Plateaus?

[Noahinvt]

Hello - hope you are all well! I am approaching four months into recovery, and the results, while good for the first month, are now reaching a type of backslide. I have not had any noticable improvements for the last month or so, and I am a bit discouraged. My question is for those who have a had a bit more time to recover. How did the recovery go? Timeframe? Any stories, information, or results you can share would be most appreciated! For the time being, I'm going to keep smiling!

Cheers,

Noah

[charty]

Hi Noah

I'm 17mths post SAH, the first 6 mths were a bit hazy, I went back to work then took early retirement with mixed emotions. someone said on here that the first year was recovery, the second adapting and the third back to normalish! and I think that is how it has been for me - am looking forward to being normalish!! again

Caroline

[Karen]

Hi Noah,

Definite peaks and troughs in my own recovery, which has been slow. Think that in the first year, I certainly had more troughs. The 2nd year seemed to be one of adapting and to be honest, I felt as though I had more recovery in the third year.

I know that you're probably fed up with hearing this, but 4 months into recovery is still early days and try not to gauge how you are now, as to what the rest of your recovery is going to be like. Believe you me, I'm 4 years post SAH and still experiencing a decent amount of recovery, which I never thought was going to happen.... but yes, try to keep positive, sometimes improvements happen so slowly, that they're barely noticeable, until many months later.

Wishing you well .... xx

[Liz D]

Hi Noah

I'm now nearly one year post SAH. I was told that recovery could take two years and that it will ongoing. I remember 4 months post SAH feeling great and thinking that I would be back at work end of July '09! Then my blood pressure went up and this caused a bit of set back. It was December '09 before I went back to work. I got quite low back in June. My GP had a good way of putting it. I wasn't to look at it as forwards and backwards, that's negative. I was to see it as ups and downs. Througout recovery I would have ups and downs. Ups were the really good days when I was able to take on more and progress. Because I was able do more I would get more tired. Down days were rest days and rest days were getting getter days. So when I have times that I'm not doing as much as I was, then I rest because I know that things are still progressing and that when my brain/body has had enough rest, then I'll be back up again.

I think our bodies slow recovery down when our batteries need recharged or when maybe we do too mcuh.

Liz

[Louise]

Hi Im a wee bit further on than you and I remember thinking that too, but the recovery IS ongoing Id say 2years then mines stopped then started up again its an individual thing as we always say - but honistly it is.....

take care

[rod123]

Hi Noah,as louise just said recovery is different for everyone,and just because 2 people have the same problem, does'nt mean the speed of recovery will be the same, I'm a carer not a survivor,and in june 2009 Merrill my wife could actually walk a lot better then than she can now,recovery is not all steps forward, my own thoughts on this are that because recovery is a slow process you need to look at progress over a period of time say every six months and hopefully you will see it, if you compare this week with last week you may well think you are going backwards,Merrill had problems at six months which she did'nt have at 3 months, (she did have quite a lot done so this may not be applicable to everyone) and i think this is another reason why you should never be in a hurry to do too much,and its been said 4 months is still bery early,best wishes in your recovery Rod

[MelB]

Hi Noah,

Great to meet you. I know others have said it but 4months is still very early on in recovery but well done you to get here now. At 4 months, I did not believe I would ever feel better again but it has happened and yes its taken a few years. I know that we all share similar experiences of recovery but recovery is still an individual journey and our brain injuries can be quite varied. I do not see myself as the same person before SAH but I have learned to adjust to the new me.

I wish you well during your recovery and I look forward to hearing how you are getting on.

Best wishes

[Skippy]

Hey Noah

Yeah it's seems to be the norm pretty much - I consider myself one of the lucky ones - the only thing I'm left with is tiredness if I do too much - but that doens't hit so hard anymore either.

It was me, Caroline ;0) who said the first year was recovery, the second adapting and the third back to normalish! But that first year was up and down, backwards and forwards - to be honest, I was all over the place.

Noah, its good to remember that we do all recover differently, and its a long road (but make as many pit stops as you like along the way). The important thing is that you are still here and you are progressing even though it doesn't feel like it sometimes. Baby step add up too huge leaps and you will get there.