Welcome Denise!

[Karen]

Hi Guy's,

I can't remember too much about the information that I was given during my initial period in hospital.......I can only remember about them being pretty disgusted that I hadn't been properly diagnosed 4 years prior and also being told that I would be banned from driving for at 6 least months. I can't really remember being bothered about either things at the time, I just wanted to be "fixed" and made better.....just grateful being alive really.

I can remember after the coiling op, trying to pull the oxygen mask off my face as I couldn't stand the smell and I also thought that the nurses were Air Hostesses. It was all a bit weird for a while and I don't think that I had my full faculties for quite some time. Therefore, any info that they gave me, just didn't sink in.

I can also remember one of the intensive care nurses being upset and I heard a conversation about somebody being rude to her......I was so worried that it might have been me, that I apologised to her just in case in was. (She said it wasn't me, but I couldn't remember anything) I still think about that nurse and even though I don't think that it was me, I would hate to think that I could reduce anybody to tears, whatever the circumstances.

Anyway, just eaten too much ..... spent most of the day cooking, but I love Christmas Eve ..... my favourite day of the Christmas period.

Merry Christmas everybody ....

Love K xx

[Guest Denise]

Hi Karen,

That is ok, I've been called worse LOL.

I wasn't sure if there was a Wendy or you were talking to me, but didn't want to assume anything.

Boy, I am sure glad to know these headaches are normal, cause some of them are just the worse, but now I don't worry as much as I did before I found this board.

Feels like I have something tight on my head, like a headband and I just want to pull it off. I try not to take anything for it until it gets real bad, because how much tylenol can one take!

Well, I am sorry this happened to you Karen, but I am thankful you made this site! Your an angel and many people are going to be thankful just as I am.

And built just in time for me as I see.

I'm sure more people will show up, I looked for something like this as soon as I came home from the hosptial and it took me some time.

The Christmas Spectacular is a show in the famous Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, it features the world famous Rockettes. I've never seen it, so I am so excited.

I don't think this country has a health care system, we are on our own and talk about just in time, my husband just added me to his health insurance one month before this happened to me, if he didn't, we would be losing our home to pay for the medical bills.

I saw the bill for the one hour ride in the helicopter, $16,000! Imagine that!

As for the hospital bill it was over $97,000! And thankfully all we have to pay out of pocket is $250.00.

God is good to me, and I am so thankful for so many things, even though this horrible thing happenend, there are blessings all around and that is what I stay focused on. Always the blessings.

Well, I do hope you all have a very merry Christmas or whatever you celebrate, if anything, and just stay well in spirit.

Denise

[Louise]

Hi guys

And Merry Christmas hope Santa was good to everyone!!

Annie, I so know what you mean about 'life being so different for you now, & everyone just sweeps it under the carpet' Oh yes I sooo understand that....

From the moment this happened to me not only my life changed but Ronnie's too its hard on him especially when I'm having bad times.

Scott, I too had a fit when I had mine I was on anti seizure drugs for about a year.

I cant remember the first 5 weeks & the next 5 its only bits & peices so anything that I know my husband Ronnie has told me or I've since read about, when I used to go for my check ups the consultant would say we've meet do you remember me when I said NO they'd look at me but I found it really funny in the Neuro being surprised when people dont remember you just totally funny - or maybe its just me!!!!!

I did things that were totally out of charactor for me too I used to go wandering off they had to electronically tag me so I didnt go out the door not me at all.

When I got transferred to the Re-hab hospital they didnt have an ambulance to take me so they sent me in a private hire Taxi, Ronnie was furious that's one of my first vivid memories, in a traffic jam in the centre of town, a dull day all the Christmas lights were on it looked like 4pm & not morning I spotted this red dress & thought I like that, then thought I never wear dresses, when I realized I was in a car with someone I didnt know I very nearly got out, I would have if the traffic hadnt started to move...scarry....

From that minute it was as if someone was slowly turning the dimmer switch up...

I cant go in a taxi on my own now!!!! :?

I wouldnt drink when they wanted me to so I got it forced into me they wouldnt listen so what went down--well....

Well I'll stop there don't want to go into all that again.

Hope everyone is well today

Take care

Louise.xxx

[Annie]

Oh Louise! I can't believe everything you went through (and are going through!)! You are one incredible lady.

xo,

Annie

[rince]

Louise,

Only by talking about it can we come to terms with what happened. Don't apologise about anything, from the sounds of it we had similar experiences. I agree that our partners and those close to us have the real rough deal, they had to put up with much much more than I know I did. My two boys I can see now have been affected a lot more than I first thought, and I think we're only really seeing the begining of what happened come through 3yrs post event. Sam was 13 in December and is very young for his age in his manner, not a problem as long as Sarah (his Mum) and I remember that. Stephen (10 in July) is much more robust in his outlook, I don't think he realised how serious it was.

