I can be going along just fine, but when it hits it is like a ton of bricks. One of you had mentioned a mantra, which I’ve also taken to heart: protein, hydration, and rest. I structure my days around this mantra as best as possible. I am as active as I can be, but I don’t try pushing it. My PCP told me that for every day one is in ICU, it takes around 7 days to recover. I don’t know whether this is true or not, but it can feel that way.
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Benjamin, I probably slept more than I was awake the first year. It was so bad, BH was worried and told Dr. Q-W about it who told me I had to train myself to stay awake during the day either right before or right after my second repair attempt which was around the six month mark after my rupture. I just had to google the math, for me it would have been around 182 days. I can’t do basic math in my head anymore. I think your PCP is on to something there! Every time Dr. Q-W did another angiogram, it set me back a longer period of time then the one before until she finally decided to give me a break from them.
Remember our brains are like the mother board, without it our bodies can’t do anything. Since our brains are energy hogs without any damage to them, they seem to take more when damaged to repair the neurotransmitters. I had horrific migraines after I got home that went on into year two I think which didn’t help. I do not like to eat when I do not feel good. I also never had migraines prior to my rupture.
I think the best advice Dr. Q-W gave me was to take walk abouts every day. I couldn’t walk far nor fast but my neighbor who was in her 70’s walked with me every day. We didn’t have sidewalks which I think would make walking easier. I started with just walking our driveway which seemed pretty steep at first. Then I’d walk my parent’s driveway and would gauge my progress by the expansion joints until I could get to their mailbox. When the Helton’s started the Live Like Ellie 5k in 2015, I walked the fun run part, soon after my third repair attempt. The Helton family are wonderful people by the way. I met Todd Helton on Lobby Day the year his daughter, Ellie, passed away. You can read about the great work they’ve done here https://livelikeellie.wixsite.com/ourstory
Try walking every day and just build up time or distance, maybe start with 15 minutes then 20…whatever you can handle. You will get there, be kind to yourself. What would you tell your best friend if they had ruptured?
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Thank you kindly for the insight and I’m sorry about everything you’ve endured to glean such insight. I couldn’t agree more on the walking side of things. In addition to PT & exercises, I try to walk ½ mile every day. I looked into hydrotherapy, but there are no facilities close to me. I’ve also discussed a stationary bike with my BH. The new norm has been a lot to get used to, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to have the chance to do so.
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Life is full of changes isn’t it? I’ve never aspired to be normal, neither before nor after my pipe popped. I’ve had several things I’ve had to get used to that are different. I talk too much, so much so I’ve told myself out loud I was getting on my own nerves. Trying to control it is exhausting. I’m better now but goodness me until my stent, we never knew what was coming out of my mouth. I also have a shorter fuse, I used to have an extraordinarily long one, nothing got to me. Can’t say the same now. I still have troubles staying focused and on task. I miss work, not the office politics, not all the changes those who don’t work in the field made, but the actual work itself. So I give myself “jobs” to do here at home. More importantly I let people into my life which is the most positive change that has occurred. I don’t meet strangers. I still like challenges and it seems like the rupture has given me a good lifetime of them.
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Hi @c0nsilience -
Yeah, the fatigue is fun, right? I laughed the other day when someone complained to me about their fatigue; I smiled and nodded, but inside I was laughing saying you have NO idea what fatigue is - try dealing with it after a brain injury!! 
I met with a number of wonderful speech language pathogists (SLPs), but my favorite of them all was my last one, as she is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist. We were chatting at the end of my first session, and I happened to mention fatigue. She said, oh, I can help with that. I was quite surprised, but she actually did help me learn how to manage things better. For me, that is life post-rupture: learning how to manage things, especially energy/fatigue.
In short, what I learned is the things I was doing to relax my brain - NOT relaxing! So, anything with a screen whether a tv, phone, computer NOT relaxing to your brain. Reading? NOT relaxing! What I thought was relaxing (being still and quiet) may be so for the body, but that does not mean it is relaxing to the brain. I was not very self-aware before (um, at all!), but I have also learned how to pay attention to my signals so that I can take a break and rest so that I avoid the overwhelming wall.
It took me well over a year to not sleep quite as much. I was a morning person who used to get up around 5 to go to work (with alarm). Post-rupture when life somewhat normalized, I would get up at 8 - mainly because I knew someone was coming at - not that I really wanted too. Slowly that started getting earlier and earlier, and I could no longer sleep until 8: I miss those days, but I take it as a good sign that I was healing my brain the closer I returned to normal!
So, take the time to rest. Sleep and rest are wondrous gifts to your brain!!
Fin Whale Fan 
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@c0nsilience
I have a stationary bike in our house. It was purchased before the pandemic. I’m the only one who uses it. It helped me during my recovery from the ruptured brain aneurysm and I use it a lot during the warm summer days and when it’s cold during the winter. In other words, I can strongly recommend it.
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[quote=“c0nsilience, post:1, topic:19318”]
I can be going along just fine, but when it hits it is like a ton of bricks.
