Restful nights - NOT!

My first night in the hospital was not very restful.  Somehow, when someone is coming in every hour and waking you up for something or other, then it takes a while to get back to sleep, you don't get much rest.

The nurses came in each hour, and even though they were as pleasant as they could be about it, sleeping just a few minutes at a time is not very restful.

Each time the nurse came in, she would ask, What's your name?  What day is it?  Where are we?  Why are you here?  Then she would have me follow her finger with my eyes, squeeze her hands, smile, stick my tongue out, push my feet against her hands, etc.  By about the 3rd round of these questions, I began wondering why they were asking me stroke questions. After all, I was coherent and aware of what was going on around me.  It wasn't until I read through my "Homework" the next day - a packet of information on my condition - that I realized that a subarachnoid hemorrhage is considered a type of stroke, and I began to realize how blessed I was to be alive and coherent.

I didn't get online and look things up until today, but as I read through some of the information you find online, I realized why my family was so concerned.  You definitely find the worst case scenarios if you go online.  I discovered that less than half the people who suffer a subarachnoid hemorrhage even make it to the hospital to get treated, and of those who do make it, most lose at least some function.  The nurses at the hospital had already confirmed this information, so it isn't really a big surprise.  It just makes me realize once again how blessed I am, and how much all those prayers of my family and friends had an impact in my life. 

Although the nights at the hospital were not restful, that second morning started one of my favorite parts of my stay - the Trans Cranial Doppler treatment.  Each morning someone would come in with a machine.  They squirt ultrasound goo on a sensor, which they position at various places on your head and listen to the blood flowing through your veins.  Something about the speed of flow approaching and then leaving that particular spot helps them keep track of how you are doing.  Sometimes they had to move the sensor around to find exactly the right spot, and for some reason, that really relaxed me.  It was like getting a head massage, and then the sound of the blood flow was kind of like waves.  The best rest I had each day at the hospital was during and after the Doppler treatment.  The treatment took about 30-45 minutes, and then I was so relaxed I usually took a nap, and once I woke up after the Doppler treatment/nap, I always felt quite rested. It helped make up for all those night-time wake up calls.