Scott

X.

[Guest Denise]

Just wanted to say hi to everyone and I do hope everyone had as good a holiday as possible.

Mine was great, my husband and son and I went to NYC to see the Christmas Spectacular show at Radio City music hall. It was great, it was the first time for all of us, then we hung out in the city for a few hours, that is my favorite place to be. My husband and son are not city people at all, so the fact that they spent the day with me and didn't complain, was just super! They are the best. But they are country boys.

I went for my tests on Tuesday, I had an MRI, an MRA and an MRV, but I don't go back to my Dr until Jan 8th. So just another wait. And the technician couldn't tell me if they found anything because of some federal law he said past 2 years ago. But the good news, he did say if there was anything that looked like life or death, they wouldn't have let me leave the hospital, so that is a good sign.

Well again, I hope all is well with everyone and I look forward to reading the posts.

Denise

[Karen]

Hi Denise,

So glad that you enjoyed the show, sounded fabulous! It's always lovely to hear what our American friends get up to and to sample a little bit of their culture.......we have another lady called Jen from America, that was telling us about her families Halloween and about the pumpkin farms in the States...I've never seen a pumpkin farm in the UK, not sure whether they exist here or not.....but it sounded spectacular!

Glad that you've been reassured after having the scans.....even though you have to wait until the 8th for the results.

Well, it's cold, dull and cloudy in the south of England today.......my Husband has been replacing some of the fencing that got blown down in the storms a few weeks back......we seem to have had a lot of high winds in the last couple of months. Apart from that, life is very quiet......which is actually quite nice for a change!

Catch you later,

Love K x

[Guest Denise]

Hi Karen,

Wow, I am just shocked you have never seen a pumpkin patch. They are beautiful. Fall is my favorite season and I can't imagine not ever seeing a pumpkin patch or going to pick your own pumpkin.

Do you have fall in England? I don't know if you have the same 4 seasons.

I've never been out of this country. Actually, I just flew for the first time in my life this year. I planned to be one of those people who die without ever flying as I am terrified of heights but in the spring this year my sister in law who lives in Florida had an emergency and needed my help and since I couldn't take the drive down because my grandchildren were on their way up, she booked me a flight and well, lets say, it was a most memerable flight for both me and everyone on the plane. And I had to turn around and fly back the next day. But got here in one piece to greet the grandkids.

This actually was a year of a few things I'll never forget. Two months before my plane trip, I got my first tatto. Always thought about doing it but wasn't sure I'd really go through with it.

Well, and yesterday my husband turned 50! Will be having a party for him this coming weekend. Last night our son and I took him out to dinner and we had a great time.

And then of course the big thing this year was my SAH.

Anyway, I don't know how I got from pumpkins to all this, but that's my story for tonight!

I was going to say, I think if you just put the seeds of a pumpkin in your back yard they just grow, or so I have heard. Do you get pumpkins at halloween there? Do you do Halloween there?

Do you guys any of the same holidays as us? I love every holiday.

I don't know anything about any place but here. So would like to learn.

Well, just going to try to keep my mind on other things until the 8th. In the meantime, I do hope your all doing well.

Till next time.

God Bless.

Denise

[Karen]

Hi Denise,

Our seasons here are pretty much the same as yours I would imagine, although the seasons seem to be warming up, so perhaps they're right about global warming! We don't use the term "Fall" over here, it's just plain old autumn, but it's one of my favourite times of the year.

Well done with the flying! I've never been very keen on flying, but it's never put me off of going anywhere......I've always suffered with bad earache or deafness when I fly, it must something to do with the pressure. However, since my SAH I haven't flown anywhere, haven't really been up to it and I'm not sure whether I could stand the pressure sensation in my head/ears. I would probably find it a bit scary, as that's how the SAH felt, when it started.

We do celebrate Halloween over here and it's got more popular over the last twenty years or so.....but I don't think that we celebrate it as well as you Guy's in the States. I will have to try growing a pumpkin next year!

We also have Bonfire Night on November 5th......Re: Guy Fawkes and the gunpowder plot.............so we celebrate with fireworks and burning a "Guy" (Obviously not a real one!!) on a bonfire.

Anyway, keep your chin up Denise, hopefully the days will whizz past for you and it will soon be the 8th Jan.

