I'd really appreciate any advice or personal experience about this. My dad (68) had a subarachnoid hemorrhage in July. He has been in hospital for 3 months now. There is the added complication that he is a type 1 diabetic which has held him back in terms of recovery. His communication is limited in that he can only sometimes speak, his words are often confused and his voice isn't strong. The medical staff believe he knows what's going on but can't communicate what he wants. He cant read or focus on any activity for long. He is sometimes able to understand and laugh at jokes and appear to follow what we're talking about. He can move his arms but isn't able to stand up so his mobility is probably the worse thing effected. We were told he has permanent hydrocephalus.
I've been reading online about SAH cases but I havent been able to find any one similar. Does anyone know of cases like this? From recovery cases all I seem to read is people who have recovered really well and have a high level of independence.
Hi Allie, much of this lack of recovery may be due to his age. My father had a brain hemmorhage (not as severe as SAH) from a fall in his early 70s but he's never recovered that well. He can walk around but mentally he is quite slow to understand things (and his bleed was maybe 4 years ago). I suspect that as we get older the brain perhaps doesn't recover as well from trauma but it can also take a long time for the brain to rebound from a SAH too. I had a SAH just over 18 months ago and have recovered quite well, but I'm in my 40s. My main issues are mood, motivation and depression issues, which I'm told is common by the docs.
Unfortunately SAH often damages the area around the brain where CSF gets reabsorbed so it's not uncommon to end up with hydrocephalus, I have it too. If it's causing too much pressure on the brain and affecting function, they can put a shunt in to drain some of the fluid away to the abdomen. Does his neuro think his ongoing issues could be due to the hydrocephalus? It may be worth bringing it up and asking them.
It's only been 3 months though, I would say most recovery perhaps happens in the first year, and still some in the second year, that's what I've noticed personally so he may improve a lot more. I barely remember the first 6 months after mine, my brain was so foggy I could barely think (like my brain was in neutral) and couldn't muster the ability to do much. Take it slow and keep hope, because it really takes time for the brain to heal and get working again.
Thank you so much for your message, it means a lot to hear from someone else who understands what it’s like and your comments are very useful.
Wishing you all the best in your continued recovery
Hi Edwardo,
Thank you so much for sharing your story.It sounds like your wife is making really strong progress. I’m very happy for you and it’s also reassuring to hear. It’s amazing what the brain is capable of doing. I’ll pass on your advice to our friends and family. Thank you again!
