Guest vicki74 Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 (edited) Hi everyone 13th June 2009 is when my mum had her SAH. She is 56 and was at a karaoke party. She had been complaining of a muzzy headache for the past couple of days and i do remember telling her to stay at home if she didnt feel well but she loves karaoke so off she went. 9pm I'd just got out of the bath and was just about to sit on the sofa for a bit of TV watching when the phone started ringing. Mum's friend ( who's party it was) said 3 words i will never forget " Your mum's collapsed"... It took me about 10 seconds to throw all my clothes back on, throw the phone to my husband shouting at him to phone my sister, grab my bag and get in the car. It's about 15 miles to the friends house and it didnt take too long to get there ( didnt know my car could actually be driven that fast !!) The paramedics were already there when i abandoned my car in the middle of the road, lights left on etc.. Apparently my mum was having a panic attack !!! She was the first up to sing at the karaoke, she's done her song, given the mic back to the lady, turned round and just crumpled onto the floor where she was violently sick and screaming about the pain in her neck... some panic attack. After a few minutes it was decided she was being taken to Medway hospital. I made sure she was safely in the ambulance then flew to pick up my sister. When we got to Medway Dad told us mums BP had gone right up to 247 and she had died in the ambulance. She was blue lighted and bagged the rest of the journey. At Medway she was given a scan which showed a massive SAH had occured. My world almost ended when I heard those words. Eventually we were allowed into the Crash room of A&E to see her before she was transferred to Kings College Hospital in London where they were waiting to operate. Seeing my mum lying there covered in wires with a tube down her throat was awful, she had been put under heavy sedation. .... Eventually at 3.30am she was blue lighted to Kings where a surgeon was waiting to insert a drain into the top of her head to drain the blood from around her brain. The next day was a Sunday. She had scan after scan and we were told they were looking to see if a new aneurysm had formed as this is, apparently, very common.. " Nothing to report, we can't see anything there" they said.. Well the surgeon comes to work Monday morning, takes one look at the scans and re-scans her a bit lower and sitting there at the top of the spine was another aneurysm. She is then prepped for an angiogram to coil it and down she went. 2 hours later she is back with the news that it was unsuccessful. An hour later she goes down again to have it clipped but the nerves were wrapped around it so it got complicated. 6.5 hours later at 11.30pm she comes back. It was successful and all she has to do is recover. Recovery has/is taking so long. She was in ICU for weeks on end, she ended up with a serious lung infection from being intubated for a week so a trachi was put in. She has also had a feeding peg inserted into her stomach. She is still in hospital and it will be 13 weeks this Saturday coming... The trachi was finally removed yesterday and if she copes well with it for 24 hours then it's staying out. She is still practically bed ridden and doesnt seem to want to help herself. She has, at least, put back on some of the weight she had lost. She isn't back to normal yet and she is doing things she would never normally do. I know recovery can take years so hopefully she will get there in the end. Her swallow is getting stronger which is great ( the nerves were damaged during the clipping) and she says she could kill for a cup of coffee lol. She has full mobility in her limbs but has so much muscle wastage she finds it very tiring doing her physio. Ive been reading through everyone's stories and have found them very helpful and comforting. Edited September 9, 2009 by vicki74 daughter clicked submit before i'd finished Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myratas Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Hi Vicki Welcome to BTG, I am sorry to hear about your mum and hope and pray for her quick recovery. We have a lot of carers on here too and I am sure everyone will be able to help and advice you if you need it. Hope to hear from you some more and how your mum is doing. Take care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Hi Vicki, Welcome to BTG. I am so sorry to hear about your Mom. My husband Jim suffered a non-anyersum SAH in December 2007. Your Mom is in the early stages. I am sure your Mom does want to help herself. It is just very hard early on. Jim also lost a lot of his muscle co-ordination but it does come back once the person is strong enough to do the exercises. My thoughts and prayers are with you all. Please keep us updated on your Mom's recovery. Cal XXXX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Hi Vicki A very warm welcome to BTG.....so sorry to hear about your Mum.....it is still very early days....and things do get better....it does take time. I was also clipped, had 7 hours surgery as they could not coil my aneurysm. I was also very weak at first, had sight and balance problems etc ...but 20 months later i am doing really well. Keep positive look forward to hearing how your Mum is doing...and you remember to take care too. Love Tina xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Hi Vicki Warm welcome to the site..... Recovery does take a very long time, and everyone is individual