Dizziness after SAH

[Karen]

Hi,

Does anybody else suffer from dizziness post SAH and do you have any coping techniques?

Mine is definetly worse when I'm tired and when I drive.....but then again, I suffered a Third Nerve Palsy to my right eye as a result of the SAH. My aneurysm was on the post right communicating artery.

 

If my dizziness is really bad, I have to patch my wonky eye over and it does help.......but the depth perception totally goes and I'm liable to trip up etc.

 

My Physio asked for some advice from my Brain Injury Consultant about dizziness and convergance problems when driving...... apparently I should keep one eye shut.......really useful on a dual carriageway eh!....doesn't fill me with much confidence.

K xx

[Guest Tracey]

Hi Karen,

 

I suffer form dizziness post SAH. Funnily enough my burst aneurysm was on the left post communicating artery and has left me with problems in my left eye. I have a slightly droopy eyelid and the pupil is larger than my right one which when at its worst can look pretty strange, or it does to me anyway. I have asked every doctor and neuro that Ive met about dizziness and as yet have had no straight answer about it. Ive actually found that they can be quite dismissive of it which is very frustrating because it really is hard to cope with.

 

I find it very depressing because there seems to be no way round it. My doctor once mentioned tranquilizers but only to be taken when the dizziness is at its very worst for a couple of days at a time. Due to the addictive nature of these medicines I declined, I also feel being zombied out on tranquilizers is probably no better than being zombied out with dizziness. I dont have it every day I have bouts of it that last for about a week at a time.

 

On a daily basis I cant do much that involves looking downwards because that brings on a weird kind of seasick dizziness. I try to just get on with things but I bang into things all over the place and end up with bruises everywhere. I sometimes feel the only way is to not move my head much at all but it is very frustrating.

 

Sorry I cant be more help, if you do ever come accross any good techniques that help would you please share them with me and I will do likewise. I fully aggree with you on the 'cover one eye' method not always good on the dual carriageway like you say. Its just as well we can laugh or we would be up the wall.

Hope you feel better soon

take care

Tracey

[Karen]

Hi Tracey,

 

Welcome to the "Dizzy Club"! I haven't met too many SAH'ers that suffer from dizziness.......apart from Scott that also uses this board.

 

I agree with you about the medics dismissing the dizziness.....sometimes I've felt as though I've been treated like a loony....I've also been told that it's anxiety.....but would imagine that most SAH'ers have suffered from that as well, but they don't necessarily feel dizzy headed.

 

I finally got some help a couple of months ago.....I was referred to the Brain Injury Dept at my local hospital......they also carried out a balance assessment in the Physics dept.........my balance turned out to be pretty good in the end, so no problems there.

 

I was also referred for Physio and was given a few eye exercises.....that didn't really help either. It's turned out that it's my eye that's causing the problems, as the damaged one is slightly lower, hence I still have a bit of double vision when I look up and to my left. It also scans things slower and I have a problem with convergance.....hence the brain goes into overdrive and makes me feel dizzy.

 

I also still get quite a bit of nerve pain around the eye and when I'm tired it's worse. I did think it was the eye causing problems all the way along.....18 months down the line and I've finally got the answer.....I hope! Do you wear glasses to correct your sight now?

Scott, if you read this, where abouts did you have your aneurysm?

 

Like you Tracey, I have found this so debilitating and depressing, so you're not alone. It's very hard to get out and about when the dizziness takes over and it limits your ability to do the stuff that you used to take for granted. Iwas also given some medication for the dizziness.......but I felt even worse and totally spaced out.....so it was useless.

 

If I find a magic cure I shall definetly let you know, but it's nice to know that I'm not the only one with this type of problem.

Love Karen x

[Sasbo]

Hello Ladies

Sorry to hear about the dizziness. I have right eye 'foibles'. When I'm tired it closes and also feels like it doesn't fit properly. Do occasionally have dizzy spells but think it's more tiredness/feeling unwell than related to the eye.

 

Also, the muscle that's just below my eyebrow/above my eyelid is numb and paralysed which feels strange but not really a problem other than getting mascara blobs on it when I put mascara on, which isn't often now.

What I do find, and would love to hear your thoughts on this, is that this is a voyage of discovery. As I become more compus mentus more differences post SAH to pre SAH are becoming apparent almost on a daily basis.

 

Not knowing if these will be permanent is a bit of a downer as this doesn't help with making long term decisions, not that I'm capable of doing that at the moment!

Anyway, enough already......

