stent I suffered from an SAH and I am 28

[Sophieskb]

Hello everyone 

 

I suffered from an SAH and I am 28, and at the time of writing this I am 7 weeks post SAH. It is great to read all of your comments and stories. 

 

Following my SAH I had a stent fitted in the offending artery in my brain, and I wonder how others have had their SAH fixed on this forum? Has anyone else had this done, and how was your recovery?

 

Seven weeks on from my operation  I am not allowed to do any heavy lifting and still not allowed to drive. Physically, I was very lucky following the SAH, but I do suffer with bad head aches. I suppose my biggest question is do they really ease with time like I’ve been told, and how soon do people get back driving again? 

 

I feel so lucky with the outcome of my SAH, and I have a very supportive family, but no matter how much I try to explain I still don’t think they truly know what I mean sometimes. I think the biggest thing for me after this is my outlook on life has changed totally! I am less precious about things that are not important.

 

I also worry sometimes that I will never fully be how I was before. Perhaps I’m being impatient with myself in lots of ways, but I just want to get on with life. It feels like someone pushed the “pause” button 7 weeks ago. 

 

Sophie

 

 

 

 

[Super Mario]

Welcome to BTG.

 

To help with the headaches make sure you are drinking plenty of water to keep yourself well hydrated. It really does help. They should ease over time.

 

As for driving, have you notified DVLA, it is a notifiable condition? It is up to them when you can drive again depending on any medical reports they may ask for.

 

We do have members with stents fitted, someone will pick this thread up at some point.

 

In the meantime take it very slowly, baby step or you will find yourself impeding your recovery. Recovery is individual to each survivor, there are no hard fast rules.   

 

As for your outlook on life changing, that is a positive thing. I think most survivors have changed their outlook on life, in my opinion, for the better.    

[Chelle C]

Hi Sophieskb,

Welcome to BTG, so sorry to hear that you suffered an SAH, you have come to a great place for help, advice and great support.

 

I had mine in June 2014 I had a ruptured Aneurysm which was coiled along with a second one which they found during that procedure.

 

We are not allowed to give medical advice as non of us are trained to do so, what we can do is share our own experiences of SAH and our recovery stories, although no two bleeds are ever the same, we all recover at different rates and some of us have some difficulties afterwards and some of us go on to make a full recovery.

 

Seven weeks is still very early in terms of recovery, the headaches do get better,  try to make sure you drink lots of water, staying hydrated really does help with that, also make sure that you don't over do things, lots of rest and if you need to sleep do so.

 

Fatigue is a one of the side effects that you will notice, the smallest of things can make you feel exhausted, make sure you listen to your body and when you feel tired make sure you rest. Your Brain and your body have suffered a traumatic event and they both need lots of time to recover, things will get easier as time goes on.

 

There is a thread on here about driving after SAH, as I don't drive I can't really comment about it, I'm sure those that do will come along and give you advice on that.

 

It can be very difficult for family to understand what you are going through, from the outside you look perfectly fine, they can't see what is going on inside and the way that is making you feel,  there is a thread on here titled  A Letter From My Brain, have a look at it and then you can maybe let your family read it, also you could show them this website and let them read some of the stories and posts from other survivors, by doing that it may help them to better understand what you are feeling.

 

Anyway I would just like to wish you all the very best as you go along your recovery journey, pop in the green room, join in the banter when you feel up to it, we are a friendly lot, we are here to help and support as much as we can, we have all been where you are now, don't ever feel like you are alone.

Love

Michelle xx

[Sophieskb]

Thank you both for all of your kind words and comments! It’s great to hear your advise, and I will definitely take a look at the threads you recommend and show them to family. 

 

I have been drinking as much as I can, usually trying to hit a 2ltr a day target. I have also notified DVLA who have contacted the hospital and received info from them, I’m just waiting for them to make their final decision... but who knows how long that will be! 

 

With regard to my SAH itself, the reason for the stent was because I had a deformed artery with four anyerisms off of it, and one had bled, but they had to stop the other three from doing the same. Very scary, and absolutely no warning! On the plus side, my recovery is going very well. I just need to learn to rest and not push myself too much, which is hard when you’re not good at sitting still and like your independence. Happy days! 

 

Good luck to you too with your ongoing recovery. 

Kind regards 

Sophie 

 

 

[Winb143]

Sophie,

 

It isn't something that we can get over quickly but we are survivors, that in itself is good.

 

But we are all here and to know we are not alone in this helps me lol selfish !!!

 

My Daughter found this site and for me it was a godsend  xxx 

 

We can share worries and tales of woe and people actually understand as they have been through it xx so wishing You Good luck 

 

Sing and think happy thoughts is my answer to all ills  lol xxxx I was coiled and had to have a shunt for hydrocephalus as I was in cuckoo land.

