Pixiebelle88 Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 (edited) Hello all! My name is Lee, I’m 35 and a mother of one. On the 23rd September, I was up and ready for work, the usual shouting for my 12 year old Son to get up! I was feeling fine and then BAM! I had a explosion in my eyes, I felt dizzy and thought I was going to pass out so I lay on my bed thinking… great! Just what I need a Migraine! The headache that followed was EXCRUCIATING! And I thought this was one hell of a migraine. My husband called and could not understand a word I was saying but as I (thought) I had been sleeping we thought nothing more of it. After 3 days the “aura” that I would normally see in-front of my eyes was still present so I visited the GP who put it down to Migrainism but referred me to the Ophthalmologist where my eyes were deemed healthy. After two weeks with no improvement to my vision, and a terrible short term memory I was referred to Acute Medicine where a CT scan was carried out, nothing came back out of the ordinary, a MRI scan was ordered… with a 18 week waiting list. 3 weeks later with still no improvement I the Consultant seen me in his clinic and ordered the MRI where it came back that my Optic Nerves to the brain were inflamed. He admitted me there and then, wanting to run tests for MS. Lumber punctures, blood tests and a MRA were carried out and the diagnosis 6 weeks after was a Right PCA stroke. Both my eyes are effected, the way I describe it is looking through a T.V that needs tuned it. I have constant white noise in my ears, my memory is awful for short term things. Sorry to have rambled on! I was given very little information when discharged on what to expect etc. Edited November 20, 2013 by penny Paragraphs/line spacing inserted for easier reading Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gill C Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 Hi Lee & welcome to BTG Your story has some similarities to mine except my anni didn't burst but it was in the same place. Hopefully your vision will get better as the blood disperses, are you still under the eye clinic for them to keep an eye on it (excuse the pun)? In the early days its hard but you need to rest as much as you can to enable your brain to heal, drinking lots of water will help with the headaches (which are normal). fatigue is a big issue early on so although you may feel ok pushing on until you hit the fatigue wall will only slow down your recovery. Sleep as much as you need & make your family aware that you will need some quiet time to recoup your energy. Take care & ask away , there's always someone around to help xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iola Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 Hi, You are so lucky to be alive. I cannot believe they did not figure this out for so long. How does your head feel? Good grief, I was a mess the first three months. Take is slow and do not pick up anything heavy or do anything that would cause pressure on your head. Rest, rest, rest and lots of water. iola Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixiebelle88 Posted November 20, 2013 Author Share Posted November 20, 2013 Hi there and thanks for the warm welcome I had a heart scan today and 24 hour ECG monitor home with me. My Neurologist is unsure what actually caused the Stroke but can't rule out my HRT ( I had a hysterectomy at 30) I feel like I;m taking Panic attacks, is this normal? I panic where there is a lot of noise/people around me. Saw the eye Doctor yesterday and he was impressed , I can focus and see the colour red where as I;m toally useless in the dark and with dark colours just now, thanks for the tips on sleepp and heavy lifting! I never knew of this xx I apologize for my typos lol xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gill C Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 Lee its not unusual to be more sensitive to noise after an sah. Its like out filter has gone wonky inside so all the information we normally ignore can't be filtered out & our brain is bombarded by visual & auditory stimulus. Remember how a new born gets with overload, they turn their head away & get very tired, that's how I feel we are. Some people try ear plugs to lessen the impact of noise, I didn't & it has got better over the last few years though I still need quiet time to recoup my energy. My vision went through fairly big changes within the first few weeks , I regained movement & eyelid movement. For me as my situation is unusual the damage done by the pressure of my anni on the nerves to my eye means I will never regain single vision or pupil dilation/focusing. Did you have any coiling or clipping or was your bleed unexplained? There are a few NASAH'ers on here too who may be able to give you more info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixiebelle88 Posted November 20, 2013 Author Share Posted November 20, 2013 Hi The bleed was unexplained, the heart scan and 24h ECG were ordered to check the valves etc. But my GP advised that as Migraine Sufferer along with my HRT I was a higher risk and may never find out what exactly caused the clot. Lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iola Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Hi Lee, I, too, had a hysterectomy in my 30s. Thought I was done big and bad things and then this SAH happened. Mine was unexplained. Unknown etiology. If you google non-aneursymal SAH you will find a lot of info. But, as everything, I google too much and end up scaring myself. Prognosis very good though. I never suffered from anxiety but I have had a couple anxiety attacks since. One of the ladies on BTG really helped me by telling me, "they cannot hurt you". Simple and effective. Bagpuss is right, our brains are like a baby's brain right now. Needs lots of time to rest and overload comes quickly. I used to love to shop. Could shop all day. Now, when I go into a store I go into a fog and have a difficult time adjusting to everything and everyone. There are a few really good threads on BTG that will help you get through this. I went to see my neuro about a month ago and he gave me some really good advice, I just cannot remember which thread I put it under. If you click on my name you will see all I have written, not that all are so important, but that one may help. Most importantly, he said it would take 12-18 months to feel "normal" again. As normal as one can be after something like this. I so believe this to be true. iola Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winb143 Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 (edited) Hi Lee, Anxiety is natural, always keep mints and a soft drink/water with you, stops the mouth drying up when in a panic. See Doc if worried though. My daughter has panic attacks and once she knew it would get better without getting worked up, she was ok. The Doc said to her look you are breathing now calmer. and as Iola said they cannot harm you if you don't panic xx (easy for me to say sucking mints). We are survivors Lee so onwards and upwards only from now on. No Stress !! xx Keep Well Regards WinB143 xx Edited November 22, 2013 by Winb143 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Hi Lee warm welcome to the site glad you found us, another Scotty here... yes rest as much as you can, listen to your body, drink plenty... take care Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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