we all heal at a different pace. she will help herself when she understands whats happened to her, try not to worry too much, and take time to look after yourself... take care Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul99 Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 hi vicky some roller coaster sweetheart mum couldnt be in better hands than kings it will take some time for mum to come round more and be able to help herself along with the family its going to be a nightmare for you at times if not already as long as mum makes the running then i think you will have peace of mind lin had her sah last august and hasnt come round as yet but im hopeing she will in time i will send you my number if you want to rant and rave beleive me you will at times everyone on here is fantastic and more than able to chat and help wereever they can because they have been there and got the t shirt there is a wealth of information on here so ask away i wish you and the family and mum well please keep us up to date if you can take care and good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Hi Vicki and welcome.... I only had two weeks in bed and was as weak as a newborn babe, when I tried to put my feet on the floor... I felt totally zapped of all energy and even going to the loo was a major effort and felt like I'd run a marathon and needed to sleep afterwards. Improvements were very small and barely noticeable, but they did eventually happen. My biggest incentive was my family and that has kept me going, through tough times.... Your Mum has certainly been through the mill with her op, so she will probably need a bit longer to heal, than those of us who's surgery went okay without the complications your Mum had. Be patient and look after yourself too and hopefully you will see a difference in the coming weeks ... recovery can take quite a while. I'm over 4 years now and am still experiencing ongoing recovery, so never give up..... xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tenaje Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Hi Vicki I am so glad you are on this site it will be a real help. Paul 99 is a lovely man who talked me through your mums problems when I came on this site for some support as a long time friend and SAH sufferer from 2000. He did offer to talk to your Dad and I gave him his phone number. Seeing your Mum has brought lots of memories back to me especially the support she gave to me during my recovery. I still can not believe that she is going through the same things and hope that my visits to see her help. Do use this site for information and a friendly ear I am glad you took up my information on this forum. Loads of love Tenaje/Janx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Hi Vicki Welcome to BTG so sorry to hear about your mother as the others have already said it can take time and recovery is a very individual process for all of us. Wishing your mother well in her recovery and please let us know how she gets on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bogbrush Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Hi Vicky What more can I say that hasn't already been said? Welcome to behindthegray. Regards Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennissmithy Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Hi Vicki Wecome to behindthegray. So sorry to hear about your mum. Unfortunately the recovery process is long and slow and feels like both the carer and the patient is on a massive rollercoaster! Take time for yourself and ask questions, there are lots of people on here who will help, whether they are carers like yourself or the SAH'er. My thoughts are with you all xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 Hi Vicki Welcome to BTG - so sorry to hear about your mum. I can understand how terrifying this must be for you - my daughter wouldn't come to see me in the hospital until I was off all the machines and all the tubes were removed - she was terrified too. I know this is hard for you see and understand, but your mum is probably to weak mentally and physically to do anything - at your mums stage I would still fall asleep during the day for fours hours and still sleep soundly at night. Try to think of the injury to her brain as breaking your leg - that'd take six weeks to heal - the brain takes a lot lot longer to heal. It's very early days in her recovery but as time passes she will get better and you'll see the changes in her strength. Take care hun and feel free to ask anything you want to - there's normally some one on here that has either had the same experience or at least help you through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest norasark Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 I have two daughters and they have been fantastic throughout. Just be there when your mum needs you is the best advice I can give. My girls were there but they also gave me space which I needed it at times. Your mum will get better, baby steps first with her family around her will mean so much. Take care of yourself too. All the best x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rod123 Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 Hi Vicki i to am a carer my wife is now 6months down the line and although she does still have moblity problems and all the things that go with this illness she's doing well, the surgoen said, to me before the op i think in a couple of weeks you will look back on this as a bad memory and although it's taken longer than that it is