 

Be well and don't let things get to you laughter is best medicine xxxx

 

 

[Carolyn73]

Hi sophieskb 

 

I have just seen your post in February and I thought I had written it. I am 7 weeks post SAH which was coiled. I spent 2 days in HDU and 10 days on a ward. I have awful fatigue, a weak right hand, awful headaches over my right eye and forehead  and weepy days.

 

I found this forum a couple of weeks ago and people have been very supportive to my questions. I have been lucky compared to some on here with regards to disabilities but suffer from the initial issues everyone has. I too was wondering about the driving situation. Obviously I am no where near ready or able to drive  and don't see my consultant until January and another MRI in feb.

 

I wonder if you or anyone can let me know what their experience was regarding getting their license back

 

Another strange experience I had yesterday. It was a crisp sunny day so after a sleep early afternoon i asked my husband to take me for a little drive to see how i get on.

 

We went to a little farm shop 7 mins up the road. I felt anxious in the car (strange sensation ) I was very weak legged and had to link my husband when we got out of the car.

 

The shop was quite empty which I was glad as I felt quite anxious. I was glad to return home. Maybe it was too soon but I was seeing if I would be ok and was moving on a step further but it made me realise just how debilitating this injury is. 

 

Carolyn

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Macca]

Hi Carolyn,

 

When you come onto the site, on the front page, scroll down to the bottom and you will see a whole forum devoted to driving issues after SAH.  Just click on it. 

 

There's lots of stuff in there including good practical advice and people's experiences about getting their licences back.

 

Best wishes 

 

Macca

[subzero]

Hello Carolyn ...

 

Just a brief word on your comments about how you felt when you were on the short car journey with your husband driving.

 

Following your SAH you will be discovering many situations where your brain simply does not react in the way you would expect. Your damaged brain is trying to find other ways to help you get to where you want causing you to feel how you did.

 

One such situation is that your reaction times are different now. Formerly, being driven by your husband would have been a relaxing time, but now you may find that you are sitting beside him anticipating every move he makes and this can result in much stress for yourself. 

 

In my situation with Mrs Subs ... she often was unable to just sit there and let me change lanes, brake, move on at a junction and so on  ... and her reactions initially were concerning for me until I appreciated that the reason was simply her malfuctioning brain.  I am pleased to say that with time this has so improved .

 

So when you eventually try and return to driving, you too may feel the concentration required to drive well in busy traffic causes headaches or tiredness simply because your brain is trying to find ways to cope while still damaged.

 

Please stay positive as you come up against these `trials`.  You will with time find ways to adjust.

 

 

Subs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Colleen]

Hi Carolyn,

 

Congratulations on the progress you have made, never underestimate the significance of smallest achievements. In addition to Subs explanation I would suggest that following SAH our brains may have trouble adjusting to too much stimulation.

 

I recall after my time in the hospital experiencing similar anxiety on the ride home. In my case it was cars and buildings streaming by as we were in a city. It's almost like a bit of phobia after being kept in semi- confinement. To this day (11 yrs now) I will become anxious in the grocery store when I am very tired because of the visual overload - too many colors, shapes, labels and the other shoppers.

 

then there is the fact that may of us has a degree of PTSD following the trauma, and rightly so.  You may feel safer at home. Or , the SAH may have damaged a potion of the brain that controls fear..

 

You are still early on in recovery and will find things get better as you go. But, If these symptoms continue to bother you, speak with your neurologist. I waited way too long and could have alleviated much of my anxiety sooner. 

 

Best wishes, Colleen

[Sophieskb]

Hi Carolyn 

 

I'm sorry to hear that you too have been unwell, but congratulations on your recovery so far! 
 

I hope you are beginning to feel less anxious, but as everyone has said, it’s just our brain trying to get to grips with it all again after everything that’s happened. 
 

I got my licence back from DVLA after 10 weeks, so when I did get back behind the wheel it felt very odd. I still only do small trips and I can’t stand bright headlights when driving at night. 
 

If you can, to take baby steps little and often rather than “Boom & Bust”! I learnt this the hard way after pushing myself too hard, causing tiredness, headaches and making myself more likely to feel anxious. It can be hard to retrain yourself but the thing I found to help the most was to write a small daily diary of what I did and how it made me feel from 1-10 (1 being great and 10 being totally fried!)

 

This helped me spot when I was pushing too hard and when I should ease off a bit. I have also been to see a hypnotherapist to help with my anxiety while in the car or out and about. I would never have considered it until someone else recommended it to me, but it really did help me. 

 

I hope you find some of this helpful and I wish you all the best for your ongoing recovery! 

 

best wishes 

Sophie

 

[Carolyn73]

Thanks to all your comments

 

Sophieskb that's a good idea 're the diary. I do keep a diary but just write good days bad days etc

I think your scoring system could be a good indicator. Today a fatigue day so just rested. I do think the anxiety episodes are a bit PTSD. It is alien to my normal me but I guess I have to take a step back and accept and deal with these strange feelings.

 

Thank you all for your support .