pineapple Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 (edited) Hi, my mother suffered an SAH. She's been doing really well, and this website has been a great help in understanding everything. In the last week, she's been experiencing a racing heart rate and dizzy feeling when she wakes up. Its alarmed me a bit, especially as I haven't found any information on this website. Did anyone else experience this? Thank you Edited September 22, 2012 by pineapple Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bev897056 Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 Morning Sorry to hear about your mum. You will find lots of lovely people on here offering lots of helpful advice!! I can only think that this may be due to anxiety or panic?? I had a SAH in March,and have worried ever since, in fact i feel light headed now, the dizziness could be due to the bleed and the racing HB could be panic-does she panic and im sure she must be anxious after what she has been the If you are worried, tell her to go the dr, they may give her some beta blockers or be able to check her over. Take care Bev xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 (edited) Hi Pineapple , i'm inclined to agree with Bev here . I had my SAH 7 days after your mum on the 6th of June so i would imagine we are in a similar situation in terms of recovery ( i had my SAH clipped btw not coiled ) . Ive experienced what your mum currently has to endure . On one particular occasion i had an hours sleep during the afternoon and woke up for no real reason but with a start/shock . I immediately got off the bed and was dizzy almost immediately . I made my way downstairs and the dizziness got progressively worse As this happened i noticed i was struggling to breathe and this also got progressively worse . Basically both the dizziness and breathlessness got so bad i thought i was going to pass out . After some time ( felt like an hour but was probably apprx 5 minutes ) i managed to calm myself down and gradually the dizziness and breathlessness eased although i still felt dreadful . I now know that these quite regular episodes i was experiencing were due to extreme anxiety and panic attacks that were a result of this feeling . Having read your post it sounds like your mum is suffering from the same thing . Id advise her to do what i did . Once id managed to calm myself down i rang the neuro department that had treated me and they advised me to get myself checked out by a medical professional in order to ensure my problems werent directly related to the SAH repair . I did tell them it was the first time id experienced these symptoms though i must confess that i had experienced mild dizzy spells before the latest , but not that severe and certainly not coupled with the breathlessness . I visited my GP to get myself checked out . He liased with the neuro dept whilst conducting the checks and everything was fine with me in a physical sense which was a real relief !!!!! I also had a good chat with a councillor about my feelings and it was of enormous benefit in understanding what the hell was happening to me .... ill be having more chats over the coming months ! I feel much better now in myself both physically and mentally because ( a ) i know im on the mend , and ( b ) i now realise many of the problems i do experience ( they are nothing like i used to endure ..... we all improve over time ) can be heavily influenced by anxiety/panic in relation to them thereby making them much worse . I still feel " off " though and whilst im aware of what it is , im still going to talk about these issues with a councillor as for me i am determined to recover both physically and mentally and i want to learn to fully understand the mental side of recovery as its crucial to my overall health and well being . I both sympathise and empathise with your mum because ive been through what she has . My advice would be to get in touch with her neuro dept/GP etc etc who will be able to re-assure her that the problems are not related directly to her SAH repair ( the repairs working )and nothing else is physically untoward and then she'll realise that anxiety is probably causing the problems shes experiencing or certainly exacerbating them . Remember Pineapple , your mum has just experienced a massive shock to her body and mind . It really does take some getting used to and she should not be afraid to use every tool at her disposal to recover from what shes had done ( If shes a real old tough nut , a bit like myself , who ordnarily would laugh at the thought of using a councillor tell her from me .... the humble pie she'll have to eat by using one tastes extra-ordnarily good Its worth it - believe me ! ) Good luck and heres hoping shes ok now and her recovery goes well . Edited August 22, 2012 by Nic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 Ditto what Nic says. And YES its a massive shock to your body & mind it is hard to get used to or your head around whats happened. But I'd say go to your GP maybe elevated BP.... take care Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winb143 Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 I agree with Louise. Take Mum to Docs and tell them You and Mums worries, it might be something simple but always better to be sure and put you and Mums mind at ease. I cannot breathe after walking 40 yards - like a panting horse lol Good Luck to you both WinB143 xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pineapple Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 (edited) Thank you everyone for replying - We have an appointment to see the neuro soon. Nic - Thank you for your story and advice, i'm watching her progress everyday, so I hope your doing just as well! Edited September 22, 2012 by pineapple Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpaggett Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 Hi, I'm glad you got her an appointment. We can just speculate here, but the doctor will let you know how to proceed. That being said, I remember that I was on a lot of medications right at first and they made my heart race and sometimes skip beats. I am free of the meds now and have had no further incidents. However, I still fee very strange when I wake. My legs/back are very weak and unsteady. I used to feel dizzy/vertigo/fatigue/drowsy when I woke up every morning. It all made me feel sick to my stomach and all. Now it's much better. I also suffered from PTSD look up the signs and see if your mom has these and talk to the docs about that too. I wish I had identified it sooner so that I didn't suffer so long before seeking a neuropsycholigist. I hope your mom feel better soon. It takes a while. She is in the acute stages at this point. She is so lucky that she has someone who is looking after her!...YOU! ~Kris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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