I haven't found a place to post this and thought this would be the best place, because I do have head pressure, though not a headache.

This occurred on Monday, Memorial Day, just a few days ago.

I smelled the ammonia and heard bell ringing sounds afterwards. Two hours later I sitting at my computer with my computer glasses on suddenly my eyes and brain couldn't work together. Difficult to explain. I'm usually very good at spelling but suddenly I couldn't spell correctly. Then the palms of my hands got ice cold and began to sweat. I was sweating elsewhere but normal temperature. My heart rate became irregular but slow. I have a slow heart rate as it is. It sped up after that to 60, fast for me. Then it went back down to the 50s and I felt strange. I felt as if I'd keel over. I had photosensitivity, as in I didn't like looking at my computer screen, but no headache. I grabbed some aspirin and took 4 baby ones thinking this was something to do with my heart because of the irregular heart beat. I had some chest pain afterwards.

After a while, maybe two hours later, I had pressure in my occipital area of the skull (the back of the head). There was no headache. I had nausea at that time too.

Since then I've had more symptoms. Here's a list of the most bothersome:
Nearly constant nausea
Occipital head pressure, can't rest back of head on reclining chair without aching discomfort
Inability to look at television/computer without symptoms described above
Dizziness
Difficulty with balance, holding things when get up and balancing self with walls
Ear pain radiating into teeth
Shower water on head is painful, can hear water in head
Fleeting numbness left side of face from lips to head above ear
Ongoing not having the right words, switching words with words that don't mean the same thing, such as mow the carpet, vacuum the lawn, I actually said that
Emotions all over the place and inappropriate emotions
Zero sex drive

More history about me: Uncontrolled Hashimoto's Thyroiditis with thyrotoxicosis on Mother's Day which required hospitalization but usually hypothyroid, past Perimyocarditis with pericardial effusion and atrial fibrillation.

What I think? Something to do with my pituitary/hypothalamus. My doctor is mystified with my symptoms and with treating my Hashimoto's.

More info which I just figured out this morning:
I'm fine when I first wake up - if I took Tylenol before going to bed - but if I move my head or eyes all my symptoms return. First is occipital pressure/ache, then nausea, then eye pain. I can keep the symptoms somewhat controlled with Tylenol. And when these symptoms come on I smell this ammonia/burnt smell. The smell is intense.

Overall, my symptoms remind me of a severe concussion I had in 1983.

Ideas anyone?

Hi Stuffedhead,

Have you had any tests done to look at your head? MRI or Ct scan? I am sorry to hear of your symptoms and hope you find out what's going on. I know how frustrating it can be not knowing........

Crwstar

I saw my internist today and got referred to a Neurologist. My internist did a simple eye/hand coordination test on me and I pretty much failed it, especially on the left hand side.

His first thought is Multiple Sclerosis - I hope not.

I've had some new symptoms today including weakness in my right hand and not being able to use it properly. I had to concentrate to empty the silverware tray in the dishwasher.

I think you might know more after some xrays & a MRI of the head and cervical spine- so hopefully your dr will rx those, unless he finds something that is clear cut without those tests.

One thing I do have is a previous MRI of my head showing nothing out of the ordinary. I had that in June 2006. It turned out my symptoms back then were from Acute Closed-Angle Glaucoma attacks. They were similar to now but started with a very bad headache which lasted 12 hours despite taking medication. Then I had other symptoms but not like the ones I'm starting to have now - weakness in my hands, head feeling stuffy (thus my stuffedhead name), constant nausea, etc..

I'm sure the neurologist will want to see that for a reference.

I also see black snow on upward gaze only. I asked my ophthalmologist about this and she said black snow is not as common as white snow but many people report seeing white snow and it doesn't necessarily mean anything. I've pressed her a couple of times for a repeat MRI but she's skirted the issue saying most likely there would be no changes in it. I hope she's right.