NASAH (uk and interested in other areas too)

[CHall]

Hi can you tell me in layman terms please, is a NASAH a type of stroke or brain haemorrhage? Or is it a type of stroke that caused the brain haemorrhage? I can’t seem to find a clear explanation of how to describe it. Thanks

[ClareM]

Hi CHall

 

A NASAH is a non-aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage. It means that the haemorrhage was not caused by an aneurysm, or no aneurysm was detected. NASAH accounts for about 20% of all SAH.

A SAH/ NASAH is a haemorrhagic stroke meaning blood leaking onto the surface of the brain where as, an Ischemic stroke is caused by a blockage.

 

I had a NASAH 7 years ago, no aneurysm was ever found. I asked a Neurosurgeon about this, he said they were often caused by veins bursting or an aneurysm that blew itself out totally so could not be seen. However, I have been unable to find a definitive answer as to what caused mine. The cause is not the issue, it's more the damage caused by the blood being in the brain where it's not supposed to be.

 

Hope that helps  Please feel free to tell us more about yourself or ask any questions. Although we are not medically trained, we can offer lots of advice and support.

 

Clare xx

[SarahLS]

11 hours ago, ClareM said:

 

A SAH/ NASAH is a haemorrhagic stroke meaning blood leaking onto the surface of the brain where as, an Ischemic stroke is caused by a blockage.

 

Clare xx

 

Thank you so much for explaining this connection in categorising NASAH & stroke. My neurologist has never used the term stroke but my GP always refers to it as such and as all my care has been pretty good I'd not questioned either of them on this discrepancy in naming what happened to me.

 

It also helps me know which box to tick when it comes to declaring what's wrong on insurance forms & when booking Covid/flu jabs etc.

 

Five years on and still learning!

[CHall]

On 23/11/2022 at 19:03, ClareM said:

Hi CHall

 

A NASAH is a non-aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage. It means that the haemorrhage was not caused by an aneurysm, or no aneurysm was detected. NASAH accounts for about 20% of all SAH.

A SAH/ NASAH is a haemorrhagic stroke meaning blood leaking onto the surface of the brain where as, an Ischemic stroke is caused by a blockage.

 

I had a NASAH 7 years ago, no aneurysm was ever found. I asked a Neurosurgeon about this, he said they were often caused by veins bursting or an aneurysm that blew itself out totally so could not be seen. However, I have been unable to find a definitive answer as to what caused mine. The cause is not the issue, it's more the damage caused by the blood being in the brain where it's not supposed to be.

 

Hope that helps  Please feel free to tell us more about yourself or ask any questions. Although we are not medically trained, we can offer lots of advice and support.

 

Clare xx

 

Hi Clare

Thank you for taking the time to reply and sharing. Really helpful. I’m recovering from an NASAH. It’s when people ask what has happened (they’ve never heard if a NASAH (I hadn’t), I don’t know what to tell them )brain haemorrhage or stroke?). Also as SarahL says, it’s what box to tick on forms 😊

 

I hope you are fully recovered. I’m in the early stages of recovery but if you have any advice you wish to share that all is welcome. Thank you. 

[CHall]

10 hours ago, SarahLS said:

 

Thank you so much for explaining this connection in categorising NASAH & stroke. My neurologist has never used the term stroke but my GP always refers to it as such and as all my care has been pretty good I'd not questioned either of them on this discrepancy in naming what happened to me.

 

It also helps me know which box to tick when it comes to declaring what's wrong on insurance forms & when booking Covid/flu jabs etc.

 

Five years on and still learning!

Hi SarahL

Thank you for your reply too. Not only is it how to say in simple terms to friends and family what has happened but also like you say when ticking boxes on forms. Very confusing/unclear. Your reply is helpful though. Thank you. I hope you are fully recovered now.

[SarahLS]

23 hours ago, CHall said:

Hi SarahL

Thank you for your reply too. Not only is it how to say in simple terms to friends and family what has happened but also like you say when ticking boxes on forms. Very confusing/unclear. Your reply is helpful though. Thank you. I hope you are fully recovered now.

 

Hi CHall, glad I could help a bit too. I'm coming up on 5 years since my bleed, and while I'm not the same as I was before I'm definitely doing ok for the most part. I've certainly learned what is important and how to pace myself so I can do these things. 
I hope your recovery is going ok?

 

Sarah

[ClareM]

Hi CHall glad I could help  It can be confusing when people use different terms to explain what happened to us.

 

I would say I have recovered fairly well and about 90% back to pre bleed. I won't say it's been easy, I've had to change my job 3 times due to fatigue, anxiety and stress and reduced my hours by half. I now work 22.5 hours a week over 3 days - I love my job now and the time I have off for recovery.

 

My advice would be to not to push yourself too hard, don't rush back to work (if you do work), and definitely have a phased return. If your memory or concentration are poor, use reminders for everything. I have developed loads of tick lists, proformas, etc. to help me in my job. Mobile phones are brilliant for prompting and reminding.

 

Rest when you need to and don't feel guilty about it. And please come back and ask any questions you think of, there is always someone her to help  

Take good care

Clare xx

[Susan]

Hi CHall,

 

I hope you are recovering well from your NASAH.

 

It can be confusing what terminology to use. I remember my occupational health doctor sometimes referred to my PM-NASAH as a stroke when he was talking to me but referred to it as a brain haemorrhage in his occupational health reports.

 

To me a stroke is when part of your brain loses blood supply, whether that is due to a blockage (ischaemic stroke) or a rupture (haemorrhagic stroke). I have never thought of my PM-NASAH as a stroke as I do not believe that I had an interruption of the blood supply to my brain, just that the surface of my brain was irritated by the blood.

 

When I talk to medical people I say I have had a subarachnoid haemorrhage, but when I talk to non-medical people I say I have had a brain haemorrhage as I think they would understand that better.

 

 

[Susan]

Perhaps the easiest and most descriptive way to refer to it is simply "a bleed on the brain". This is how it was described to me when I was first admitted to hospital, and I did not know the term "subarachnoid haemorrhage " until I read it in my discharge letter.