starting to work out that way as i'm sure it will for you, and when i look back at the last few months they have gone very quickly. I hope this all works out for you the same way and in a couple of months you will be past the worst of it and it will all be just a bad memory, stay strong and good luck Rod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest vicki74 Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Well it's now 6 months since Mum had her SAH. She is now in a rehabilitation unit in Sevenoaks and doing really well. The trachi stayed out and finally we were able to hear her voice. She was finally admitted into the rehab unit only to be taken back to Kings College Hospital as they found she had hydrocephalus (water on the brain) which needed attending to immediately. She had a shunt inserted into the side of her head and within a day or 2 the change was remarkable. It was amazing how much the hydrocephalus was stopping her recovery. All of a sudden she could stay awake longer than 10 minutes and stopped forgetting things that had been said moments before. After a week at Kings it was back to the rehab unit. She is now able to stay awake all day and she is also able to walk a very short distance and up a flight of stairs as long as someone is there with her. Her handwriting is coming on leaps and bounds too. All thats different is she slurs slightly, nothing major, and nothing to worry about. She has no brain damage whatsoever and all she needs is physio for her muscles which are still very weak. She was home this Saturday for the day and she loved it. Next weekend she is home for the whole weekend which she is really looking forward to. Next week she has an appointment with an eye specialist ( she has bad vision in the right due to blood build up from the SAH) Hopefully he will be able to wash the eye and normal vision will resume, then on Thursday she has another appointment to have the feeding peg removed. They have said they hope to have her home by 4th December at the latest !!!!!! Vicki xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Vicki :-D:-D So pleased for you....fantastic news!!!! Your Mum has done so well......onwards and forwards now!!! Take care Love Tina xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Mario Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Hi Vicki The poor vision due to the blood in your mum's eye is called Terson's Syndrome if it is the same as mine was. I was operated on and the blood washed out and this gave me my sight back. I hope it is the same for your mum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rod123 Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Hi Vicki glad to hear your mum is now doing so much better, Merrill my wife had a shunt fitted and like most people post sah she has her good days and her not so good days, which seems about par for the course,and she continues to make progress,so good luck to your mum, and hope you both continue to feel better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charty Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Hi I can relate to your story as my daughters really went through the mill when I was ill in 2008! they kept a diary for me which really helped, and filled in the gaps, cause I dont remember a thing about the 2 months I was in hospital! if you want to PM me I'll be happy to help/share experiences hope your Mum continues to improve, it does take time Take Care Caroline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Hi Vicki, It sounds as though your Mum is making remarkable progress! I'm sure that the home visits will spur her on and keep her positive and fighting... I know that I couldn't wait to get back home ...... there's nothing like it..... Looks as though she will be home for Christmas, which is great news! ..... what a lovely pressie for all of the family! .... xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Hi Vicki So pleased your mum is showing such good improvements and it will do her the world of good to be able to spend longer periods in her own home. Best wishes to you all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul99 Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 hi vicky im so very pleased to hear that mum has made a remarkable recover and things look so positive for both mum dad and family its one heck of a roller coaster ride that you have all gone through may i wish you all a bright and happy future and that you will all be able to try and put it all behind you and that mum moves on in rehab and begins to enjoy life again its so lovely to hear of a good outcome i am so pleased for you all hugs and cuddles all round good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donna79 Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Hello Vicki Welcome to the site x x Your mum is very lucky having you there by her side x x she is doing fantastic x x a long road to recovery but she is on the right track x x lots love donna xxxxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Hey Vicki Fantastic news about your mum - can imagine that you're over the moon. Keep us updated on your mums progress - so good to hear good news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vivien Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Great to hear of your Mum's brilliant progress Hope you are keeping well yourself, must have been a trying time for all the family Vivien x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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