Hello

[Janet]

Hi my name is Janet

I had my SAH in November 06. I found the site address on Brain/Spine Foundation Site. I have visited a few times over the past few days and it has been very reasssuring to realise that there are so many people who can actually understand what I've been going through since it happened.

I have also felt abandoned since being discharged from hospital and dispite Walton Neurological being a really good centre they do not have any support groups. So I have felt quite alone but my husband Morris has been a great support to me.

My personal experience and treatment was quite frustrating, I had been having occassional intense pain behind my left eye over a few weeks sometimes it was so intense it woke me up but I didn't think anything of it and put it down to stress and too much proof reading at work.

It was only when the pain intensified and made me physically ill that I began to think it could be serious. I went home mid shift from work and crawled into bed, couldn't move and the left side of my head was sore. I seen one of the practice Doctors the following afternoon a Friday and explained that I had intense pain behind my left eye but she thought it was Sinusitis and prescribed Sinutab and told me to return following week if no better.

However the the pain got worse and my sight in my left eye deteriorated over the cause of Saturday. Morris is a Taxi driver he came home to check on me about 2 a.m Sunday morning and decided to phone NHS Direct as knew that disturbed vision would have nothing to do with sinuses. Described my symptons to their Nurse and she advised me to go to nearest A & E. After spending hours being poked and prodded the Consultant on A & E wouldn't agree to a CT scan until opthalmology had seen me as was convinced it was Glaucoma.

We had to wait ages for on call opthal to turn finally did at 8 a.m examined the eye siad it was something pressing on eye from behind and causing third nerve palsy to the eye. A & E then had to authorise CT scan but Sundays are call out services so it was 10 a.m before I could have the scan and they couldn't see anything wrong from it.

I was lucky though because they admitted me to try to find out.

It was initially thought that I had suffered a mini stroke in the third nerve because of the palsy. On the Tuesday they squeezed me in for an MRI as a visiting Neuro was supposed to lok at the results but he didn't make it over to Birkenhead as some emergency had occurred. The next visit was on Thursday the neuro bloke came over to me on the ward and said he would look at the scans but he just held them up to the sunlight and said he couldn't see any problems but he would take all the films back to Walton so they could study them properly.

During my five days in Arrowe Park I had been leaving the ward regularly to wander down to the cafe. On the Friday decided to have lunch in caf but advised the ward where I would be as was expecting to here from Walton, must have spent two hours downstairs and thought better go back up. On arriving at the ward they were all at panic stations looking for me Walton had phoned and advised that it was a annie and to put me on flat bed rest prior to transfer.

They had me tranferred within less than two hours talk about scaring the pants off you I'd been doing my own thing since being admitted not realising I had a time bomb ticking away. Once they had booked me in and settled me on the ward Morris and I knew how serious it was because even though it was late they let him stay with me until a surgeon came to see me. Words of comfort from said surgeon were if it bursts tonight you'll feel as though someone has kicked you in the head and we'll whip you straight into theatre if not you'll be seen byyour consultant in the morning.

Morris finally went home just after midnight but promised he'd be back first thing. I made it to about 8.30 a.m and had the worst pain of my life in my head I was literally screaming with pain it thankfully subsided and Morris arrived just after it happened never been so glad to see anyone. My Consultant came round shortly after to discuss treatment he said generally they normally do an angogramm but because of my condition he recommended immediate surgery as he could'nt guarantee I'd last til the Monday. to try coiling it.

So I had my annie clipped by craniotomy I obviously heal quite well because I was only in the HDU til the following afternoon then xferred to a neuro ward I was discharged the following Friday after having had a further CT scan and an angogramm which showed no further problems. As already said discharged with no follow on support. Had my follow up appointment at about 15 weeks and my consultant has already discharged me did find out though that he had found the annie from the original CT scan I had done at the A & E.

I still have quite severe headaches every day but am hoping to go back to work in the next couple of weeks p/t to begin with.

Regards Janet. Its a brilliant site so glad I found it.

[Karen]

Hi Janet and welcome!

Yes, if you're unlucky to have to go to A & E on a weekend, then the hospitals really don't like calling out anybody to operate the CT scanner.....I've also had that experience (had a 2nd scare about 13 months later)......perhaps nobody should be ill over the weekends.....but maybe the hospitals should have somebody on standby, operating these scanners on a shift pattern 24/7.

My SAH was also put down to sinusitis ... until my head decided to explode and I started to fit. I really can't understand why GP's don't take visual disturbances seriously.....if you look up anything to do with a SAH, it's one of the initial symptoms and a sure warning sign.

When did you have the SAH?

[bogbrush]

Hi Janet and welcome

My aneurysm burst early on a bank holiday, so my CT scan was delayed as well - even though SAH was suspected! Only when I had a second bleed did they get me in the scanner and confirmed it. I was transferred to the neuro hospital within the hour. The NHS is poorly staffed at weekends. It's almost like they want to tell you "come back in a couple of days when someone might actually know something about your symptoms."

