SAH Book Recommendations and quotes

[Daffodil]

I think once I could get my brain to stay still for a bit post bleed I started to become more and more curious about what had happened to me and what life might now look like. When I got on line, (which was a fair few months afterwards) I scanned and read the statistics.

 

• About 40% of all people who have a ruptured brain aneurysm will die as a result
• 4 out of 7 people who recover from a ruptured brain aneurysm will have disabilities
• Brain aneurysms are most prevalent in people ages 35 – 60, but can occur in children as well
• Women, more than men, suffer from brain aneurysms at a ratio of 3:2
• Ruptured brain aneurysms account for 3 – 5% of all new strokes (2012 Brain Aneurysm Foundation)

 

The facts scared me. Too harsh, too disconnected to my experience so then I looked for stories from people who had been through this. I didn't find BTG and you lovely lot until much later after I had my shunt placed but I did read a book @Rebooting my brain'  documenting personal experiences of SAH as part of my attempt to learn more about what happened to me and I took great comfort from this shared experience in them even if at the time it took a huge effort to read it and it was not always a comfortable read. 

 

So woke up this morning and I wondered if having a thread where we can share book recommendations might be useful to members so I am posting this as a starter of the three books I recommend.

 

Quote

"any blood spill in the brain causes the brain to swell slightly. It hits the hard skull, compresses, and one of the results is major fatigue, decreased concentration and slowed mental speed. It usually takes a year for neural stability to be acheived but until then it will interfere with your concentration and you may be irritable and tearful at times. Your friends will expect you to behave as you always did because you look the same" Neurophyschologist Dr Baehr as quoted in the book 'Time out of my Mind' by the actress Jane Lapotaire

 

Quote

"I'm searching for the truth, some sweet day we will get there in the end" words sung out of the blue and despite aphasia by singer Edwyn Collins and recounted in the book 'Falling and Laughing; the Restoration of Edwyn Collins'  written by his wife Jane Maxwell and detailing the life of the Orange Juice lead singer after his massive SAH 

 

Quote

"we can save her life Mr Ross but that is all we can do, we have no idea yet what effect this hemorrhage had on her brain, memory, motor skills or personality" The stark prognosis given to a loved one in Maria Ross's book 'Rebooting my brain'

 

[Winb143]

I found Jill Bolte Taylors book good and at the same time she bought humour into it.

 

My Stroke of insight is about Jill who had a stroke and I saw her on Oprah's show and she could laugh about it.  Like one day we will.

It gave me hope as here is a woman and she cannot remember her Mum G G  and her Mum cuddled her as it  was all she could do and Jill says "So this is a G G,  I like G G's"   (my words)

 

 

[Swishy]

Win I love Jill Bolte Taylor's book...have read it twice (very slowly)...I too very much wanted to know what happened to me. 

 

The doctors here in Boston turned every test up side down and concluded they don't know what caused my SAH followed 5 days later with a severe RCVS...I had zero knowledge of any of this before and have worked to understand it all. 

 

I do understand that I am very lucky and I do understand that this site has helped me emotionally as I make sense of it all..

It is all slow, unlike any illness or accident before.  I continue to learn and hope to be of some little bit of support for those coming in after me. 

 

Jean