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Pam's subarachnoid haemorrhage story
On 19 November 2002 I woke in the middle of the night with a knife-like pain inside the right hand side front of my skull. It seems I had the pain for many days afterwards but I simply don't remember the pain at all.
It was too early to get up so I did what my husband Ray told me - crept downstairs to make myself a drink and take some painkillers to see if I could use the comfort of them to get back to sleep.
I put the kettle on and the cup on the unit. Then I got the coffee from the cupboard and a fierce pain shot out from where the pain in my head was, and I held myself upright against the unit. I don't think I've ever experienced so intense a pain before, it was horrendous to put it mildly!
All thoughts of a cuppa behind me I knew I had to get to Ray for help and made my way, holding my head, to the stairs. I couldn't go up them, I couldn't really walk, it was just determination that kept me going and I ended up flopping down and sitting on the bottom one. I was moaning which was all I could do to make a noise to attract Ray and wake him up.
I guess when he came to me, that was when I relaxed and left things to him because my next memory is the day I was discharged from hospital 4 weeks later.
The next thing I knew, I was in our car with Ray (driving) and my daughter on our way home. I remember saying, "At least you've remembered the way to the new house!" as we made a turn that would take us there. New? We'd lived there 20 years!
The time in between starting to make myself a drink and being in the car on the way home was something like 4 weeks! And my memory of life in that time was totally non-existent.
It seems Ray found me at 2.30 in the morning sat on the bottom stair. He'd been woken up by my moaning and came to see what was wrong. He immediately laid me on the lounge floor in the recovery position and dialled the emergency number.
The ambulance took me to the local hospital where they found it was a ruptured cerebral aneurysm and they would have to transfer me to the specialist hospital. It was 3 days before they suddenly decided I could stand the journey.
The specialist gave me a brain scan and he confirmed it was an aneurysm and he would operate as soon as he knew I could stand the procedure.
3 weeks later he decided he'd operate and I spent the time after the operation in Intensive Care until the following morning when I was moved to an ordinary ward.
The operation was a technique called coiling, where they insert a tube called a catheter into an artery your groin and send it up to the blood vessel that has burst. For me they inserted another catheter in the other groin and did a special type of scan to take a picture of the vessels, called an angiogram. Along the first tube they sent the platinum coils they used to seal the leak. It seems I needed 3 coils and the last coil was jolted to join with the other two, thus sealing the blood vessel.
I remembered literally nothing of the hospital where I was treated, it was a totally new place to me when six months later I went for an out-patients appointment.
Ray took over the running of the house. He decided what meals we'd have when. He took me out every day so I got familiar with my surroundings once more.
Eventually I was well enough to take care of washing the dishes and I still am responsible for that. But in those days I just did what he told me. I was happy with my computer so whenever he wanted time in another room, or to watch TV, he'd sit me in front of it and it began to be my refuge, spent hours playing with my jigsaw program, which helped me with spatial awareness and such. And more time with one particular card game which I could totally follow. All in all, what he wasn't re-educating me with, I was re-educating myself via games or newsgroups on the PC.
I didn't know there was such a thing as the Brain and Spine Foundation, where I could get support. More important, Ray didn't! Because if he'd known about it he'd have been in there finding out what he could. It's he who has taken my care as his own responsibility. He's left the house and garden and concentrated on me. He's made me functional again and done everything in his power to explain things as they've gone wrong, why one day I can walk quite reasonably but the next potter around like a disabled little old lady. He's explained everything to me over and over again. 5 minute memories are hard to cope with. The person with the lousy memory doesn't realise they're asking the same question 25 million times a day! But dear Ray just got on with answering said question over and over again!
After 8 years I can't grumble.
I can think for myself and do a lot of things like hoovering the floors and washing the dishes. I was so terrified of the cooker that I haven't used it since, but I reckon one day I will just go and use it. I've learned to push myself a little but not too much or I go back a few stages and things become difficult again.
I have developed arthritis but we're not sure whether it's connected. However it means I survive on painkillers!
I now have a walker and can cope quite happily while out shopping. I haven't driven at all but that's by commonsense choice, I still have a licence and insurance.
Basically I could look after myself but I would need Meals-on-wheels for a hot meal a day - I actually couldn't cope with more than putting food in the microwave.
My memory is rapidly returning, I'm remembering so many things from my life that 6 months ago I couldn't bring to mind. That's only happened in the past 2 weeks. But I sometimes still return to the 5 minute memory if something upsets me.
All in all, I'm becoming almost normal. OK, there will always be something not quite right but I've begun to accept that and am delighted when I can report another step forward, 12 months ago I wouldn't have recognised an advance.
I Googled for SAH on one of my brighter days. Only because I thought it would be nice to know if other people had survived and what their life was like now. Google brought up the Brain & Spine Foundation site and I found it interesting. I suddenly realised there could be someone who would benefit from my experience and, with Ray's help, I would try to do my best to help them by writing this article.
I guess I have travelled a long way in the past 8 years and now am coping with life very well.
