R4ch75 Posted October 9, 2017 Share Posted October 9, 2017 Hi, I'm Rachel and still adjusting to having an SAH. My story, I had a serious headache in July this year (2017) and after having it for 2 weeks and starting to vomit with it I decided to go to my GP. She wasn't happy with the symptoms I was presenting, so phoned my hospital and gave me a letter and told me to go to the assessment unit. Whilst there I gave blood, saw a doctor who did a few tests on me and told me I would have a MRI and CT scan. After spending all day there, I saw a senior doctor and 2 training Neuro doctors who decided I was not 'worthy' of the scans and was sent home with Co-codamol. Over the weekend I became increasingly worse and between the unbelievable headaches and vomiting I went back to the assessment unit on the Monday, to be told I was allergic to Co-codamol and to go home with diazepam. I did feel a little better until the following Tuesday (25th July) where I woke up in the morning with a 'bang' in my head and complete loss of hearing. I knew something was wrong, so tried to contact my Husband (couldn't so left an answer on his machine) and explained how I was feeling just in case something was to go wrong. Luckily my 16 year old son came with me (I am a dog walker) to help me that morning. I drove to pick up a couple of the dogs we were walking and all of a sudden I had to pull over as something was very wrong. I was violently sick, and told my son to call an ambulance and that was the last I know of things. I was rushed to hospital, where luckily someone recognised what was wrong with me. They stabilised me and kept me on the Neuro ward over night and then the next morning I was flown by helicopter to Bristol for an emergency coiling operation. Kept there for a couple of days until I was transferred back to my local hospital and back on to the High Dependancy Neuro ward, where I stayed for 3 weeks. My time on this ward was superb (what I could remember) and I thought the staff were faultless. So, I was sent home and now I feel I have been left to get on with it. I have been so lucky as I am in contact with Headway who are fantastic, but what happens with follow up appointments with my consultant ? This has completely come out of the blue, as I am sure it has for others, I am (was) fit, non drinker, non smoker, 42 years old with great blood pressure, and I can't stand being told that it is 'one of those things'. Has anyone had a similar situation ? I would love to hear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subzero Posted October 9, 2017 Share Posted October 9, 2017 Hello Rachel, and a warm welcome to BTG. Thank you for sharing your experience of SAH in July, and so glad that you are now home recovering and receiving support from Headway. You will receive much support from reading the various Forum content written by members who have experienced SAH and how they have dealt with their recovery journey. There is no `one type` and you will find that there are different challenges along the way for each survivor. Our members will also help with any questions you have and provide a measure of support. We do not provide any medical advice. The delays in diagnosing that your brain was in trauma is not uncommon. Thankfully you were eventually flown to Bristol by helicopter to get the required treatment and coiling. During that time you would have been in the care of very experienced professional medics who fully understand the action to take. At the outset it is so important that you give your body and your brain time to recover. Aged 42, you say you were very fit... and it is only natural that you feel you should try and regain your old self as quickly as possible. Please don`t push yourself too hard in the first six months. Many have done so and found themselves encountering various setbacks such as headaches, severe fatigue and low morale because their body and brain are reacting to this early exersions. Please be patient. You also mention that you were discharged and feel you were `left to get on with it.` Again, this is not uncommon. So little advice is made available on discharge. However the important work has been done and it is only during these early months as you listen to you brain and body, that you find out what your own particular challenges are. This site will help you understand many of the challenges you may face. Returning to work is a decision you may have to make... after your initial months of recovery a phased return can be so important as you begin to discover how well your brain and body react to work`s demands. I wish you well as you go down this challenging and difficult path .... your family will also have been seriously affected by what has happened... they too will find help to understand what is involved by visiting this site. Your Consultant should have advised you of your next follow-up appointment ... please contact him/her if you do not have an early date. Take care and keep in touch Subs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daffodil Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 Hi Rachel. Like you my SAh came out of nowhere and I was 39 and generally fit,, active and well. The discharge is basically saying, there is nothing more medically we need to do to 'fix' you but you are only at the very beginning of a slow process to establish what changes have happened in your brain and how that may affect you. You should get a six month check up but check in with your GP too, it's worth them knowing your situation. Great you have made contact with Headway, they were great with me too. Brain and Spine foundation have great literature and booklets you can download and a nursing phone line you can call as well if you get worried and I would straight away get in touch with Bristol neuro team and ask if they have any support groups for SAH patients. The first six months is about a very physical recovery, you may have lost weight, definately will have lost muscle tone and vital minerals so it's about being kind to yourself, the following may help: Eat Small frequent healthy meals and snacks keep hydrated if you exert yourself rest afterwards learn to pace yourself dont push through warning signs Try to create a routine avoid over stimulating the senses I found it useful to keep a diary of what works and how I felt . I'm not going to lie and say this is a quick fix, it wasn't and still isn't for me but each SAH is diffent and your recovery will be governed by the grade of the bleed, where it was and how healthy you were before hand and a good sprinkle of hope and luck. Try to measure your progress from the ICU days, that's my best advice. Take care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 Hi there warm welcome glad that you found us... Daff says it all perfectly.. Great to hear your in contact with Headway normally you get an apt in about 6months (but that is not written in stone) scan and speak with neuro ect. Yep I'm with you 'just one of those things' grrr!! can understand that... I hope you find the site useful. take care Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharlua Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 Welcome Rachel, sounds like a pretty tough time, I was lucky in that my hospital had a support group running monthly which helped in the early days as I remember feeling quite alone after the intensity of hospital. My GP was lovely but knew very little about it, and as bleeds impact on each person differently it is difficult to have a one size fits all approach. I think the emotional impact is really not well understood and fatigue and memory issues have more impacts than is often recognised. My first follow up appointment was six months after the coiling, where I had MRI scan, I then saw consultant a few weeks later who discussed results and showed me my scans. I would guess follow ups maybe very much quicker if they have any concerns or the impact from the bleed requires more aftercare. We have a wide range of members and their partners who can provide support and whose experiences I found really helpful, particularly in my early recovery months. i look forward to hearing how you get on and wish you well. Regards Sharon xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris G Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 Welcome Rachel, I hope you continue to heal. You will find much good advice on here. I only experienced a NASAH and I am in the US. So I can't help much with advice on your health care system. But I send prayers for your continued improvement and adjustment. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R4ch75 Posted January 26, 2018 Author Share Posted January 26, 2018 Thank you guys it is lovely to have found a place that are the same as me. I have finished a wonderful course to help with memory and coping strategies and most of the people there had suffered SAH's and it was wonderful to be with people who have been in similar situations as myself. It is fascinating how similar our after effects were and it brought me a lot of peace. I have told all the people in the group about this forum as they hadn't heard of it, so let's hope we get some new members. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winb143 Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 Hi Rachel, Heard a lot of stories where they miss what is really happening to us !! I just passed out and they/Emergency called out a Man who's Daughter died of it as it was put down to her age!! Totally wrong. You must be a strong one lol xx Welcome to BTG and sorry I am late in replying xx Good luck Winb143 xx or just Win xx ha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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