Sarah

[Slim]

Hello Sarah,

 

I'm like you I find when I overcome one thing something else pops up. e.g numbness in my leg and on 3 fingers of each hand. These come and go and don't cause any real problems other than me being extra clumbsy. I had a terrible stutter when I first came round this has now gone and is replaced by gaps speech as I'm trying to remember what I'm saying!

 

I don't have dizziness as such but I do stagger when I'm tired. If i'm in the mood I can laugh as it is quite funny. At other times it can get me down. But every days a bonus. Def think Karen and Tracey should keep both eyes open on the dual carrraigeway

nite nite folks

Aine

[Karen]

Hi Sarah,

I have tended to get some weird stuff happening throughout my recovery...one things goes and then you notice something else cropping up.

Like Aine has said, things seem to be amplified if you're tired or stressed...I have a tendency to walk like a toddler when I'm tired/dizzy.......my left left also feels extremely week and I can often trip up. I also get what I call "electric shock" feelings through my feet.............these also come and go.

Hope all is well with you,

Love K x

[Guest Tracey]

Hi Karen,

 

Sorry to hear you have your dizzy head on again today hope it goes soon.

I found it interesting that your dizzy spells are related to your eye problems, my doctors have said they dont think mine are related to my eye problems they said although there is some nerve damage my sight hasnt been affected. I havent had a sight test since SAH but I dont feel like my sight has been affected, but then again because of all the weird subtle little things that have changed it is sometimes difficult to compare the then and now.

 

Anyway I have bigger problems with my ears post SAH so they think my dizziness is more likely related to that. When I had the actual bleed my ears went deaf for a while and there was really big pressure in my head that felt like it would blow my ears off, they havent been the same since. I often get scary moments because I still have these pressure episodes and strangely enough Im starting to think they are weather related. Maybe Ill get a job as a a human barometer..... !

 

Well Id better be getting on with the washing and stuff for now,

Take care

Tracey.

[Karen]

Hi Tracey,

 

Your SAH sounds very similar to my own. I also have tinnitus in my left ear...my SAH also started with the pressure sensation in my ears. Like you, I still get the pressure changes in my ears and also what I would call as being white noise for a few seconds.....it still scares me when it happens. Lots of us here, reckon that the weather seems to affect our head.

 

All the way through, my Docs have also said that it wasn't my eyesight causing the problem. Well, they've now changed their mind.............my eyesight is also pretty perfect, long distance, it's just that the eyes aren't lining up with each other. I do use reading glasses and I think that my close up sight has definetly deteriorated since the SAH, but I wore glasses for close work before the SAH.

 

I'm due to see the eye specialist at my local hospital in February....think that this will be the last time that he sees me, as there doesn't seem to be anything that they can do for it and the eye isn't bad enough to warrant an operation.

 

I know that there's little that they can do for nerve damage and it's unlucky to have had the aneurysm on this particular artery, that serves the eye etc ...... but I read somewhere, that the post communicating artery is one of the most common sites for an aneurysm, so surely they should have more knowledge from case studies about the after effects of the nerve damage? Perhaps, I'm over simplifying things!

 

Hope you're having a good day,

Love K x

[Guest Victoria]

Hi,

I suffered an aneurysm in September and a week later suffered from a Vasospasm. Since September I have been dizzy, some days it's ok and some days it's unbearable!! I feel like I'm always tired and grumpy and wondering if anyone could advise me on my recovery.

 

My doctor and consultant are dismissive about my dizziness, which isn't helpful, they just say how lucky I have been etc etc. My life feels like it's changed and I just want to be the person I was 6 months ago.

Work are being very good about my absense but I'm not sure how long that will last, especially as my sick pay is about to run out. I'm thinking about going back to work in March and hope that I can cope with the dizziness.

[Janet]

Hi Everyone

I suffered terribly from dizziness in the first few months after my sah and like Karen I put it down to the third nerve palsy and lack of sight before I regained vision in my left eye.

 

I only occassionally get the dizziness now more so if I'm extremely tired but the one thing I do find hard is if I have to stand still for any length of time as my head doesn't like that and it brings on balance issues. These are made worse as I broke my right foot in Oct 2005 and have tendonitis in my right ankle.

 

Victoria welcome to the site you are still early on in your recovery if you feel that you have to return to work try to do it in small stages. I went back to work in the June after my SAH about seven months but had a phased return. I started back at 20 hours and have gradually increased to 30 but I know that at the moment I would be unable to manage any more.

 

I think one of the hardest parts of having an SAH besides the physical symptoms is mentally being able to come to terms with the person you are now. This site and the people on it have helped me to come to terms with and accept that fact. I hope that we can also help you so any questions just ask.