[/quote] Well, this sounds so familiar…
Hello @c0nsilience! I haven’t been on here for some time, but happy to see you have been getting words of wisdom and encouragement from @Moltroub @oct20 @FinWhaleFan 
February rupture to now, April is still pretty “fresh” in my book, so I would be surprised if you were not fatigued. I was loosely told, by I don’t remember who (my doc?) that for every week you’re in ICU, your muscles atrophy, and would need approx. 6 months of slow and steady rebuilding. I also had PT for a few months once out of ICU (I spent 11 days), and I try to keep doing the exercises at home, when I “feel” so inspired.
Do you have any more procedures/stenting to be done? I ruptured January 2024 and they would allow me three months “recovery” before another procedure (I had a second unruptured one on my right side). So I had the first coiling in January, then coil/stent of the second one in April, re-stent of the second one in July for good measure (it didn’t quite cover the mouth), and then stent of the first ruptured one in October. I imagine you did not get a stent in February since you ruptured – you need Plavix or similar to get the stent, and I also understand that they don’t always stent… I mention all this because I would kind of “recover” with some good level energy by the beginning of the third month, meaning I would walk the dog to the park and maybe around the block (half mile to a mile) but would reset back to the sofa to recover after each new procedure. I was able to skip napping at some point and then another procedure wiped that out. I still do need to nap 6 months out from my last procedure – I set my alarm and allow myself one hour and occasionally I don’t “fall” asleep, but allow myself to rest. I try (almost daily 
) to skip my nap, but my body does not agree and I end up napping late… like 5:00 pm. So as they say, listen to your body…
A few tips that my neurosurgeon advised me to do were to reduce screen time (which is harder than it should be), write about your day in a journal, read a book and intermittently make notes (like in a Lit class), draw, paint, do puzzles, scribble, try learning a new language (sounds crazy, right?). Think Elementary school stuff. He told me that I should not be deceived by my recovery… that with a rupture, blood disrupts (pun intended) neural pathways and these pathways need to be rerouted. This rerouting is more likely to occur by doing above tips and learning new things. All of which tire you out! So, don’t do all these all at once 
, but find something that brings you some joy. For me, I started back drawing and painting. I sometimes listen to French podcasts. But again, inconsistent depending on my energy level that day and whether I am able to focus… anybody else feel like you developed ADHD? 
I do force myself a bit to walk the dog a couple times a day – or maybe, he forces me to, seeing that I am home alone during the day and he gives me poor puppy eyes, “walk me, please” whimpers. Even when I don’t feel great. As long as I am “balanced” and not afraid of falling over or the like.
Other than that, I don’t have any real advice just sharing my story to see if helps in any way.
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Oh my gosh yes! Luckily for me, I worked with kids who were labeled ADHD along with several other labels. I knew what I needed - lists, no surprises, etc. I remember telling everyone the first year of recovery that I worked with too many and had Acquired ADD but they said nope ADHD:zany_face:
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I feel the exact same way! I ruptured in August 2024 and returned to work in November. I’ve been struggling with focus and it feels like I’m spinning my wheels. Had my annual physical a few weeks ago and she gave me some recommendations to get evaluated.
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hello! glad you’re here!
It took me about a week to finally get off the bed and walk to the restroom unassisted, also from constantly being asleep. ALTHOUGH, i take more naps now then i’ve ever in my life. it’s been a little over a year since my surgery. i have several after affects, one of which is the urgent need to nap , the weird feeling head pains. and several others.
i tried doing walks 6 months post surgery and after each walk, my head would feel like it’s burning. So i gave up. everyone is different in healing and if i could be more active, i definitely would!
prayers for you and your Anny journey!
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thanks for the suggestion! I shall try this!
this whole fatigue part 
no one seems to understand the fact that when my brain and body says SLEEP NOW.. It’s means just that.. i’m not trying to be lazy.. i’m trying to recover.. 
one minute i could be awake and good, the next few minutes im desperate for sleep and forcing myself to stay up will cause a headache. but even a 5-10 min nap is good enough until the next round of fatigue kicks in.
i would love to go back work. but with this being tired at random times. it makes it difficult.
Blessing and prayers to you and your new journey!
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I had a pipeline embolization 10 weeks ago for an unruptured aneurysm. Felt great for the first three weeks or so - but started getting really bad tension headaches which caused issues in my neck, shoulder, and even down my arm - just tight muscles and some burning. Fatigue just set in - I am just so tired. From what I can see reading through posts all of this seems to be part of the healing journey. Does it get better? How long did it take to feel “normal?” Thank you!
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Well IMHO that is what makes you all such AMAZING people, as you do understand! 
I am so glad that you at least know one of your signs before hitting that wall. And that is great that even a quick catnap does the trick!!
Blessings and prayers are headed right back to you as well, @jjajjj!!
Fin Whale Fan
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I’ve brought this fantastic idea up to my wife as I’d love to have a stationary bike and, perhaps, once I’m a little more recovered, a rowing machine.
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