is very helpful to me)...I also use visualization which again helps me.  My son, who is a mental health therapist, taught me about box breathing which I have used on occasion, just gets my mind to rest a bit.  

 

Your injury is so recent, the brain is slow to heal, different from any other injury.  Be extra kind and patient with yourself.  You also suffered physical injury which I can imagine is making it all more difficult.  

 

Welcome and so very happy you found this site, so many awesome people here.

 

xx

Jean

[SarahLS]

I definitely echo the advice here, after my SAH I got very anxious when on my own especially outside of the house despite not having had issues before. With support from my husband and some very good (and understanding) friends I conquered this mostly - although I can still feel anxiety building if I get a sharp headache when out on my own.

 

I had my SAH while at the dentist and when it came to my next appointment my anxiety really increased, almost to panic levels and it was at that point I saw my GP and got a referral to the local wellbeing service. Some sessions with a counsellor definitely helped the anxiety and PTSD.

 

I also found some of the advice and exercises on the charity MIND's website helped while I was waiting and in Norfolk the local Well-being Service also has lots of helpful resources which can be viewed by people outside of the county.

 

Be kind to yourself as you continue to recover

sarah