Bleed on Brain

[Pompom1]

I suffered a bleed in August 2018 and still under care of kings college for mri scans and my doctor for care I cannot fault the care at King's but as for after care with my doctor I feel like I am fighting a battle ,I been to see him several times for headaches I constantly have the fatigue and high blood pressure answer take paracetamol and return to work as sitting doing nothing not gonna help,My employer won't consider return to work yet as am not able to physical do my job.Surely my GP is wrong .

[Hidden]

GP's don't understand head injuries! Ring Headway and talk to them, they will be able to advise you.

[bexx87 in reply to Hidden]

Hello hope your doing well

[Kirk5w7]

GPs are not specialists they dont have all the abswers for every illness they have to deal with.

I had to be referred back to my consultant to finally get suitable medication to deal with my pressuie headaches.

Returning to work can take many months if not years to find a suitable position, your employer is right to refuse to consider it yet but he must look at the possibility of making adjustments to allow you to return when the time is right.

BI is for life and recovery is slow, patience is required, your beain took 16/25 years to reach maturity it takes a lobg time to repair, if it can, when damaged.

Janet xx

[bexx87]

Edited version:

Postive long story short: I had to forcefully in a unprofessional way get my manager put Infront of HR and put my job at risk in the process and get occ health to write to HR she has lived with this for 18 years believer her (!!!) to make him understand the impact of the injury I had 18 years ago is still having on me and what would happen if he tried to put me though the dismal process (I would have grounds to sue for unfair dismissal due to my medication side effects cause my "poor performance" which drs where trying to figure out what was happening to cause this and still looking into it after) I was put Infront of several "junior" gps before talking to the head gp who said it could be my medication and I was immediately escalated (I still had to wait but no more jumping through hoops and I still took myself off the meds which when my appointment 8 months later came through the specialist tried to put me back on pregablin and thankfully when I poiley declined they agreed because they agreed that I had lived with this for 18 years so I know the boundaries and what feels right/wrong with my body/brain and put me on new meds (sertaline) and I'm still waiting for my follow up appointment to raise slight issues Im having but its no were near as bad as the pregablin effects but they have no neuropsychologists to run clinic) and now my manager is willing to understand mental health and specifically brain injury so if you are willing to fight tooth and nail miracles can happen if you talk to the right people but you have to put a lot at stake (and no one gets easily booted out of local government without questioning it in this place).

You can "recover" in a sense but it will take everything you got and is a never ending battle and you will have to ignore a lot of comments from both the NHS and how to you in order to prove everyone wrong so it is achievable to have a "normal" life

[cat3]

Please don't return to work until you feel absolutely ready Pompom. Even then, you need to consider a phased return as none of us can properly judge of our new capabilities after a brain injury or illness.

GPs are generally not knowledgeable about neurological issues, but I can assure you that, after a Subarachnoid haemorrhage 7 years ago, I had debilitating headaches every day for about 3 months which gradually lessened in frequency 'til they became occasional, as they are now.

But no way would I have managed a return to any form of work-life after my SAH. My concentration, balance, memory and emotion state were (and remain to a lesser degree) impaired and the headaches were a nightmare !

Please ask for more efficient painkillers such as Ibuprofen (if you can tolerate it) or codeine ; keep well hydrated and...……… rest....rest....rest ! Brains are delicate organs and it could take at least 2 years before you're able to judge your new capabilities.

Please message me if you need to compare notes ! Cat x

[Pompom1]

Thank you cat3 ,my employer is sympathise with me and we dissuced redundancy on medical grounds due to type of work at present I know within myself I'm far from fit for work ,but all my doctor gives me on well notes is 4 weeks and getting appointment with him is beyond belief he just says take paracetamol he has started me on 4mg of high blood pressure ,,, from going from a worker all time and being active to this I can't seem to get .

[Ro_76]

I am sorry to hear you are going through this struggle with your GP pompom1. As for Kings I can also say that they are amazing because I am still under their care following a bleed on brain in 2015. I was very fortunate to receive rehabilitation support very soon after returning home. Were you not offered any? For myself it was occupational health and then a neurology psychologist, who I am still seeing to this day. She has been the help I have needed to return to work and cope with the problems it can bring for me now. My GP was very supportive and put me on a very gradual phased return. I am very surprised that your GP hasn't done this too. Especially with what would be in your notes from Kings. As Cat3 says it takes a long time for you to know what you will be capable of. Almost 4 years on I still struggle but have an incredibly supportive employer. I really hope you will have the same pompom1. Take care xx

[moo196]

Have you had neuro rehab team to see you? Contact them ASAP.

A phased return may be a sensible way to get back to work as and when.

Also remploy helped me with the myriad of issues I had with returning to work.

August 18 is really not very long ago in terms of brain illness.

Good luck.