Hello Everyone,

In July ran into a metal bar at a playground, remained conscious. CT normal. Headache subsided after a week. In August woke with thunderclap-type headache in right side of head, right eye was droopy. Went to ER & normal EKG and blood work. Ever since had electrical-type pulsating all over when falling asleep and during sleep. Strong muscle twitching occasionally. Chest pain in heart region, front left neck region, and left shoulder. Strong heartbeat noise in head. MRI normal. Gabapentin helps control electrical pulsating feeling. Muscle twitching comes and goes. Chest and neck pain getting worse and heartbeat in head getting louder. Headaches come and go. Another EKG normal, ultrasound of neck found several small nodules on thyroid. Feeling tired and dazed a lot, getting a lot of sleep doesn't help. Working with primary care doc, neurologist, and soon ear nose and throat. Any thoughts? Thank you

Vanilla bean,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. Sorry to hear of your injury.

I am confused as to why you have had 2 EKG's. Maybe the chest pain was cause for one but my suggestion is getting more neck and upper back diagnostics done. Tweeked upper cervical and upper back can cause your chest symptoms. I suggest you look for a Physical Therapist or maybe a Physiatrist (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) or even an osteopath (OD). It will take a skilled clinician to diagnose and treat the subtle injuries to your upper back and neck. An upper cervical chiropractor may also be worthwhile but only for the upper neck. C-6 to T-2 or so can get injured and inflamed causing chest symptoms. This can be a Thoracic Outlet Syndrome type of injury.

If you can get in to a Physiatrist, ask about an X-Ray series looking for cervical ribs (false ribs). They can be a problem, especially with your cluster of symptoms. I was referred to a PT who was a true healer for TOS/cervical rib issues.

I have had these chest issues and got the 'cleared of heart issues' after a stress EKG. I also developed a hiatal hernia from a slow stiff bowel from the neck and upper back inflammation that caused chest discomfort. I learned the up on the tip toes to hard on the heals maneuver to reduce my hiatal hernia when it acts up.

You should be icing your neck routinely. I have a recipe for crushable ice packs in the sticky at the top under Vitamins and Supplements. It is at the bottom of the first post.

If the ENT tries to alarm you about your thyroid, email or PM me. My wife went through a thyroid scare and we learned a lot about the thyroid as a fee generator. My wife has a lump the size of half a walnut. Get a thyroid hormone test done if you have not already.

Keep us informed. We are here to help and support you.

My best to you.

Hi Mark,

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. There is a lot I am processing from your message. To answer your question, the first EKG was in the ER (I think it is standard) and the second one was ordered by my neurologist who heard my chest symptoms and it was her response to my chest pain complaints.

I am disappointed that the thyroid may not turn out to be more. I was hoping it would explain everything, but even I knew that was unlikely. Thanks for giving me the heads up on that.

I am hopeful, on the other hand, about what you describe for the neck and chest pain. That would be a lot less concerning than my thoughts of stroke, blood clot, heart attack, etc. My only question is, what about the pounding in my head? It's worse on the left side, and when I press on my neck where it hurts, the sound gets louder. What does/did your chest pain feel like?

I cannot find the crushable ice pack. Sorry, since I'm new it's probably my fault.

Thank you so much for responding- it's been a depressing road for me. Your own story gives me hope. I'll definitely see what happens when I take these ideas to my doctor and let you know. What does PM you mean?

Mark, I found the crushable ice pack recipe.

PM means Private Message. Once you have posted a few times, you should get access to the PM system. You may need to set your preferences so you can receive PM's. You access by left clicking on the person's screen name. A box will drop down with options.

Better to not have a thyroid problem. They tend to be chronic. A neck and/or back issue is fixable, or at least treatable so it can be managed.

Update:

I went to my primary care physician today. She thinks I need a second opinion from a neurologist about my neuro-related symptoms. Seizure-like activity is increasing at night and muscle spasms have been increasing too. I have trouble opening my eyes in morning and neurologist had said "that's normal."

Primary care ordered MRA to make sure vessels have not been damaged and a CT of the chest for the chest pain. Since I do not experience chest pain when she presses on my chest and neck (the other area it hurts), she no longer believes it is musculoskeletal (hence, no X-rays). She is starting me on some over-the-counter meds for heartburn.

Asked about physiatrist and she wants to take a few more steps first and see me in two weeks before I start to see someone else.

Rough and scary day.