Catch you later,

Love K xx

[Guest Denise]

Autumn, that is my favorite season too. I love the fall colors of the trees, the crisp cool air and everything about it. I prefer to call it autumn too, but most people here just call it fall.

Great news!

I am not a patient person, and not even something as serious a SAH will change that.

So today I stopped at my regular Dr's office, no appointment and unannounced and had the nurse do a throat culture on me cause last night I felt something was wrong with my throat, and on the way to the store today I looked in the car mirror and saw white puss pockets and we were like 5 mins from the office so I told the husband to stop and it was perfect timing, no one was there at all except the nurse and office staff, so she took me right in, and it was negative. So, I just have to do warm salt water gargles and use that nasty throat spray stuff.

So, I asked if they could get my report from the hospital for those tests I had on Tuesday since they are my primary Dr's and she said yes and called for them and they came while I was there and everything looks good. But she asked if my neck hurt and I said actually it does, the test shows I have 2 swollen disks in my neck, she asked if I've been in an accident and I said no, she said it is like that from whiplash (?), I asked if it could be arthritis because usually my neck hurts when my shoulder hurts so I thought I might have arthritis in my neck too and she said no, it's not arthritis, it's whiplash.

Strange indeed.

But, the good news is I don't have to wait until the 8th to see the other Dr, at least to know what the report says. She even gave me a copy. This nurse has been so good to me through all this and she knows I have had a hard time, so it's great to have someone on my side.

So, I am much more at ease now, I guess on the 8th I'll find out where we go from here.

Karen, when the husband drives me like on the highway, I feel pressure in my head, is that normal, is that what your talking about? I am sure I will not be flying either.

I only feel that sort of pressure when we are going fast or down a step mountain. We live in the mountains, so it's kinda hard to avoid. But I did notice that.

Hey, once again, I rattled on.

You all have a great weekend.

Stay safe and well.

Denise

[Karen]

Hi Denise,

I haven't heard any other stories about Whiplash being a cause for a SAH. I read about back injury or unsuccessful back surgery causing a condition called Arachnoiditis (hopefully, I've spelt it correctly!). Can you remember any injury that you've had to the neck or back that might have given you whiplash? Well, it will be interesting to hear what you say. I've slipped the odd disc in my back, which seemed to start after my first pregnancy, when I slipped on the stairs. I must admit that over the years, I've been plagued with sciatica and it doesn't seem to take much to start if off. May be I'm going in the wrong direction here...but it's interesting to know if there's any sort of link.

I get the pressure sensation in my ears when I'm in the car and I have to keep yawning so that I can "pop" my ears. It's definetly worse since the SAH and it doesn't take much of a hill to start me off. So, you're not alone with that one, but it did used to make me feel quite uneasy, as that was one of the sensations that I had, before the SAH struck. I have got used to it now and it seems to happen in the same place on regular journeys......it's weird!

Really glad that you've found some peace of mind with your results, which is great news...............I don't think that stress is at all helpful with your recovery.

Anyway, wishing you and your family a very Happy New Year!

Lots of love,

K x

[Guest Denise]

Hi Karen,

I don't know if the whiplash has any connection but will find out on the 8th when I see the neurosurgeon. I do not remember anything that could have given this to me. I was involved in a boating accident 20 years ago, but the only thing that got hurt was my back, I have 2 disks that had a hairline fracture and to this day I have back aches especially if I lift things too heavy or the wrong way.

But as for my neck, I do know I can never get a comfortable nights sleep never knowing if my pillow is to blame or what because I always feel neck pain. I have spent a fortune trying all sorts of pillows and nothing changes.

Wonder if there could be some kind of connection. But I certainly will tell you soon as I know.

I was telling everyone tonight at my husbands little party about the site and how much it means to me.

Gee, well I do hope everyone stays safe and well.

Happy New Year to everyone.

[Louise]

Hi there

When I'm in the car I dont feel pressure in my head, but I do get it in my ears sometimes a thump, however when I was around 8 months into this we were on holiday & as the car was climbing higher up the hillside I could feel enormous pressure in my head but glad to say that dosnt happen now

I'm glad too that you got things sorted out with the results look forward to finding out about it after you've been on the 8th.

A Happy New Year when it comes.

Louise.xx

[Guest Denise]

Hi Louise

So maybe I feel the pressure because it's only been 2 months for me? well at least I know that will go away too or at least it's normal at this time.

I can't wait for the headaches to go away, I guess I'm not alone on that and shouldn't complain but sometimes I can't help it.

Well, the new year is about to start in 20 minutes, so all I can do now is hope that it has good stuff in store for us all.

Take care and nice talking to you.

Denise