Janet x

[Guest janey]

Good morning or afternoon everyone

 

I too have the third nerve palsy , but my annie was a basilar tip aneurysm. I do see a few eye specialists for this as I have constant double vision and prisms in the glasses dont help me.

When I was first diagnosed, this may help some of you, they were going to operate and relax the nerve in the good eye, so they were more in rythm with each other. In the end I cant have this operation but it may be something you can look into.

 

Since then they have frosted one of my lenses, because it is illegal for me to drive with it uncovered, which i didnt realise. Am not driving for a year anyway at least , but when I can it will have to be covered again. They also suggested a contact lense to block the bad eye, so they looked normal, but i only had one field of vision. I cant have that either now as my good eye, is also damaged since the last operation.

 

Karen yes I have dizzy spells my balance is to pot especially when tired, having problems at the moment with this as i am just so tired and i am sleeping about 12-14 hours at night.The eye consultant did say, some of the balance issues were also down to where my annie was, as this area covers balance. so it is a multitude of problems. Anyway hope this helps you all.

 

I have also discovered recently that there are neuro - eye specialists, who i am going to see in April so will keep you informed.

Hope some of this helps. Janex

[jess]

Hi there Karen and welcome Victoria I also have dizzy spells and I used to panic as that is the first thing i recall about my sah feeling dizzy and staggering, my consultant/surgeon said it is probably my blood pressure a little low and it is, I don't panic so much now but it was very frightening to begin with. Jess

[Guest Victoria]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply, I was wondering if anyone knows of any medication that I could ask for to help with the dizziness. It's becoming a bit of a problem which needs sorting!!

Thanks

[Karen]

Hi Victoria,

 

Get your GP to action some help for you, such as a referral for tests at your local hospital ...... I had a balance assessment with the Physics dept and a consultation and tests with a brain injury consultant ..... I also went on to have some physio to help my brain re-adjust ..... this was done using various head exercises that took you out of your comfort zone and made your brain re-adjust.

 

Keep on at your GP ...... get him to refer you to a specialist, don't put up with it, as it can greatly affect your confidence. There are drugs that can help, but should only be used in the short term. Your brain has to re-learn to accept things and certain head exercises can help. I still experience it, but it has got better.

What sort of dizziness do you experience?

[Guest Victoria]

Hi,

Thanks for you advice, it's not the type of dizziness where everything is spinning it's more that I feel off balance like you do when you have been on a Alton Towers ride! It's worse when I'm tired

 

What kind of exercises could I do, all my doctor has done is to send me to the ENT department who again are dismissive about my dizziness. He says that my dizziness will improve over the years, which is quite depressing.

 

The doctor also prescribed me with some Stemitell but it has no effect.

Thanks again

Victoria xxx

[Karen]

Hi Victoria,

Is there another GP that you can see at your practice? I've had to change mine a couple of times and now I have a good GP, that will test me for everything. Your GP should be able to give you blood tests to rule out things that could cause the dizziness .... such as anaemia etc. I was also lacking in Vit D and Calcium after the SAH ..... sometimes the drugs that we take, post SAH can cause problems.

 

Well, okay ...... the physiotherapist made me come out of my comfort zone by doing quick head turning exercises ..... walking in a straight line and turning my head from left to right in quick succession.....such as walking down a hall. I also found it very difficult looking up and still do to a degree, but that's got better. Basically, she told me to do all of the things that I avoided doing, looking up and looking left and right in quick succession, as she said that the brain learns to re-train itself with time and practice.

 

She also recommended using a swiss ball or a large balance ball to help with balance problems.

They couldn't find anything wrong with me either ... so, they put it down to my eyesight being off balance ..... to be honest, I don't think that they have a clue....

 

When does your dizziness come on, can you give more detail? I don't have the spinning kind either, which is vertigo, it's more of a detached feeling and that I can't walk in a straight line. almost like being drunk, but without the fun! .... it's quite hard to explain, but I tend to spend more time looking at the floor when I'm walking, rather than looking around me.

 

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/dizziness/page2_em.htm

[tennissmithy]

I didn't seem to have dizziness so much when I was first recovering from my SAH but since OctoberI have suffered with dizziness and sort of like drunken stumbling (if you know what I mean) especially if very tired. Am back at consultants on 19th Feb so will mention it to him again

Laura

xx

[Guest Portia del Carmen]

A bit of bio - I have no and I really mean no natural sense of balance - never been able to roller skate, daren't try to ice-skate, can't ride a bike on the roads (too scared to take hands off the handlebars and would fall off. A lot.)

