six months post-SAH

[Anne Fleming]

It's been 6 months since my SAH. I'm just wondering how other people felt after 6 months? My recovery is SO slow. Do you ever get to the stage psychologically where you start to forget about SAH and it's more a distant memory?

Anne x

[Tina]

Hi Anne

I am nearly 6 months myself, and where I seemed to be doing well, have gone backwards a bit, I think it is a slow recovery, and everyone is different. I am not good at the moment but trying to keep positive, I find the wonderful people here , inspire me, reassure me,as I hope you find the same. One thing i have really had to learn is to be patient, accept I cant always be in control and to accept help,and not to be so stubborn and independent. All of which I find very frustrating and hard to accept. Having a SAH does change your life, sorry I cannot really help you, but wanted to say I know how you feel, take care, be well.

Love Tinaxx

[Karen]

Hi Anne,

I'm nearly 3 years post SAH and there's still not a day that passes where I don't think about the SAH. However, it doesn't dominate my day any more ..... It's well documented on this website that I found the first 12 months the hardest to deal with, but my annie hasn't been totally occluded, so I also know that there's a risk of it happening again and maybe that's the reason why my coming to terms with things have been slow ..... the 2nd year went faster and I found it easier ...... my 3rd year has been even better and I feel more at ease with what's happened or what could happen ..... I know that there's nothing that I can change and worrying about what could happen, just stops me from living a half decent life. It will probably take you a lot longer than six months to adjust to everything that has gone on and to come to terms with the person that you are now.... it does get better....xx

[Louise]

I would say for myself from year 3 things improved a lot, but dont be put off by that because we're all different with different can & cant do's.....

Good luck with going back to work that's a huge impressive step well done you.....big pat on your back.....

Take care

Louise.xx

[tennissmithy]

I'm 19 months on and still also i think aout my SAH most days. I wsa doing really well then hit a brick wall and started having major headaches most days. Its a long process so just take care and listen to your body. I'm naff at listening to mine but am getting better

Laura

xx

[jess]

Hi there I still think about mine most days and i am nearly 6yrs but they aren't bad thoughts anymore not that often it will get easier 6 months isn't all that long. Jess.xxx

[bogbrush]

It was probably about the 6 month stage when I started to feel almost normal again. After 21 months it is becoming a distant memory, but I think about it every day.

As long as you're making steady improvement, you just have to go with it. It sometimes helps to look back and see how far you've come.

Regards

Keith

[Shanti]

Hi Anne

I'm at the 6 months mark and must admit I do feel semi normal now. It creeps up on you. At around the 4 month mark I noticed a marked improvement in that my right eye started to get stronger and I took the pirate patch off for the first time. But like everyone on here, those blasted bad heads/eye pain do come and go and I've learnt to live with them. Do not feel strong enough to go back to work though and have just resigned.

Like many on here I think the medical advice that 3-6 months should see a marked improvement (or that at 6 months will be as good as it gets) isn't a definite benchmark, each person's recovery appears to be different. I don't feel quite so traumatised and frightened that its suddenly going to happen again now.

As for your question do you get to a stage psychologically where you start to forget about SAH and it's more a distant memory? I think it will be different for each and every one of us, but I don't think I will ever forget about the SAH or not take it into account in any plans I may have in the future. Bottom line is: its life threatening, life can never be the same. We've been given a second chance and should take care so it hopefully won't happen again, but there are no guarantees.

Love 'n hugs

Lesley xxx

[Anne Fleming]

For the first 6 months post-SAH my taste and smell has been very distorted with constant sewage taste in mouth and most food tasting like sewage or mouldy. I've found this hard to cope with tho my GP has been good, prescribing high cal supplements to keep my weight from dropping any more. The "sewage" taste is definitely easing up a bit and I think as I'm able to eat more real food rather than rely on supps, I'm beginning to feel stronger & more normal. I've never been a "foodie" but this problem has really worn me down.

[Guest yasmin]

Hi all

Well my SAH was Jan 07 and I must say that some days especially this week I feel as though it were yesterday as I feel so unwell and totally exhausted this is partly due to the fact that I am now back at work full time. However psychologically I am improving I have also found that attending CBT workshops are helping me, at first I thought they would'nt help and that the people there did'nt understand what I was going through but it will be week 3 next week and I am looking forward to it, if anyone is doubting taking help don't I'm a really strong person but this is help that I know I need and I am hopeful that it will help me in the end. What a terrible shock we all have when the SAH hits us and how we all angish at the thought of another one, but as the months go past you will learn to be stronger and to appreciate the small things in life such as the birds singing and a new flower that has bloomed in the garden, I appreciate every day and everyday I try to do one thing however little it is that I enjoy.

I hope these words help

Yasmin

xxx

[Janet]

Hi Anne

At six months I was still suffering fairly severe headaches and my self confidence was quite low but I returned to work after 7 months which improved my self confidence. The headaches can still be quite severe but nowhere near as bad as they were. I also still think about the SAH most days but I don't get quite so anxious or worried about all the different creaks, twinges and pains now.

Janet x

[Anne Fleming]

Thanks everyone for your words of wisdom. I returned to work yesterday, am doing three afternoons per week to begin with. It felt really odd being back - as if the past 6 months had happened to someone else. I found it hard to reconcile the person I was back in November with the person I am now, sitting at my desk. It is odd being at work and not being able to hear very well what people are saying but if my hearing doesn't improve, I am really hoping a hearing aid may help down the line a bit. I'm back at ENT in a couple of months.

Yes I think I will have to be patient. I did have quite a big bleed so have been told my brain will definitely still be healing at this stage. I think I'm going to try to focus on other things and let the healing take place without me monitoring it closely every day and not seeing much difference on a day-to-day basis.

Yasmin, I would agree with you re CBT. I had a couple of sessions a few months ago specifically to help me cope with taste and smell problem. I found it helped so I will try to keep it up. A friend is reading CBT for Dummies which she says is very good.

Best

Anne x