Headaches worse at night?

[Dramblys]

It's now 6 weeks since my wife's SAH.  In general her recovery is going well, especially when we see how much worse it could be.

 

She is still suffering from frequent headaches, which seem to get worse overnight (which of course makes it hard to sleep).  She seems to get some relief if she gets out of bed and just sits up in a chair in the dark for a while, but she really doesn't start feeling better until morning and some physical activity.

 

Is it common for the pain to be worse overnight? Any idea why this is happening?  Other than hydration (which does help somewhat), are there any other "lifestyle" changes that might help?

 

I know medical advice is not allowed here, but for reference she is taking acetaminophen (paracetamol) for the headaches, and sometimes Fioricet.  (She used to take fioricet for migraine, and knows to limit the amount she takes to well below the allowable dose in order to avoid rebound headache).

[Winb143]

Perhaps there is someone on here who can remember after the event Drambly as I cannot  remember until after the shunt,  if not ask Docs in hospital xx

 

I took Paracetamols as cannot take codeine bought me out in a rash.  

 

All the best to you Both 

 

[Super Mario]

What about trying a different routine, get your wife to have a nap in the day so she doesn't get over tired by night time.

Is she forcing herself to keep going during the day, if she is that will not help.

6 weeks is very early days in the timescale of SAH recovery and most survivors find that naps are necessary, for months or even longer 

[Skippy]

Hi there

 

I know that laying down flat to sleep was a no no for me so I invested in a V pillow and still use one to this day.  It allows you to be slightly propped up around the shoulder area but still laying down.  It may help.

[Super Mario]

9 minutes ago, Skippy said:

Hi there

 

I know that laying down flat to sleep was a no no for me so I invested in a V pillow and still use one to this day.  It allows you to be slightly propped up around the shoulder area but still laying down.  It may help.

Thinking about what Skippy has posted, I was told to sleep with my head on two pillows in the early days.

[paul99]

Hi, this could be because of the blood dissipating from the spine and head which can take up to three months to clear. Just keep up with the fluids and if you remember when you were ill and couldn't sleep things always seem worse at night. The v pillow is a brilliant idea and may help in relaxing your wife.

Wishing you both well

[Dramblys]

Thank you all!

 

Super Mario: Yes, she does take naps during the day when she feels fatigued.  That was an early lesson learned when she first came home and she was overdoing it.

 

Skippy:  I will get her a wedge pillow and give that a try.

 

paul99:  Yes, we were told by one of the doctors that the pain was caused by the blood being washed out by cerebrospinal fluid.  Glad to see that this process should not go on much longer.

[Super Mario]

This is the type of pillow Skippy is talking about.

http://www.wilko.com/pillows/wilko-v-shaped-pillow/invt/0329727

[Dramblys]

Interesting.  I'll see what I can find from a US retailer.  It's hard to tell from the photo how that would elevate the head more than a regular pillow.

[Super Mario]

10 minutes ago, Dramblys said:

Interesting.  I'll see what I can find from a US retailer.  It's hard to tell from the photo how that would elevate the head more than a regular pillow.

Because of the shape it elevates the shoulders as well. Over here many of our members have found that it helps.

You could try her sleeping on two pillows in the first instance.

[Chris G]

I used two pillows for a while.  Now I just use one, but it is a big one.  Elevation does seem to help.  When I first transitioned from the pain pills, I used another pill that helped me sleep for a while.  We can't give medical advice on here so don't take this as advice.  But since this is over the counter, I will mention that Benadryl works for me.  It is also what is in the "PM" pain pills I believe.  However, it has the opposite effect on my wife and makes her jumpy.  So who knows.

[Daffodil]

Hi, agree with all about getting a v pillow and sleeping with head raised. Even now I have three pillows and can’t sleep entirely flat anymore unless I want an increased headache.

 

i presume her bloods will have been checked recently? Sometimes the headaches can be chemical or m8neral imbalance ?if she is getting less outside time you may want to ask for her vitamin D levels to be checked. Mine went very low after discharge having been indoors so much and I was prescribed a vitamin supplement and also I have to watch my iron and get that checked regularly now...may Be the absorption rate for what we need is different after bleed , who knows, but basically check this as option for headaches  with GP.

 

If all is good then it could be a bit of worry and fear as well, try a good relaxing routine and see if that helps and don’t Be in a rush to get out of bed and stand up fast. But if it doesn’t improve then I would be asking them to check it out.  

[Mark]

I used a travel pillow around the neck and a light pillow and that took the pressure off the back of the head. I used that for a couple of months and now it isn't necessary, but I do find sometimes the head feels worse after lying down. That doesn't help when you just want to lie down when feeling a little fatigued. It's like a double-edged sword!