Follow up after non anyuerism SAH

[Cal]

Hi,

Hope everyone is well. Just wondering what the follow up is for a person with a non-anyuerism SAH is.

Jim had 2 angiograms, the first one the day he suffered his SAH and the second one 6 days later (both showed no anyuerism) and one cat scan at 4 weeks after his inital SAH because of headaches but nothing since and no appts have been made. Almost like they said you are done but without actually saying so.

Cal

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[Ann]

Hi Cal

Like Jim I had no aneurysm and also like Jim have no futher follow ups or contact with Neurologist.

Mine happened on holiday in another country, I had an initial regular CT on admission for diagnosis, a catheter angiogram 48 hours later (where they assumed they may find an AVM or an aneurysm hidden on the CT but found nothing)and an MRI 5 days after that.All text book and exemplary procedures.

On arrival back in the UK I had a CTangiogram at about the 2 month post SAH stage folowed by a brief consultation with a neurologist who basically asked me to walk in a straight line(which I almost could do!), asked me to push him away with my flattened palms and tickled my feet, end of consultation and end of any contact. As long as I had no clearly obvious deficit he had no further interest or advice. Anything I asked about recovery was met with "no one really knows the answer to that" or "fatigue is a complex issue. My daughter who is a newly qualified doctor tells me that those responses are "doctor speak "for "it's all in your imagination"!!!

I am now 41/2 months post SAH and over the past two weeks I have noticed a huge improvement. Hope Jim is improving too.I still get very bad neck ache every evening and the fatigue can be a real issue (GP is getting bloods done next week as he said it is easy just to attribute all problems to SAh and he wants to rule out any other causes of fatigue)but getting better all the time.Managing regular daily tasks now without any problems, have permission to drive, started swimming again but only very short distances compared to previously.

Good luck with recovery, it seems hard to get any info about us few without aneurysm although all info says recovery time is the same whatever the cause.

Ann

[sue]

Hi Cal,

my non aneurism SAH was on 31st December 2006 so I,m 17months on (I think!)

I had the initial angiogram and CT scans while I was in hospital, then I had a follow up MRA around 6 months later.

I was then discharged by the consultant.

Was then refferred back to him early on this year because of a couple of severe headaches........had a CT angiogram a few weeks ago and got the results last week.....they were good,......so that was a relief, I have to go and see him once more on December 1st this year and he says if I am the same then as I am now then he will discharge me.

I suppose the reason we tend not to get scanned so much after a non aneurism SAH is because there's nothing there to look at because once the vessel is healed thats it!! My consultant had wondered if I had had another small bleed so thats why I had the last one.

I agree with Ann the recovery tends to be the same whether its aneurismal or not.

Hope Jims doing ok.

Love Suexx

[Cal]

Thanks Ann and Sue,

It appears the treatment Jim had is the same as yours. I often wondered why there was no follow up but what you said does make sense. Since there was not an anuerism then there really is not a great need to check for this.

I always feel so much better when we correspond on this site.

Stay well!

Cal

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