Questions about causes of SAH

[Sar67]

Hi, on 25th January 2017 I was admitted to hospital after an MRI revealed two SAH's on either side of the brain. 

 

The past three weeks I had headaches and left side neck pain that would develop during exercise and then continue during the day. They were quite intense during the workout and would reduce in intensity for the rest of the day. I kept exercising and then I got a severe headache one training day.

 

Convinced it was coming from my neck I did every type of massage and saw the chiropractor who said my neck was the best he seen it. Three days later, while exercising (all sessions were with medium sized weights) I had an explosive headache and couldn't turn my neck. I made an appointment for GP next day and she recommended, after I told her that my mother had an aneurysm in an artery of the brain, to have an MRI and gave me some migraine meds.

 

They didn't help and the next day I went for MRI and was told to go directly to emergency due to bleeds. 

They couldn't find an aneurysm initially but with a subsequent angiogram they found an aneurysm in the internal corotid artery. They did not think it was responsible for the bleeds but suggested stenting  it just in case ( it was small). 

 

They told me at first that they thought I had reversible cerebrospinal vascular spasm, a controversial diagnosis. Some doctors said they didn't think that was the cause of the bleeds.  

 

My question is what reasons have members been told as to the cause of their bleeds. 

I'm really quite scared that it will happen again if there is no reason for it. 

Also have many of you had a SAH during exercise? Have you been told not to exercise again except for gentle stuff? 

Thanks for reading my story. 

 

[Chelle C]

Hi Sar67,

Welcome to BTG, so sorry that you have had a bleed and are feeling scared,

 

There are a lot of members here who have had Nasah, I`m sure they will come along and try to answer some of your questions.

There are also a couple of people who had their bleed during exercise, they will have some answers for you also.

 

I had a ruptured aneurysm so I know what caused my bleed, I know there are quite a few people at BTG who have had bleeds

without an explanation, so don`t feel alone with this.

 

What I would say to you is really what CaseyR has said, make sure you drink plenty of water as keeping hydrated really does help

with any headaches you may have.

Also make sure you have plenty of rest, your brain and your body have suffered trauma and they both need time to heal,

try and give them that time and try to take things slowly.

 

As for exercise I would say you need to speak to your doctor`s, they will advise you on that as everyone`s recovery is different.

 

It`s still early days with your recovery and it`s normal to be scared after such an event,

I`m just sorry I couldn't be more helpful in answering your questions.

 

I wish you well on your recovery journey and look forward to hearing more from you,

 

Love

Michelle x

[Winb143]

Sara ,

 

Listen to your body and what Casey and Chelle have said, if you feel like yuk rest up. 

 

We are survivors but it takes a while to get better, but if we listen to what hospital has said and Docs  we will get there xx

 

Be happy and stress free, ie do not take on others worries.  Look after you without sounding mean.  xx

 

Good luck on recovery  oh and I had an SAH with a bleed and other complications  xx

 

Love

Win xxxx

[Sar67]

Thank you for your great advice. I will take on board your suggestions

[Macca]

Hi Sar67,

 

Welcome to BTG first of all.

 

There are theories about what might cause a SAH, but the truth is that nobody really knows for sure why they do.  You may hear things like high blood pressure, stress, weaknesses in your arteries put forward as reasons.  They may or may not be true, but you will not find any proof to back any of them up.

 

For instance, stress is not measurable and its impact would be different from person to person, depending on their own bodily constitution.  It's like asking 'how long is a piece of string?' - it's unanswerable.

 

What we do know is that they do happen and fortunately there are doctors who know how to deal with them.

 

My consultant likened it to riding a bike - one minute its ok and then you get a puncture.  You repair it and get on with your life.

 

I hope that doesn't sound too simplistic.  We're all looking for answers but I fear they will be a long time coming.  Much better, therefore, to focus on recovery and making the most of your second chance because none of us can change the past - what's done is done.

 

I hope this helps,

 

Macca

 

[Chris G]

Welcome,

 

I suffered a NASAH while out running.  I was told that it is usually the result of injury, but can be just something that was going to happen at some point.  I had ridden roller coasters the day before too.  Basically, I was told that the cause is usually unknown and the chance of re-occurrence is remote.  Unless there is some specific cause, I was told to resume my normal life.  I have done so for the most part, though I will not ride rollercoasters or other rides that jar my head around again.

 

Check with and listen to your doctors.  But unless they give you reason otherwise, try to get past the fear of it happening again.  It took some time for me, but I now run just as much as I did before.  Other than some slight memory problems, and some weird (as in they feel different than headaches before) headaches, I don't seem to have any other problems as a result of the NASAH.  I will add that it does mess with your emotions some;  I have days where I am gloomy and some days where I am tired.  But that is all part of finding your course as a survivor.