 

After my first SAH, started to do T'ai Chi - which has worked the most amazing things. It helped me stand up on the train/ tube without desperately holding onto something/ someone, I can (still) stand on one leg with the other held out at an improbable angle for ages without falling over, spin round under control as part of the T'ai Chi form we learnt and I actually went skiing for the first ever time and was really quite good!!

 

The balance thing remains even after 2nd SAH. However, I get dizzy on occasions too. The obvious time is doing the "spinning around, showing off movement" in T'ai Chi (can't remember the better and proper Chinese name, but that seems to sum it up!) standing up too quickly gives me the head-rush of vertigo... not all the time, but about once a month.

 

I recommend T'ai Chi to everyone I know most of the time (also great for toning up legs, bums and tums, ladies!) and I do think it helps in general.

[Guest Portia del Carmen]

Also just remembered, I do the stumbling thing when I'm tired, too, these days - it's exactly the way I first walked after 2nd SAH and vasospasm... I just get the feeling that the brain and it's functions just stop working so hard to combat any problems when you're tired and it gives up.

Which is much like me in all respects when I'm tired, to be honest!

[Guest Robert]

After 2 years I still have real problems with dizziness - a bit like being drunk or feeling like you have just got off a fairground ride. I find mine is worse under bright light (particularly flourescent lights).

After months of waiting I finally got to see a neurologist last week, but she was dismissive and really quite hostile, and basically no help whatsoever.

 

I try and convince myself that the days when it is really bad are becoming less frequent and the not so bad days more common, and that eventually the better days will become normal. The only thing I've found that helps - apart from avoiding bright lights - is swimming. I find when I get in the water the dizziness is much better.

[Karen]

Hi Robert,

I still experience the same as you .... bright light definetly makes it worse ...... during the winter, I still have days when I have to wear sunglasses ....even around the supermarket and sometimes, around the house.

The medics might dismiss this feeling, but it's quite surprising how many of us SAH'ers experience it, so there must be something going on ...... or perhaps a lack of research into this problem post SAH.

 

Living with dizziness and having balance problems is horrendous and impedes greatly on day to day life..... however, the medics that I've come across put it down to anxiety..... but, let's face it.....if you can't put one foot in front of the other, or cross the road without your head going nuts, who wouldn't feel anxious?

[Guest Victoria]

Hi,

My dizziness seems very similar to eveyone else, it seems to come on suddenly after days of it being unproblematic! It tends to come on when i'm moving about which isn't great as I can't remain seated all day!!!!

Going to see the ENT doctor tomorrow so hopefully I can ask him about a scan and a referal to a physio.

Had blood tests done by the doctor and all was fine, unfortunately!!

[Guest Portia del Carmen]

I half-heard a report on Radio 4 this morning (only half-heard because I was still half-asleep!) about people with balance and/or hearing problems not being treated early enough which sounds like it was probably quite interesting if it can still be found on the BBC website?

 

I have a real problem with fluorescent lights - bright normal light doesn't cause anywhere near as much difficulty, although I am renowned at work for always having glamorous sunglasses with me - which I even wore today(!) - I like to think I do that to avoid wrinkles around the eyes, but maybe it's more to do with my reaction to light?

 

I think the problem with fluorescent tubes is the flickering which I never used to notice but now seem to have a real awareness of. I also have a real sensitivity to high-pitched noise these days - I can't bear energy saving light bulbs which I can hear now... we also had to change our computer monitor when I could suddenly hear it, too...It's almost as though the brain suddenly gets more sensitive - as it does to alcohol and caffeine as well (she said, beginning to feel like a prospective researcher...)

 

Consultants seem to be programmed to be dismissive - they have no idea what the effects on you are/ could be and you are always the best person to analyse it. They have some idea about what different parts of the brain do and can do, but my own consultant (who I have a huge amount of respect and time for, BTW) is astounded that I don't have speaking/ language problems, given where my vasospasm was.

 

He doesn't understand, I don't think, how I can still do the arguing for a living thing after SAH #2. He freely admits that they don't have complete understanding- I think lesser consultants like to play the "I am God" role which is unrealistic and unhelpful.

[ChrisLedbury]

SAH in 2001 and still suffering dizziness.  I’m now 79 and it’s a real pain - walk like a duck lots of the time - feet planted firmly well apart.  So many doc visits about it but have decided to just live with it - I have had over 21 years of generally happy life since and I’m glad to be alive

[Super Mario]

I still have horrendous dizziness after almost 19 years. So much so, I have to use a walking frame that plays havoc with my shoulders, elbows and wrists through having to hold myself upright. In the house I use a stick and furniture and have been known to fall. Me and the floor are very good friends.   

That is not to say that everyone will have the same after effects.