Help
 

Hi sooooo im just gonna list some symptoms and if you guys could give me some possible causes that would be so great because doctos just say its migranes but i know its not.
Headaches every day
pressure from back of the head to behind the eyes
moderate to sever pain
trouble focusing
Nausea
trouble remember things
feel slow, like foggy memory
medication barely touches it
poor cordination
ringing in ears

Hi Not, Welcome

The symptoms you describe are not dissimilar from migraines, so approaching things a different way... what makes you think/say it's not migraine?

Doc

Well yeah I thought that too, but I have had migranes for a while and they are completely different from these, my normal migranes happen once or twice every month they have auras so i can prevent them with medication and medication works on them and they are always severe and gradually happen, its just freaking me out so I was wondering if I should worry or not.

It's possible that you may have more than one type. There are dozens of types/kinds, and they can present differently, and/or combine with other kinds of migraines or other kinds of headaches. I say this from experience.

I have an uncommon one called 'chronic tension type/migraine complex -- sudden onset'. It can present as a tension headache crawling up the back of my neck, as a migraine on my left side in the back, on the left on the side, in my shoulder/back, or behind my left eye. Maybe one time out of ten, it manifests on the right side. I've never experienced an aura from any of them. Since it's a complex of migraine and tension headaches, and different meds are used to treat each type (and don't work on the other) sometimes it's a guessing game of which type (or both) to treat. Sometimes they fool me and I guess wrong. The strangest thing of all is that this was all brought on by a virus. I got a common cold (rhinovirus) that somehow re-activated the dormant epstein-barr virus (mononucleosis) I had as a teen. This is actually a documented type of headache, but it took a migraine specialist to recognize it.

What I'm getting at is that these crazy things can come out of nowhere without any rhyme or reason.

If I may make a suggestion, try some homework/research about kinds of headaches & migraines. You might come across something that clicks (fits the symptoms you're experiencing).

Doc

Thanks for replying I got a CT and it was normal so its just migranes which really sucks because medication doesnt help so just gonna have to learn to deal got referred to a neurologist though, thanks for your help. I hope your migranes go away.

:Hum: WHAT, you'd rather it was a tumor or something??? :eek:

Sorry -- usually a clear CT is cause for relief. :rolleyes:

We're all about trying to help each other here, so if you don't mind my asking, which/what kind of meds have you tried? Other therapies?
There's a lot of experience/knowledge/wisdom in the archives of this forum (Search facility) but posting traffic tends to be slow during the summer.

I went to several neurologists who claimed to know about migraines. They were wrong. I finally heard (from another doctor) about one they call "the headache guy" -- a neurologist whose practice is limited solely to headaches/migraine. He made the others look like idiots. Whoever you see, try to get a diagnosis as to specific type of migraine; it can make a significant difference in treatment.

Mine are not as bad as they once were. I've still not found a prophylactic that works, but after several tries, I have an abortive (Maxalt) that works for me (everyone is different). Physical therapy helped as well. I'm down from over 15 episodes per month to 4-8.

Doc

Of course I didnt want a brain tumor thats horrible but i just rather have had them found something because that means they can get rid of it and the headaches will be gone but yeah i havent tried many things because they started a few months ago. Advil used to work but not anymore and Imitrex works but i get some nasty side affects and it only works for about an hour. Right now Aleve and tylenol with caffine has been the best so far bad Im worried about taking medication all the time because I don't want rebound headaches. I am willing to try anything though we are gonna speak to the neurologist sometime this week and maybe try acupuncture. Im gonna star a migrane diary and food diary to see if any foods I eat trigger it so i can change that. Willing to do anything. Glad your migranes are better than they were.

Excellent. Some neurologists have specific diaries they prefer patients to use, but you can find many online by googling: headache log journal
Here is one site with many styles; you can use one already prepared, or create/modify your own, suited to your (and your doctor's) specific needs.
http://www.freeprintablemedicalforms...tegory/diaries

Searching: migraine triggers may yield some clues

That you've found some things that do work, even somewhat and/or temporarily, is encouraging. Imitrex is one of a class of medications called triptans. There are many more in that class, and if one works somewhat, there's a good chance that another may work even better. Everyone is different, so what works for one may not work for another. The same can be said for side effects (I can't use Imitrex, but Maxalt works great for me). It may take some tries to find the one that works best for you.

Rebound headaches are possible, but please don't let fear of them deter you from finding relief. They're usually due to medication overuse, rather than occasional use for need, so some of it depends on the frequency of your migraines. If you can differentiate between your migraine and a rebound headache (some can; some cannot), it makes dealing with them much easier.

At some point, again depending on frequency/severity, they may put you on some kind of prophylactic medication. Like the abortives, there are many kinds/types, and you may have to try several until you find one that works (if you ever do). Look into (research online) the long term effects of any prophylactic meds you're likely to stay on. I was remiss in this, and it may have been a factor in causing my peripheral neuropathy (which is no fun either). If you want to know about that, send me a PM.

IMO, accupuncture is worth a try, as is myofascial trigger point therapy (by a certified MTP therapist), physical therapy (some migraines can be mechanical/physical in origin/trigger), biofeedback, lifestyle/diet changes, supplements, and probably a few I'm forgetting... :o

The worst pain (aside from the migraines themselves) is that it can take some time to find/develop useful treatments. Caution: It can get you feeling like a guinea pig.

The more you can learn/know about headaches, migraines, treatments, and your own body, the better you can help the doctors help you, which is why I stress all the research/homework -- it's the only/best shortcut.

