Juliette Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Hello, I’m Juliette. Had my SAH on December 15th 2010 – the day before I was supposed to be going away for Christmas! Luckily I had just dropped my 2 young girls (2 & 4) off to childcare & school. I was literally 2 steps from my eldest daughters classroom when the headache hit. As I’m sure you all know, it felt like someone had put a clamp on my brain & was squeezing. This was followed by the sweats & vomiting. Very painful & scary not knowing what was going on. Luckily the people working at the school were fantastic and took me to my drs – they did offer to call an ambulance, but I thought I was having the worst migraine ever! The Dr put a 999 call through, but the rapid response didn’t turn up for nearly 2.5 hours. The ambulance an hour after that:frown:. Supposedly the Drs is a seen as a safe haven so they don’t rush as much! My Dr called them at least 3 times. In the mean time I was in agony not being given pain relief as the Dr wanted them to see me as I was. Eventually I got to the 1st hospital and had a CT scan that showed a bleed. Sometime during the night they transferred me to the The Heath in Cardiff where I spent the next week lying flat and having 3 angios to see where the bleed was coming from. Was told there was so much blood they couldn’t see the aneurysm to start with. The neuro Radiologist in Cardiff was off ill then, so was lucky enough the Fantastic medical staff at Frenchay, Bristol were willing to give coiling it a go – aneurysm was small & awkward. Got Helicoptered over, so at least arrived in style! Unfortunately during the procedure I lost the vision in my right eye, but as my consultant said, 1 life 2 eyes... Initially I was really upset, but got over it and have adapted quite quickly. Can’t really remember what it was like to have proper vision anymore! They let me out Jan 4th this year. Although I was desperate to get home, I was worried going away from the safety of the hospital. I’m generally an optimistic person, so although I do have my days when the pains in my head scare me and make me worry its going to happen again, I’m not going to let it take over my life. I have 2 beautiful girls & a wonderful husband to keep me occupied! I would like to say how amazingly talented and fantastic all the staff at the hospitals are. Without them I wouldn’t be here. It’s incredible what they can do now. Eternal gratitude to them! Quote
Janet Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Hi Juliette A warm welcome to BTG its still early days for you and the anxiety you feel is natural it does get better with time. I hope you find the site useful and any questions just ask there is always plenty of people to support you on here. Look forward to hearing more from you. Quote
kempse Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Hi Juliette and a very warm welcome to BTG. Another amazing story and yes aren't those staff at the hospitals just brilliant! Importantly you are here to be Mum for your daughters who will be eternally grateful that you got through this awful event. I have so appreciated being around for my three kids during the past 2 yrs 4 months since my own sah. There is so much support on this site, which helps with the ups and downs of recovery. Wishing you all the best, Sarah Quote
Gill C Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Hi Juliette & welcome to the BTG family. keep talking to us & we'll be here to hold your hand through the bad days xx Quote
maggie Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Hi and welcome from me too! Look forward to reading more from you and wishing you all the best. x Quote
Louise Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Hi Juliette Warm welcome to the site. take care Quote
FionaH Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Hi Welcome to the site I'm new here too and already finding it a huge source of support and information x Quote
JayKay Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Hi Juliette, and lovely to meet you, although shame about the circumstances eh? You'll hear this time and time again, but make sure you take care of yourself and don't overdo it. I didn't believe anyone when I was told that, but I'm 13 months post-op and I'm really only just beginning to feel better.... (Like you, I was told there was so much blood they couldn't see the aneurysm, so although they tried to coil, the next day they decided to operate and they found a large aneurysm that is now clipped.) Anyway, I'm glad you've found us. Take care now x Quote
Sandi K Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Jen is right, the biggest lesson I've learned through this (still learning!) is to let myself heal. To take the time that my body needs - not what I think it needs. There is a big difference between wanting to be better and actually feeling better which is how another member worded it in a different thread this week. So take it easy, rest, find quiet time in your busy life, and heal. Sandi K. Xox Quote
jess Posted March 31, 2011 Posted March 31, 2011 Welcome to btg look forward to chatting sometime. Jess.xxx Quote
KelBel Posted March 31, 2011 Posted March 31, 2011 Hi Juliette Welcome to the site. Hope to hear more from you soon. As others have said, any questions just ask, and try to take it easy as much as you can to let your brain heal. Lots of water and quiet time will help If you can get that with little ones around... Take care Kel x Quote
Ern Posted March 31, 2011 Posted March 31, 2011 hi Juliette, Welcome to BTG. Like the others have said, you will find loads of support and advice here. Your story is similar to mine (I really need to post mine at some stage). Quote
Vivien Posted March 31, 2011 Posted March 31, 2011 Hello Juliette and welcome to the site Vivien Quote
karen78 Posted March 31, 2011 Posted March 31, 2011 Hi Juliette, Hi and welcome, Take everyday as it comes hun xx Quote
Tina Posted March 31, 2011 Posted March 31, 2011 Hi Juliette a very warm welcome to BTG..Take care Love Tina xx Quote
Juliette Posted March 31, 2011 Author Posted March 31, 2011 Thank you to everyone for the welcome. Sure i'll have lots of questions for you all! xx Quote
Skippy Posted March 31, 2011 Posted March 31, 2011 Hi Juliette Thought I'd welcomed you but can't see my post anywhere:crazy: So, a very warm welcome to the site and to the family. Ask any questions you like, there's normally someone who can help in some way. Quote
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