It has been over 2 years after I suffered my aneurysm burst in the Cerebellum and subsequent SAH. I am still recovering. In my case, I developed chronic vertigo and double vision among other issues which is currently managed and under control. In my case, there was no evidence of peripheral damage (localized and visible in CT or MRI) so it was initially difficult for the doctors to diagnose. Per suggestion of friend who is chronic migraine sufferer, I started to keep a daily journal describing my problems with my vision, hearing, sense of touch and balance. With this information, I was able to be referred to the right specialist for the diagnosis and treatment but this process took about 10 months.
Hang in there. Some of the changes may be positive which I celebrate everyday. In my case, music is amazing like a religious experience. For my disabilities, I work on it everyday to get better AND I will WIN.
I appreciate the support. They have me off work until August 1st. I am a corrections officer. I’m currently going to therapy for memory loss issues hopefully it will help. I still get headaches once in awhile that rate in the Pain Scale of 7. I still get dizzy once in awhile. Just taking one day at a time. Not quite sure what my future brings going back to work.
I want to share more of my own story. After my aneurysm burst, my headaches continuously for 7 weeks until it finally abated. The thinking part of the brain (memory, reasoning) did not appear to be affected so I went back to work after 3 months. I did get episodes of dizziness and balance issues but it was manageable. However, at work, the dizziness worsen to the point where I was getting 80 vertigo attacks a day and could not climb the stairs without the assistance of the hand rail. So, I had to go back on Medical Leave and started Neuro-PT.
During this time, I found that feedback from co-workers was the best way to assess how ready I was to handle day to day workload. Family and friends have a bias but my co-workers will get the feedback from a workplace point of view. I constructed a recovery plan and measured my improvements in vertigo and eventually conquered it.
Todd, I’m very proud that you choose to keep going! On the days I had headaches, especially early on, I increased protein and hydration. They are now the first things I turn to if I have a headache. Good luck with the memory classes! 2Fight is right, we can choose to keep up the fight. Being a corrections officer is an admirable profession. If you get to return, think of all those still to be helped by your compassion and wisdom, if not, be assured that who you are is still the same and there will be instances where your life experience will help someone else. Please keep us posted.
hi i'm new to this site, I just need someone to talk to. I'm the caregiver to my husband who in 2012 had a sah, he was in the hospital for 2 1/2 yrs. it been difficult but he's home now almost 10 months. it's been a big change for him. he used to be very independent, but now he's bed ridden.he needs help with just about everything sometimes he wants to give up but he don't. i'm amazed at the strength he has to keep going. when he had his sah the doctors gave him a 15% chance of survival. boy was I nieve when they told me he had blood in his brain I though ok fix it,i did not know anything. he was in a drug indussed coma I would say for a couple of weeks, for 2 months I sat by his bed and prayed. he was on a vent. the doctors wanted to talk to me about taking it off, I told them I don't want to hear it. fast forward ahead he's home were happy he gets out of bed every day,we laugh,we talk,we cry.i do some pt with him I try to make it fun so he don't get bored. if there are any caregivers out there and would like to talk I would love to talk to you.or any one that had the same thing happen to them I would love to talk to too.
Confused ,
Ian a caregiver of my husband also. He had a heart attack and a stroke (6/7/16) doc found a 7.4 mm aneurysm at that time, not ruptured. Surgery was 9/13/16, we are still in the hospital and may be transferred to a rehabilitation hospital soon, not sure yet. I wanted to ask you about diet after going home, were you told to follow a specific diet for your husband? Thanks your story is encouraging as if my husband would have had a different outcome he had already told me he didn’t want to live in life support. Thanks for sharing your story.