Regards

Keith

[Janet]

I think that I had first small bleed the Thursday 3rd of November and several smaller ones whilst I was in local hospital.

I have been extremely lucky though as all the damage to the third nerve palsy has repaired itself. I was actually told by the eye specialist before being discharged from Walton that because 4 of the 6 nerves were damaged that I would be left with permanent disturbed vision.

My vision started improving on xmas day the best xmas present ever.

Regards Janet

[Janet]

I couldn't agree more weekends and Bank holidays are the pits in our NHS service. But at last unlike some I was kept in and made to feel like I shouldn't be there.

Regards Janet

[Karen]

Janet, sounds as though you're making a pretty good recovery, especially with the eyesight. I still have problems with my sight, mine was also a III nerve palsy.....it has improved, but the eye is slightly lower and even though I can get single vision, the eye strain is still substantial......think that this has been the worse part of the SAH for me. Just hope that it keeps improving with time.

[Skippy]

Hi there and welcome

My anni is just up and behind my right eye and the only thing I get is my eye lid visibily twitches when I'm tired or stressed - its quite a strange feeling and I can see it twitching without looking in the mirror. Its only started happening in the last couple of weeks so if it carries on I might be back to the Docs to see if this is normal and make sure there aren't any complications.

This site has been a god send to me and I've made so many friends. i hope you get the same comfort and reassurance from it that I have.

Hope your recovery continues to go well.

Sami xxx

[Karen]

Sami, I get that quite a bit too....but not over my bad eye......had it over last weekend and it carried on for about 4 days and it's gone again....mine's just under the eye and you can see it spasming all over the place. It drove me potty again...

[Skippy]

Hey K

Yeah it does tend to get on my nerves (excuse the pun!!) when it starts. Siobhan thinks its gross - coming from the girl who thought the Absorbalof on Dr Who was wicked!!!

Its not happened so far today but I'm sure as the day goes on it'll kick in :

Away to make a de-caff.

TTFN

Sami xxx

[Janet]

Hi Sami

I thankfully don't get any twitching it must be really annoying. I get a bit of double vision but only if I bend down to far. Just suffer from the usual all day headaches and fatigue.

Finding the site really useful and everyone relly friendly

Regards Janet

[Louise]

Hey there

Welcome to the site.

My optic neirve was very badly damaged & I'm now light sentive.

Take care

Louise.x

[Janet]

Hi Louise

I was lucky to get my sight back completely do find that I can't stand too much bright or flashing lights. More annoying I was a sun worshipper and was in Corfu couple of weeks ago and found couldn't lie in the sun like I used to.

rEGARDS jANET

[Louise]

Hi there

Yes I know what you mean I loved the sun, now cant lie in it at all, although bright sunny weather makes me feel brighter, its soooo weird.

Take care

Louise.x

[ninja]

Hi there

Much of your symptoms and experiences with the NHS are the same as mine, they must get their act together regarding SAHs.

What amazes me is if you are still experiencing severe headaches that you are considering going back to work even part time. Perhaps its not for me to say being retired anyway but you must allow your body time to recover, you are lucky to be here so take it easy and slowly start enjoying life again, don't worry your headaches will ease over time.

Cheers

John

[Janet]

Hi John

Sorry to hear you experienced similar symptons and NHS delay. With regards to returning to work I will only be going back part-time for quite some time and I have sympathetic employers so I won't be allowed to do too much.

The headaches although severe at times during the day mainly seem to be worse in the evenings when I'm more tired anyway. But don't worry intend to take it really slowly, and if its too much back on the "pat & mick"

Janet

[Karen]

Hi Janet,

It's lovely to hear that you have a sympathetic employer .... think that the evenings are one of the worse times for me also ...... You sound as though you're very sensible anyway, but it's not a bad thing if you're able to go back to work and ease into it very gently.....a sense of normality is always good and stops you thinking too much about your problems.... which isn't a bad thing at all. At the end of the day, you can only do your best and you will know whether it's too much or not. Wishing you all the very best.....

[Janet]

Hi Karen

I actually seen the Occupational Health Doctor to-day and he agrees that the normality of returning to work will be good for me. My first time in will be Wednesday then I'm off til next Tuesday. Morris and I love watching cricket so we're off to Old Trafford for the Test Match.

It will be a nice break as we stay over in Manchester. I'm only allowed to work 18 hours a week for the first month then gradually build back up to full time.

But my line manager is great and has already told me that I won't be going on line for at least a month. Its a call centre and all the procedures have changed since I've been off so I'll have a lot of catching up to do first.

Regards Janet

[Karen]

Hi Janet,

Well, hope that you and Morris enjoy the cricket!

Sounds as though you have your return to work sorted out .... at least being a phased return, it isn't quite so daunting and I definetly agree that if you can manage it, then trying to re-establish a bit of normality is the way to go.

Good luck for Wednesday and hope that you'll let us know how it goes...