Pain in right side of head; did I make my symptoms w
 

Hi everyone,

I've been dealing with some PCS for a few months now, and my neurologist recently put me on Nortriptyline to alleviate what he thinks could be symptoms from my neck. I've been on it for a few weeks, and the medicine has definitely helped me deal better with screens and work.

The thing is, earlier this week, on Monday, I tripped over a bump in the sidewalk and jolted my head a bit. I didn't hit it, but I was shaken for a bit and I thought i felt something in my neck right when I tripped. I didn't think it would make my symptoms worse since I didn't hit my head or anything, and if I hadn't had any previous history of TBi I wouldn't have thought much of it.

The next day, I got a somewhat familiar type of headache, one I've been getting all my life(it feels like a lot of pressure int he back of my head, kind of emanating from the base of my head into my neck). I dealt with it using painkillers in the usual way, and it got better in a few days.

I guess the really worrying thing that I'm writing about now is that on Thursday night, right before a midterm I was supposed to take, I started getting some pretty intense pain in the right side of my head. It's kind of a pain on the surface, right at the surface of my right temple and kind of spreading to the back of my head. It was a really sharp and very painful sensation, and I think I got some slight nausea accompanied with it. I managed to deal with it during the midterm, but the next day(yesterday) it was really painful during a lab and lecture.

It also seemed to get worse when I was focusing on close things/writing. Also, I think I can kind of feel some blood pumping in the right side of my head, not really sure how to express that clearly. When I touch my right temple, I can kind of feel a vein popping out more than I can on the left side, and it seems to be sensitive to the touch when I'm experiencing pain there. The pain seems to be somewhat diminished today, but it's still there to some extent. Also, it made it quite difficult to go to sleep last night until I took some painkillers.

Could my symptoms have worsened due to the event earlier this week? What could the pain be a result of? I'm getting an appointment this week with my primary care doctor, and I'm debating whether or not to go to the ER to get myself checked out quickly. Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

Animaniac888,

It does not sound like you need an ER visit. A visit to your PCP would be OK. You may be experiencing a painful event called vasospasm or vasospasm headaches. I get these from time to time. They tend to happen in clusters for me in my right temple. If OTC painkillers work, that is a good sign.

The stumble/trip could have aggravated a whiplash like event. Some muscle tension in the upper neck can cause these headaches, too. Icing your upper neck can help some.

Avoid sleeping in odd postures that can strain your neck.