Hi everyone!

I ended up getting a tension-like headache that has been sticking around for 1.5 weeks I've had discomfort at the base of my skull I thought I got it cause of the way I was reading in bed, I also get them during my period so I get these a lot.

Anyway, I had to go out yesterday and it was absolutely freezing out and so after I got home I had a headache, so I thought it was just my head adjusting to being in a warm room but after about an hour it still felt like my head wanted to explode (no better way to explain it). I took a Tylenol before bed and this morning I woke up and my dad asked if I still wanted to go into emerge (better safe than sorry). I don't have the feeling of my head wanting to explode but the tension like discomfort is back at the base of my skull.. Is it just a headache that's just taking longer to get rid of it or should I go in to see if its my shunt?

I hate having to go through this every time I have a tension-like headache cause I get them if the weather changes and stuff too.

About a year ago I started getting similar headaches. I felt it EVERYWHERE on my head, including my forehead, where I feel headaches and all over my scalp at my valve sight, which is also a symptom I get during a malfunction. I also had extreme jaw and tooth pain. I called my neurosurgeon because my shunt malfunction symptoms WERE present but I told them that this didn't feel like a shunt headache; although the sensation was the same, it felt like it was originating OUTSIDE of my brain, not inside. In addition, I couldn't explain the other symptoms with a shunt malfunction, particularly the jaw and tooth pain. My neurosurgeon's office told me to trust myself and explore other options. I eventually discovered that I was clenching my teeth/jaw together all night. When I went in to see a head/neck pain specialist, they saw that my teeth had been ground significantly, and that the muscles/tendons the back of your teeth, the muscles that press the upper and lower teeth together, lit up with pain when the dentist pressed on them. She explained that the reason my scalp/shunt hurt was because the clenching ignites the muscles that start at the base of your skull (which is what make me think that you are experiencing something similar) and wrap around your scalp. And because my incision site is so sensitive (it has been opened 6 times in the last 2 years) it is especially painful in that area. She fitted me with a thick mouth guard at night, and in addition I use heat to relax my jaw, scalp, forehead, neck and upperback. Also, she referred me to a physical therapist who taught me some basic principles and exercises to help relax and heal my jaw muscles. It has been a life saver! I would suggest being evaluated my specialist for TMJ (temporo-mandibular joint) problems if it hasn't been ruled out already, it explained all my symptoms that a shunt malfunction didn't account for. Good luck and keep us posted!

Thanks for the reply! I still have the tension in the back of my head/neck but I figured out that it could be because of the way I read in bed. I always slide down when in a sitting position. So I'm just dealing with tense muscles now no headache anymore so walking around with tension isn't fun either but it doesn't stop me from doing all the daily things I need too... especially from the unbearable pressure I experienced from coming in from being outside... that was no fun! I knew I could have taken a pain medication but you don't want to be taking those all the time.

I'm even going to be buying new pillows (or at least one depending on price of course) since i've had these pillows for a while, even though they are comfy still they can't be good for my neck.