Mother SAH December 2023

[Lexeran]

Hello everybody.

 

My name is Lexeran (Lex for short). My mom had a ruptured aneurysm and SAH back in December 2023. 7 months later, mom is doing well. Still some iffy days (especially when it's too hot or too cold, she gets mild headaches that grow if she doesn't rest), but very much a fighter. This experience has definitely beaten us up, but my family (myself, my brother, and my parents) have all taken it in stride and continue to support each other and be there for mom and each other.

 

Been a bit of a lurker since a couple months ago, but wanted to officially join to help share and also learn from everyone.

 

So, greetings and can't wait to take this journey with you all.

 

-Lexeran

[Super Mario]

Welcome to BTG Lex.

You will certainly find lots of information on here. So pleased to hear your mum is doing so well. I'm sure you will have gathered from reading the forums that slow but steady is the way to go.

Please come back and keep us updated on your mum's recovery.

 

Feel free to join in the daily banter in The Green Room. 

[Louise]

Hi there

Warm welcome, hope the site helps you, its definatly a life changing thing please to hear you Mum is doing good its great she's got a support network around..

 

take care.

 

[Swishy]

Welcome Lex,

I was a lurker here myself for a bit so happy you are jumping in.

I am the patient with the SAH but my children, especially my daughter went through a lot as they navigated my journey to get well.  It is a slow road but improvements do come, different for everyone.  

 

Happy you write your mom is a fighter...it helped me for sure...

This is a wonderful group of people here who have in one way or another been touched by this and have come to see how much the support on this site can help.  

 

Thoughts are with you all as you navigate.

be well

xx

Jean

 

[Kathy]

Hello Lex. I had a SAH in 2018. So sorry for all the medical trauma with your mom. It does take a toll on the family. My husband and four adult children took shifts in caregiving initially but my youngest daughter is a nurse and was in the ER room at my admittance.

 

She is the one who helped the most after my 6 week stay in the hospital. Later, (just within the last year) her husband expressed to me that she did have some PTSD from the experience and had to seek counseling. I can imagine how frightening it was for her. I don’t remember the first four weeks of my hospitalization. Since she had medical knowledge she made most decisions and consents for treatment and I did have complications of hydrocephalus and post SAH blood clots.

 

She has her PhD in nursing education now and teaches nursing. I help a lot with their three boys now as I had to retire from teaching. We have an adopted son (14) so they are great cousin companions. We also were caregivers for our special needs niece but at 21 she went into a group host home placement and loves it. I suppose the best advice is to make sure you and your brother take good care of yourselves through this journey. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

 

I hope your mother gains more independence as time goes on. Remember, she won’t think as clearly and may have more anxiety in general. She may have short term memory problems and perseverate over concerns and / or topics. Fatigue continues to plague me and I don’t sleep as well. I am uncomfortable at large family gatherings with too much stimulation and noise.  I now politely step into a quiet room if needed during holidays and celebrations.

 

I do enjoy the local botanical gardens and do some gardening in raised beds ~ both vegetables and flowers. I used to enjoy reading (English major) but have had trouble reading post SAH. I tried audiobooks but can’t always remember enough to pick up where I left off (frustrating)! Thank you for all you do for your mom. I know she appreciates it. 💗

 

Kathy (Colorado, USA)

PS ~ it is a new normal for everyone. Patience and kindness go a long way. 

 

[Lexeran]

Hi everyone.

 

Thank you all so much for the warm welcomes. It's truly been a wonder having this forum to come to and look for not only answers, but messages of hope and success.

 

It's Month 8 now and we finally were able to see a Neurologist after a bit of a scare that took mom to the ER late last month. After almost 12hrs, no real answer from the ER doctors because mom was already well by the time the paramedics had reached the hospital. When we saw the Neurologist (on a very lucky, last minute cancelation that week...when she was originally scheduled for November!), he highly suspects it was vasovagal syncope. We think her trigger was being on her feet for a few hours (cooking, mind you) while it was in the 90s that day.

 

With that in mind, we've been very conscious of keeping her off her feet for long periods. The weather here in Northern California has broken from the 3-digit numbers, thank God, so we finally go to take mom out for a mild day of shopping. She enjoys those easy weather days (which she had gotten to enjoy in March/April), so we in the house can't wait til Autumn hits 😄

 

We also learned from the Neurologist that allergy meds like Zyrtec or Allegra help the sinuses deal with dizziness and light-headedness, so that has been added into mom's rotation and she hasn't had to deal with any dizzy or light-headed days (which she was dealing with every other week, previously).

 

Outside of all that, she's been enjoying some books. She recently was recommended Ikigai by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles, and Ichigo Ichie by the same authors. It gave her a lot of joy to read, of learning about the secrets to a long and happy life, and of making the most of every moment. So please, if any of you enjoy reading, she definitely recommends these two.

 

Anyways, just wanted to ramble and pass that update along, but to also check in and read and learn with you all again. Hope you're all doing well and all stay strong.

 

-Lex