Hello all:

For anyone who is interseted in reading, I suffered a SAH (Subarachnoid hemmoraghe) 3 years ago Wednesday. With my anniversary coming up, I am reflective. I am very thnakful to be here and have my friends and family. I still face daily struggles but with FC I am able to handle them better. Sharon Stone also had the same injury as me. Below is an article about her but also some good info about SAH. Note the part about headaches and mortalityy

Thanks for reading.


Sharon Stone's revealing role in Basic Instinct rocketed her to the top. But her own survival instinct may have saved her life.

After experiencing a crippling headache Sept. 29, she was admitted to a hospital and treated for a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) — a bleeding into an area between her brain and the middle membrane that covers it. She was released Oct. 7 and is completing her recovery at home.

Lawton says Stone's SAH bleeding pattern was typical of either a VAD or the aneurysm initially reported. "She had the bleeding pattern of an aneurysm, but the underlying problem was different."

SAH basics

Depending on the group examined, SAH frequency is between 6-16 per 100,000 per year.

Mayo Clinic research shows that SAH continues to be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality with about 30,000 events annually in the United States. According to NeurologyReviews.com, approximately 18,000 die every year from the condition.

The causes of SAHs are often a genetic predisposition that "can result in soft, tearable arteries," says Lawton. Other risk factors include:

Gender — SAHs occur in women about three times as often as in men.
Age — The risk of SAH increases with age and peaks at about 50 years of age.
Race — African-Americans are at increased risk.
Smoking — Smokers carry a higher risk.

While many SAHs occur without warning, they can sometimes be traced to avoidable trauma, such as:

Automobile accidents
Chiropractic manipulation of the neck
Advanced yoga or neck stretching
Contact or high-impact sports
Symptoms

But overwhelmingly, the primary SAH symptom is a sudden-onset horrific headache.

"The hemorrhaging is invariably described as producing the worst headache of their life," says Lawton, who is also chief of cerebrovascular surgery at University of California at San Francisco. "It's well beyond a migraine. Asked to rate it on a one-to-10 scale of pain, the response is that it's off the scale and absolutely the worst pain imaginable."

Other symptoms of SAH may include:

Nausea and vomiting
Stiff neck
Light intolerance
Complete or partial loss of consciousness

Because successful treatment of SAH runs hand-in-hand with prompt diagnosis and intervention, it is essential to seek immediate emergency medical help.

Initial attempts at diagnosis involve head scans. "When someone presents with this type of headache, the first test is a computer tomography (CT) scan," says Lawton.

But the longer the time between the symptoms and the CT, the less likely it is that a CT will reveal bleeding. If the scan is done in the first 24 hours after bleeding, VAD detection is between 80-90%. Three weeks later, CT scan detection of a VAD is unlikely.

"But whenever we see blood on a CAT scan, the next test is an angiogram," says Lawton.

Stone had two angiograms performed a week apart, which is not uncommon. Some 20-25% of those with a VAD need a second angiogram to confirm the diagnosis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may also be used, particularly if a defined trauma or bleeding occurred more than four days earlier.

Treatment

But some SAH patients never make it that far. Approximately 10% die before they reach a hospital. And while about 30% make a full recovery, an equal number become comatose. The remainder sustains some type of permanent neurological damage.

Stone apparently realizes her good luck in what could have been a far more serious event. "I would like to thank my fans for their love and support and the miraculous power of prayer," says the actress through her publicist. "I am forever grateful."

Martin FC