the "what happened to me " moment

[Guest kaj]

Mom is going to be four months post SAH tomorrow. She has been home now for one full week. My dad says that she is a two person job right now. She needs two people to transfer her because she doesn’t really help him and the caregiver. What is starting to really bother me is her cognition. Did anyone experience what my mom is experiencing? She does not understand, still, what has happened to her. She doesn’t remember her past life and all the things she could do before the SAH. She goes about each day as if nothing is different. She knows who we are so I know she has to have some kind of memory. Since she has been home she seems to be much more tired and less cooperative. She zones out quite a bit. She just had a CAT done last week so I know it is not Hydrocephalus. I am thinking she is so tired because she is home now. I know in the nursing home she was just sat in front of the TV when one of us was not there or when she was in therapy. Maybe being talked to more and asked what she needs more is tiring her out. Anyone else experience this. I am worried now that she is not going to get much better. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Also, I was there to help my dad on Sat. My husband, myself and the three kids were there for six hours. We didn’t plan being there that long but had to help move things around, etc. The next day my mom was totally out of it. It was very difficult to get her out of bed. She had trouble eating breakfast and wasn’t really responding to anyone. I am thinking, again, that she had too much stimulus on Saturday and it wiped her out.

Thanks,

Kim

[Skippy]

Hi

It is possible that the change of environment and coming home and things being more tiring could have contributed to this 'zoning out'. I remember wanting to carry on as if nothing had happened - kind of denial I suppose. I was definitely tired all the time and couldn't watch more than a couple of hours of tv without feeling shattered. I'd had a loss of appetite but not actual difficulty in eating.

It's very hard to advise as, obviously, we're all different and our experience and recovery of the SAH will all be different. I don't know how good your GP is but it might be worth having a chat to them or if you have a dedicated Nurse at the hospital where your mum was.

Sorry I couldn't be of any further help - I really feel for you.

Sami xxx

[Blondie]

Hiya

I'm afraid I can't really comment on the cognition side of things, as my experiences were a lot different. I would say though that your mom is probably more tired because there is a lot going on around her - more people and activity. I found that sort of thing tiring for a long time.

Good luck, Blondie

[Louise]

Hi there

I still dont really remember much about my life before the SAH, the 5 weeks I was in the hospital I have never remembered anything about it at all not even a flicker.

I know that I dont like change at all it makes me ill.

Know this probably wont be of any help to you Kim...

Take care

Louise.

[Slim]

Hi there,

As everyone says we are all different, But without a doubt the visit's would wreck me. Even sitting up was tiring. I remember about 2 months a couple of pals coming to visit and I couldn't get out of bed at all. I was just exhausted.

I built my time out of bed up and had a pillow for resting my neck. I would get very sore. Intially I slept loads, Now maybe have a nap once a day. But just for an hour (best advice I every got)

Children even yet. Exhaust me and the sound of the shouting and playing was reallying overwhelming. (Sensory overload) I love children. But there are certain sounds that affect me even yet some songs on the radio that immediately I can't cope with. I gradually increased my tolerance of visitors day my day.

Now nearly year on have just spent a lovely/energetic couple of days with my neice and nephew. I did top up with more rest. But a couple of months ago I couldn't do this. Its still very early days and fatigue is awful.

Routine helped me too.

Take Care

Aine xox

[Guest kaj]

Thanks for all the advice. It really helps to know how other people recovered. My mom will be five months Nov. 23rd. She seems to be the same lately cognitively and not really doing better in that category. I will continue to be patient and pray to god each day that she will have a good recovery. Otherwise, I don't know what we will do.

God Bless everyone and their families.

Kim

[Guest mollie]

Hi Kaj and everyone

.I am 4 months post SAH and I don't know if my input will be of any help really. Can't remember being transferred to hospital from home or flight to Walton, in fact I remember zero, I remember little bits of what happened before my transfer to hospital. I came home to Nobles for a week after more than 3 weeks in Walton then was discharged to my own home, some of which I remember. I had the zoning out thing as well but it seems to be getting better the less visitors I have. I get tired when there are too many folks about as my brain just doesn't seem to be able to handle the noise and hubbub but is getting better. I guess I am one of the really lucky ones as there doesn't really seem to be too much gone amiss apart from short term memory.................I can even remember the names of all the kids now (well sometimes i need a prompt ) and have learned to write again as good as ever before. We are all different and recover at different rates but it is a slow process I think and we just have to be patient with it all. I tried to run before I could walk and just finished up exhausted so a lesson was learned there. My only worry now really is my other annie which has been left untreated as yet but maybe after my appointment on Tuesday the Neuro will tell me what he plans to do.

regards

Mollie xxx

[Louise]

I think 5 months I was still un aware of what was going on, everyone is so very different you could notice that people seem to be going back near normal lives but you have to really keepreminding yourself that what everyone has been through its different (if thats the right word)

Keep being strong take care

Louise.xx

[Joan]

Even now, almost exactly a year after it happened, I still find too many people around overwhelming and disconcerting. This inability to process too many conflicting inputs is apparently v. typical. Like Aine I get really tired on occasion and if there's been a big disruption -- like a flight when we got back from NY -- it takes me a full day to get my energy back. Of course, some of this is down to graceless ageing, but I used to be like the Energizer Bunny and now I am more like a Beanie Baby -- very happy staying put and keeping chilled. Joan

[Guest kaj]

I am glad that you are doing well. My mom had only been retired for about two years when this happened and they had yet to do all the things they wanted to. I am struggling with being too optimisitc at times and then the extreme of feeling hopeless. If she is the way she is now for the rest of her life, I would feel terrible. Part of me thinks she is in there and knows what happened and that she is really struggling. I hope this is true because then she will fight her way out. The lucky thing right now, is we have a great caregiver. She works really hard and cares. She hasn't been with my mom long but gave my father a birthday card the other day and a six pack of Polish beer. I thought that was a very nice gesture. We are blessed to have her working with my mom. I am holding out for Christmas time. It will be six months then. I hope she is showing some more improvement. I pray every day. I hope God is listening.

Thanks for all your support. You all have such wonderful attitudes with everything you have been through.

Thanks,

Kim