Doc

Sounds like "rebound headaches'. Suffered from migraines for years. Got a script for Midrin. Would take one at time of migraine; then it would come back, take another and on and on. Originally did this with Bufferin as well.
You take med, then relief for a very short time, take med adgain, this becomes a pattern. At the time I was unaware of how rebound headaches work. I finally had to get off all the headache meds for a couple of months. It was really rough.

But, by then, Imirex came out and now I know better, I take one; never more than a second one. Almost always sufficient. I will NEVER let myself again get caught up in the "rebound cycle". That is excactly what it is a "cycle". It will not end and these type of headaches will not end until you stop the "cycle".

Hope you get relief. It can really make life miserable. The ringing in my ears would especially let me know I had overdone meds.


(Gerry)

Doc[/QUOTE]

Yeah I have been researching a lot but there are so many things that can cause it makes a bit discouraging but thank you for the help it has been really helpfull and Ill be sure to look in about rebound headaches more because i wasnt really using advil constantly until i got these headaches so I think these are real.

Yeah I have been researching a lot but there are so many things that can cause it makes a bit discouraging but thank you for the help it has been really helpfull and Ill be sure to look in about rebound headaches more because i wasnt really using advil constantly until i got these headaches so I think these are real.[/QUOTE]



I would agree the headaches are real....just it is easy to take another when headache comes back and there starts a cycle making these almost daily.

Hi again i just had some new symptoms appear i had both of my arms tingle and go numb on and off through the evening then i got a headache on the left side of my head along with the left side of my face tingling, neck pain on the left side, chest pain on the left side and left arm pain that radiates from my shoulder to the tips to my finger. Should I be concered or just some more crazy migrane symptoms.

That sounds to me like more than just migraines -- possibly degenerative disc disease or thoracic outlet syndrome, or something of that ilk (pressure on nerves) which can certainly cause migraines.

The radiating chest pain/left arm thing concerns me. Please call your doctor about this asap. It may be nothing, but it's not worth messing around.

Doc

Degenerative disc disease sounds very possible, I had very bad lower back pain in the beginning of the year but my doctor wrote it off from a heavy backpack and its gone now so i didnt connect it to the migranes I'll be sure to bring it up with my doctor at my next visit.

When I was dealing with the rebound headaches, I had a lot of jaw tightness. Especially when I had overused the Midrin. Also, had problems with the muscle pain on the left side of my neck, as well as shoulder. There were times this did affect my left arm as well. To this day (several years later), I still have some problems with the left side of neck and shoulder; just not as severe.
.
To be on the safe side; I would definitely discuss this with your doctor.


Gerry)

Oh i have jaw tightness too but i was told i clench my mouth when I sleep but yeah that could be it too thanks!

In this case, I'd be inclined to agree with your doctor. Headaches from DDD are usually from the cervical (neck) area (like mine). A simple x-ray (not CT) can often image that.

TMJD can cause migraines and some of your other symptoms too.

Doc

I even had a mouth piece made to sleep in so as to relax the jaw and prevent me from clenching. Since that wasn't the real problem. Didn't help. I still feel you need to look into this more; even though many of your symptoms mimic my "rebound headaches". It took some years of discomfort to figure out the real problem. There is more known about rebound headaches at this time. The biggest thing I learned; Do No Keep Taking heacdache meds; even asprin over and over again.

Since I had headaches in teens; got in the habit of taking Bufferin. But the real culprit came when I was given a script for Midrin and a large quantity with 12 refills. Didn't realize how dangerous that was since my neurologist gave me the scrip; just assumed it was okay to take as needed. Take two, then couple of hours later; headache back; take another, headache would go away for a short time, then back. One of my other doctors had given me an article about "rebound" headaches...sounded familiar. Until my son did the research on his computer about Midrin....which listed one of the main side effects was jaw tigthening. That's when I finally realized what I was doing. Althought I take Imitrex now....that one also states a side effect of jaw tightening. I have backed off considerably on all headache meds including Bufferin. I take 25 mg's Imitrex when symptoms first appear. Very seldom take a second a few hours later. Usually the headache is either gone or dull enough not to take more. In this case.........more is not better!!!!

Actually the shoulder pain coming from my neck was thought to be cervical dystonia. I had botox by a doctor specializing in dystonia from one of the Medical Universities in Chicago. This didn't help enough to bother with a second round of injections.

As if often the case; one thing leads to another and eventually no one is sure what triggered multiple symptoms.

What was the case for me, does not mean same for you; so again you should have your doctor look into causes, as well as learning all you can about "rebound" headaches.

Hopefully you will find the sollution to these problems. As I mentioned; eventually becomes hard to trace back the culprit; if there is one.


(Gerry)

I hope so too! but i have degenerative disc disease in my family history and m chiropractor said that my neck is stuck out of place so hopefully those are the causes of al my pains. But what you said was really helpful to keep in mind thank you so much.

FWIW, everybody does; it's considered a normal part of aging and part of the price we (humans) pay for walking upright. The difference is usually one of degree, and it's not predictable. Some people can get what looks horrible in imaging, yet feel almost no symptoms, while others can show very little deterioration and be in extreme pain.

Doc

I feel you
 

Hey there!
I have had headaches my whole life. They are not migranes. no clue they were coming. I have MS. My headaches helped me find this out lol but the MS didnt cause them :/ however I HAVE been taking topamax and NO MORE HEADACHES! MY LIFE IS A MILLION TIMES BETTER.I was so miserable. I was having the worst headaches you could possible imagine. The same as what you described but even worse. lol good luck dear!

Im glad your feeling better! and thanks! I found oui have scoliosis and my neck is too straight and they said that could be causing the headaches so I hope once i get it fixed they go away.