 

And that is what you are...a survivor!

 

Best wishes,

 

Chris

[Tim]

Hi Sar67, I had an NASAH last May 2016, it happened whilst I was doing my daily 20 minute exercise of lifting weights, at home not at the gym, and not that heavy, unbelievable neck pain, followed by severe headache and constant vomiting, my partner was there and immediately phoned for ambulance, long story short, spent next two weeks in ICU and then another 2 plus weeks in the neuro ward.

 

Like others, I have been told there was nothing specific and that the exercise may/may not have been anything to do with this happening.

I have been helped by this site and the members with they're invaluable good sense and understanding, I'm not where I want to be at this moment but do think that keeping in touch with people who have suffered similar is a great help

[ClareM]

Hi Sar67 welcome to the club.

 

Like Chris I had my NASAH whilst out running, I don't think that was the cause as I wasn't running very fast  . I don't think the docotors know the cause with non aneurysmal bleeds which can be rather frustrating. However I have had several angiograms and a big MRI and they have not detected any reason for me to have another bleed.

That's all well and good but we still have to deal with the legacy of the one we have had.

 

I have some short term memory issues and still suffer from fatigue. I am learning to live with that and am back exercising. In fact today I did a 10k run, it was hard but I did it so can't all be bad. My neuro-psychologist says to me "keep running it's your time for release" and she's right. I can be very stressed at work and find a good run after helps relieve that pressure.

 

Good luck with your recovery, as others say, plenty of water and focus on the future, not the past.

 

Clare xx

[Chris G]

Hi again. I want to add another comment. If you are like me you will ask "How can they tell me it won't happen again if they don't know why it happened?"  Sounds illogical. The answer is while they don't know why it happened to you specifically, they do have statistics from thousands of people who have suffered NASAHs in the past. And based on those statistics the chance of it happening to you again is no greater than it happening the first time. My doctor said it would be like being struck by lightening twice. So hopefully that will give you some comfort. 

[scrof]

Greetings all:

 

I had an ANSAH on February 15 of this year. Also while exercising. doing physio for a blown knee. I saw some excellent doctors in Singapore. Had 3 angiograms, 5 CT scans, 3 MRIs, one with contrast. Nothing found.

 

I was repeatedly told to "be careful" "take it easy", not lift anything heavy or rush for airplanes, but couldn't get any sort of a straight answer about resuming vigorous exercise in the longer term, which was an important part of my life. Now trying to get back to full time work (I am a writer and, of course, worry that it will affect the quality and/or quantity of my output).

 

Overall, I'd say that my experience so far has been very similar to Chris G's (thanks for your helpful posts), notably including the weird headaches, the gloomy days etc.

 

Still trying to find out more about causes and, obviously, long term prognosis. I don't think most of the records on this condition go back more than a decade or two. It was only identified in the 90s, I believe. another problem is that compared to aneurysmal SAH sufferers, our outcomes are relatively good, perhaps making us somewhat less interesting to study! 

 

Anyway, onward and upward.

 

Am a newbie on this sight and would appreciate word from anyone who has experience that sheds light on the exercise issue or anything related. Your posts have been a great help in this strange time. 

[Macca]

Hi,

 

Welcome to BTG!

 

Well done on getting through your NASAH.  If the condition was only discovered in the 90's then, of course, any study won't go back more than that.  The problem with research is that fields are generally very narrow in outlook and if there isn't much around because the condition hasn't been known about for that long, then it is still in it's infancy, research wise.

 

Do we know that our outcomes are relatively good from any documents you have seen, or is this an assumption?  Research perhaps might uncover the situation to be as you say, but then again it might uncover another unknown cause, as well as differing degrees of outcomes, some more severe than others. Sometimes there is research, but it is just knowing where to look to find it!

 

If you are planning on doing exercise, I would advise that you take medical advice before you do it, on both the type and quantities you propose to do.  Whilst it might suit some people, it won't suit others so speak to your doctor first.

 

Good luck

[scrof]

Thanks for the reply. and I meant an NA SAH of course.

 

I do also notice that this little thread seems to have a huge preponderance of sufferers who had their bleed while exercising. Just saying.

 

Does anyone know if there is a go-to person (consultant/neurologist/academic) in the UK or US on this issue. there a gentleman called Rinkel in Utrecht who wrote his PHd on the subject back in the 90s and seems to be leading a lot of work on both NA SAH and A SAH. For example, if people are curious about causes (small sample size though), see this: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24629055