Confusion after SAH

[zoe1zoe1zoe1]

Hi all .

It is now 6 weeks since richards sah and 5 weeks since he came off sedation. He is still in a confused state in that he keeps talking about things that have happened that day (that haven't really happened). However, he is also very aware at the same oime but his mind just keeps wandering off. I am wondering if this is to do with the memory loss the docs mentioned. Did anyone else suffer like this and if so how long did it last. I know everyone is different but just wondered if this is usual after a sah. He is also very depressed and keeps crying. Not sure whether I should speak to the docs about this or not.

[bogbrush]

Hi

I have memories of my time in hospital - things that never happened. We laugh about it now. At the time they seemed real. SAH damages the brain and all sorts of strange things can happen. It does improve with time though. As for the depression and crying, that's also very common, although it never happened to me, but it's definitely worth mentioning to the doc.

[kempse]

Hi Zoe,

If I were you, I would definitely speak to the Doctors and try and get some answers or guidance on some of the questions that are probably circling round your head at the moment, it seems you have so much to cope with at the present time. Have you tried the Brain and Spine website as I believe they have a phone help line which may be another avenue for you. You can also ask them questions via email and they are answered by qualified neuro nurses I believe. They may be able to give you some support. You have done really well up to now Zoe and I'm sure everyone on here appreciates what you are going through- if you look back and think how Richard has progressed over the past 6 weeks, then in a few more weeks you will again see how things have improved but in the meantime have a word with the docs.

Best wishes,

Sarah

[lynz]

hiya zoe , when i was in hospital i became very upset and for a while i hid under my covers and cried , i think its because your body and brain is so exausted you become depressed and weepy well thats what happened to me i think . i think after an sah your brain plays funny tricks on you and its hard to separate whats not real and what is .i would start talking then either fall asleep mid sentence or just change was i was saying completely . i would speak to the docs if you are worried even just to put your mind at rest you have enough to be worrying about at the mo , take care lynz

[Diduck]

Hi All

I had my SAH in February 2010 and I am still awaiting results of the MRA I had on easter saturday though to date all scans have shown no cause for the bleed. I have returned to work on reduced hours and am coping well though still tire easily

I am physically fit and have been very lucky to have no apparent physical problems but I just feel an emotional wreck!!

I was always a "strong" person who had a great deal of control over her day to day decisions. I would wake early, work hard all day and still have energy left. I spent all weekend helping friends with their horses and returned to work refreshed

However since my SAH I have been stripped of my independance and this lack of control is emotionally draining. I have not yet received clearance to drive so rely on my husband to ferry me to work, shops etc

I doubt my decisions, as people have remarked on before, so look to other people to back me up.

Because of this I find it very very difficult to stand up for my own point of view. If anyone disagrees with anything I say I find I just cry like a child. I don't have the resilience to explain why I find myself unable to justify my choices and I just cry!!!

I don't think it is depression I have because I don't feel sad but I feel very very vulnerable

I am sure I am getting stronger emotionally every day, especially now I am back at work and interacting with people more. It is a very isolating experience having an episode such as SAH and the feelings of fear, guilt, worry, inadequacy, vulnerabilty, dependancy are all so alien to the me before the SAH that I accept tears are an appropriate reaction. It is almost like grief but grieving for the part of you that you feel has gone - hopefully only temporarily.

I hope this made some sort of sense :confused:

I consider myself very lucky to have got through this and hope I will ultimately be stronger than ever

Thanks to everyone who has ever messaged on this wonderful site as I would not have been able to get through this without all the kind words and knowledge

xxxxx

[blueday]

Welcome to the BTG. Yes your sah was quite recently..............give it time and take care

[Janet]

Hi Zoe

I think Sarah has already given you some sound advice in pointing you to the "Brain & Spine foundation. It might also help if you make a list of all the things that are worrying you and arrange to speak to the Doctors looking after Richard.

Diduck a warm welcome to you and I think you have done really well getting back to work so soon. The first 12 months can be quite hard and very emotional it takes a while to actually adapt to the person you have become and of course learning to understand when your brain is telling you to slow down. Look forward to hearing more from you and any questions just ask there is always someone around to answer them.

[lynz]

i think you are doing amazing , i must admit i lived my first yr and a half living in denial and i refused to believe i was any different, but 3 yrs on i have come to terms with it i used to feel very weak and feeble and felt v inadequate around people but that got better with time my answer to anything confusing or demanding was to burst into tears !!!! i think its because an sah is such a big thing it does make you feel vulnerable and isolated but this website has helped me an awful lot , take care baby steps help i found..........lynz

[rod123]

Hi Zoe, yes Merrill suffered exactly the same, and even now after 12 months she still occasionaly does it , there is a name for it, it is called confabulation and if you google it you will find all sorts of info on it, it is having memories of things that never really happened, merrill would tell me people had been rpund when they had'nt and the doctor popped in to see her, people asked her to do things for them and a whole host of things, i read somewhere that to recover from it it helps to be aware that you are doing it, so you should correct him when he is wrong and explain what is happening.

I found it all very alarming when it first happened and it really spooked me, Merrill still does it occassionaly and when i look at her she says am i speaking rubbish again and we just laugh it off, it does get better in time and i'm told that it will go completly in time.

I think there is also a bit on wikipedia on confabulation.

Hope that helps a little Best wishes Rod

[zoe1zoe1zoe1]

Thanks for that Rod. I found the following extract at a website which could explain the confusion:

The patients that DeLuca works with confabulate because of a rupture in a tiny blood vessel in the brain called the anterior communicating artery (ACoA). The rupture of this tiny artery temporarily cuts off the normal flow of oxygenated blood to areas of the brain that are essential to the proper recall of memories. The damage caused by an ACoA rupture can vary from one person to another, both in the location and the degree of damage. And the symptoms are also diverse: the person can suffer memory impairment alone, or memory impairment accompanied by confabulation.

When the ACoA balloons into an aneurysm and bursts, part of the frontal lobe–the region of the brain behind the forehead–is starved of oxygenated blood. This condition, known as hypoxia, can lead to the death of brain cells. An area at the bottom of the brain, the basal forebrain, can also suffer damage. For reasons not entirely clear, damage to the basal forebrain can impair the ability to form lasting memories from recent experiences, a condition known as anterograde amnesia.

[JayKay]

That's very interesting! My aneurysm was in the ACoA and I do have short-term memory problems. I don't know I'm missing stuff until I'm told about it, so it's a very strange thing. I think I'm absolutely fine lol!!

[rod123]

Hi again, yes Merrills annis were in the ACoA and the Basilar artery, the rupture was in the ACoA.

There's quite a lot of reading on confabulation if you look around, I was quite alarmed when Merrill started coming out with things, and a visitor from templehead a group which works with people with various brain injuries said "look up confabulation" and there were all the answers anyway glad that helped a bit Good luck Rod