If you have any questions about subarachnoid haemorrhage or any other neurological topic, call the Brain and Spine Helpline on 0808 808 1000 or email helpline@brainandspine.org.uk.
You may also find these links useful:
I put the kettle on and the cup on the unit. Then I got the coffee from the cupboard and a fierce pain shot out from where the pain in my head was, and I held myself upright against the unit. I don't think I've ever experienced so intense a pain before, it was horrendous to put it mildly!
All thoughts of a cuppa behind me I knew I had to get to Ray for help and made my way, holding my head, to the stairs. I couldn't go up them, I couldn't really walk, it was just determination that kept me going and I ended up flopping down and sitting on the bottom one. I was moaning which was all I could do to make a noise to attract Ray and wake him up.
I guess when he came to me, that was when I relaxed and left things to him because my next memory is the day I was discharged from hospital 4 weeks later.
The next thing I knew, I was in our car with Ray (driving) and my daughter on our way home. I remember saying, "At least you've remembered the way to the new house!" as we made a turn that would take us there. New? We'd lived there 20 years!
The time in between starting to make myself a drink and being in the car on the way home was something like 4 weeks! And my memory of life in that time was totally non-existent.
What happened in the "missing" 4 weeks
It seems Ray found me at 2.30 in the morning sat on the bottom stair. He'd been woken up by my moaning and came to see what was wrong. He immediately laid me on the lounge floor in the recovery position and dialled the emergency number.
The ambulance took me to the local hospital where they found it was a ruptured cerebral aneurysm and they would have to transfer me to the specialist hospital. It was 3 days before they suddenly decided I could stand the journey.
The specialist gave me a brain scan and he confirmed it was an aneurysm and he would operate as soon as he knew I could stand the procedure.
3 weeks later he decided he'd operate and I spent the time after the operation in Intensive Care until the following morning when I was moved to an ordinary ward.
The operation was a technique called coiling, where they insert a tube called a catheter into an artery your groin and send it up to the blood vessel that has burst. For me they inserted another catheter in the other groin and did a special type of scan to take a picture of the vessels, called an angiogram. Along the first tube they sent the platinum coils they used to seal the leak. It seems I needed 3 coils and the last coil was jolted to join with the other two, thus sealing the blood vessel.
I remembered literally nothing of the hospital where I was treated, it was a totally new place to me when six months later I went for an out-patients appointment.
Getting on with it - how Ray helped me recover
Ray took over the running of the house. He decided what meals we'd have when. He took me out every day so I got familiar with my surroundings once more.
Eventually I was well enough to take care of washing the dishes and I still am responsible for that. But in those days I just did what he told me. I was happy with my computer so whenever he wanted time in another room, or to watch TV, he'd sit me in front of it and it began to be my refuge, spent hours playing with my jigsaw program, which helped me with spatial awareness and such. And more time with one particular card game which I could totally follow. All in all, what he wasn't re-educating me with, I was re-educating myself via games or newsgroups on the PC.
I didn't know there was such a thing as the Brain and Spine Foundation, where I could get support. More important, Ray didn't! Because if he'd known about it he'd have been in there finding out what he could. It's he who has taken my care as his own responsibility. He's left the house and garden and concentrated on me. He's made me functional again and done everything in his power to explain things as they've gone wrong, why one day I can walk quite reasonably but the next potter around like a disabled little old lady. He's explained everything to me over and over again. 5 minute memories are hard to cope with. The person with the lousy memory doesn't realise they're asking the same question 25 million times a day! But dear Ray just got on with answering said question over and over again!
How I am coping now
After 8 years I can't grumble.
I can think for myself and do a lot of things like hoovering the floors and washing the dishes. I was so terrified of the cooker that I haven't used it since, but I reckon one day I will just go and use it. I've learned to push myself a little but not too much or I go back a few stages and things become difficult again.
I have developed arthritis but we're not sure whether it's connected. However it means I survive on painkillers!
I now have a walker and can cope quite happily while out shopping. I haven't driven at all but that's by commonsense choice, I still have a licence and insurance.
Basically I could look after myself but I would need Meals-on-wheels for a hot meal a day - I actually couldn't cope with more than putting food in the microwave.
My memory is rapidly returning, I'm remembering so many things from my life that 6 months ago I couldn't bring to mind. That's only happened in the past 2 weeks. But I sometimes still return to the 5 minute memory if something upsets me.
All in all, I'm becoming almost normal. OK, there will always be something not quite right but I've begun to accept that and am delighted when I can report another step forward, 12 months ago I wouldn't have recognised an advance.
I Googled for SAH on one of my brighter days. Only because I thought it would be nice to know if other people had survived and what their life was like now. Google brought up the Brain & Spine Foundation site and I found it interesting. I suddenly realised there could be someone who would benefit from my experience and, with Ray's help, I would try to do my best to help them by writing this article.
I guess I have travelled a long way in the past 8 years and now am coping with life very well.
Further information
If you have any questions about subarachnoid haemorrhage or any other neurological topic, call the Brain and Spine Helpline on 0808 808 1000 or email helpline@brainandspine.org.uk.
You may also find these links useful:
