please forgive me for posting about this again but i'm at wit's end. will be making a dr's appt tomorrow altho i hate to. i saw him in january on the 6th and he diagnosed me with chronic exteme tension headaches. sorry but that's bull____.
he did not do a sed rate or anything. just told me i had headaches.
i have symptoms of practically all the headaches including cluster and temporal arteritis which scares the hell out of me. i get so nervous thinking about ta that i almost get sick.
so here we go again. and please please anybody who has anything like this, has family like this, knows about it, etc., let me know. i absolutely cannot continue like this. i can't take the pain every single day. this is taking my life literally.
so---
pain at base of skull neck, shoulder and upper arm pain
pain down to middle of back and shoulder blades where i get a large cramp in the middle of my back around the spine
scalp is sort of sore but not real bad
pain above the eyes in the forehead area
jaw pain is bad both upper and lower teeth. eating and talking hurt.
ear pain in front of ears and face is tender to touch
pain around eyes, right eye is worse and often it's a stabbing pain around the eye and above
some nausea and sensitivity to light
no temp
face goes numb along with jaws and whole head
i wake up at night and see flashing lights at the side of my vision and am dizzy and walk into walls. sometimes it's very bright lights, others seem to be colored lights.
often see things that aren't there -- like dark shadows or movements
vision gets blurry like looking through wax paper. i have to blink several times to clear it
hurts to move neck to right side, left side not so much. neck is stiff
often get stabbing sharp shooting pains in neck down back
am having trouble using words, or rather, i say things that are not what i'm thinking
pain around the temple like a steady dull pain never stops, 24/7
eyes are itchy, red and hurt
diahhrea
never sleep more than 4 hours.
joint pain, muscle pain all over
forgetting things
burning pain in mouth
i can't think of other symptoms but yes i have injured my neck several times.
i'm just tired and worn out.
and i know the depression is getting real bad. husband was teasing me the other day and i said something and he went "wth..i was joking, what's wrong with you?" i just feel so bad all the time that anytime somebody says anything at all to me, i go off on them.
and i can't even sleep to get away from this.
Posted by opus2828 (Member # 15407) on :
Get a copy of the book Heal your Headache by Dr. Buccholz - can get it on amazon.com used for less.
You will see all your symptoms.
Sounds like migraines! Migraines are more than just headaches.
You need to treat your lyme to get rid of these permanently but in the meantime your doctor could put you on a migraine preventive.
This is not something you take to stop an attack, like imitrex. You need something to prevent an attach and stop the cycle you are in - something like Nortriptyline, Elavil, Topamax - those types of meds.
Also, get on the migraine free diet and that may help. Google it to see what you can and cannot eat. The diet is also in that book.
Also look up migraine lifestyle to see what changes you can make.
It will get better - probably as soon as you stop triggering the symptoms from happening and there are many migraine triggers. All are outlined in the book.
You are caught in a vicious cycle and need to get help to stop it.
All my non-medical advice!
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
migraines??? i'm ordering this book asap...
anything to get rid of this pain.
i've tried elavil and it's worse. i wake up hours after taking it with the pounding being worse.
i've tried to get on migraine message boards on the web but something goes haywire and i can't register.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Been telling you it was migraines. (and/or the neck injury)
Adding to the list of preventatives is beta blockers. Are you already on them?
I would go to a NEUROLOGIST. Just don't mention Lyme unless you have to.
Posted by LymeGoAway (Member # 25041) on :
Just saw a clip from a Dr. Oz show on-line this morning. He was recommending the herb feverfew to prevent migraines. He said you can get a bottle at the health food store for around $10. It might be worth a try.
For what it's worth, I had a lot of the symptoms that you're describing (visual disturbances, jaw pain, burning mouth, diarrhea, facial numbness) before I took my first course of doxy for Lyme. So, it may be your Lyme kicking up.
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
you know how hardheaded i am!! i learned not to mention lyme with the infec and primary care docs.
i don't know what a beta blocker is. i'm only on high blood pressure meds and that's all.
diovan, nadolol, and that's it.
at this point i'm willing to try anything..
don't you have to have a referral for a neurologist? well won't hurt to call one and find out. i just hate to look one up in the phone book and find out they're jerks. don't suppose anybody knows of one around the keller/grapevine area in texas huh??
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Beta blockers are used for high blood pressure, that's why I asked. I just looked it up.. Nadolol is a beta blocker.
You may need a referral. Call your stupid GP and demand a referral since he is not helping you! (he's gonna love this, isn't he!?)
Also, call your insurance and see if you HAVE to have a referral. Maybe you don't.
Posted by steve1906 (Member # 16206) on :
It sounds like migraines to me too.
I�ve been getting them all my life, still do. I only get them once a month or so, thank God.
They are all the same, pain everywhere and I�d like to blow my head off every time I get one.
For me, nothing works, I�ve tried everything. The only things that help me is:
- very dark room � very cold facecloth � silence � and if anyone talks to me I�ll kill them
It usually takes me at least two days to start feeling better.
I feel so sorry for you; I really couldn�t take this type of pain from migraines much more than the two days.
I think Lymetoo is right, and maybe the neurologist can help you.
I also have back and neck issues so maybe it�s all related!
I hope you get some relief very soon! Hang in there
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
yeah steve i got my first one back in march of oh 2011. i didn't feel very well and was coming back from the er of all places. had to drive myself of course and it was 2 in the morning.
all of a sudden, OMG!!! i almost had a wreck, felt like somebody had blown my head off the pain ws so bad. i came home and almost threw up. i crawled into bed and just cried. i was shaking and sick, dizzy. that lasted about a week i think and then wham!! suddenly it just stopped. i mean went away.
then nothing until december when the same thing happened. i had been dizzy and blurry vision, felt sick and then wham!! another sever headache which lasted for oh about 4-5 days, then lessened down to anywhere from 2 to 6 every single day.
so i've had this condition since december 10th of last year.
and tu's right. my gp is pretty worthless. not everything is stress related.
and if a certain person tells me "you just want to be sick" one more time, ya'll are going to hear on the news about a crazed texas woman who did massive bodily harm to one husband..
Posted by steve1906 (Member # 16206) on :
Buy a good set of earplugs - it's better than going to jail for bodily harm!!!
I�d be in jail for life by now; without them!
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
just ordered the book from amazon and two others. can't wait to get it.
Posted by opus2828 (Member # 15407) on :
Go on the migraine vertigo site - lots of info there about migraine causing your symptoms and dizziness as well.
I think the beta blocker that is most successful in treating migraines is verapamil. Maybe your doc can switch you to that.
NONE of the migraine meds are a quick fix. Some make you feel worse initially. You need to pick one and stick with it for a few weeks. Elavil does not work overnight - takes a few weeks to kick in.