Headaches / Migraines :: 19 Years, Narcolepsy
Dec 9, 2013
I'm 19 years old. Since I was little I have suffered a few things: Firstly, I have narcolepsy, and suffer from sleep paralysis. I also get dizziness and fainting spells (although sometimes I can still see just not move) as well as anemia (which I understand is common). On top of that I get bouts of terrible chest pain on my right side when I can't breathe properly, migraines and at times my heart beats irregularly. I was a premature baby and suffered jaundice when I was young, but that's it really. I have gone to the GP about all these problems, the doctors have been treating them as separate issues and I worry that they may all be linked. When I last said this to my GP he told me I might be a hypochondriac and it's all due to stress, which I don't believe. I don't really want keep having it at the back of my mind, should I just forget it or pursue my case further with a different doctor?
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When you get headaches, how long do they last for? I've had a pretty constant one for about a month! Sometimes it goes away at parts during the day, but it has been pretty constant. Its very dull and always in the same spot at the back of my head. Like me thinking about them constantly probably doesn't allow them to go away either.
I just fear a brain tumor! Can tension headaches last a very long time and be constant?
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Did anyone get extremely painful migraines? I am on my first trimester and for the past two days I have been having painful migraines. I have taken Tylenol and also placed cold towels on my head but nothing seems to release the pain.
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What is wrong with my head?
For the last month how I feel has just become worse (today being the worst I have ever felt) everyday I feel like I am going to pass out, vision goes blurry and feels like the room goes dark and closes in. I feel weak and constantly fatigued. I have pressure in my head and nearly everyday have woken up with a very bad headache, I am now getting stabbing like pains in my head (it feels as if a knife is being dragged at the top of my head) pressure in my temples. My head feels as though there is fizzing in it.
My muscles feel weak and achy my legs feel like I have been doing a workout down the gym, my eyes are very heavy and sore.
I have tingling sensations through mainly my left arm (like pins and needles) I have vomited a few times.
A few times I have had pains in my chest (like pressure and shooting pains) and have had to take deep breathes to try get it to stop.
When I bend down my head feels like it is going to explode and my vision is very disturbed, I have had to hold on tight to stop myself from falling at times.
I have no energy and just cannot carry on like this.
Just now I have had a fizzing feeling at the front of my head (left side of forehead, feels a little like something is crawling inside my head).
Any insight would be appreciated.
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I'm a 19 year old female and suffer with headaches and have done since I was 9 years old. I have been passed from pillar to post by doctors and they all have different opinions. I have periods of time where I have a 24 hour migraine for about 6 weeks and then I'm migraine free for a month or two , its a pain at the front of my head accompanied by a pulsating pain which is made worse with movement . It makes me feel sick and I'm sensitive to light and sound . Id love to speak to anyone who is in the same boat, and can enlighten me as to treatments ? It has such a strain on my day to day life and the maintenance of my relationship.
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For years now I have experienced pretty regular headaches and occasionally I would get migraines. But when I was in a car accident in June, where I fractured my skull, had right temporal lobe hemorrhaging, and about a 9 day laps of time that I remember nothing off, I of course had terrible headaches right after the accident but when those went away I began to get frequent migraines. My mother, being a nurse told me to keep track of them because my injuries and symptoms put my at risk for seizures. Last week and this week I have experienced severe headaches or migraines almost every night but something has been different. These headaches have only been coming late at night, almost early morning, and when they happen I try to go to sleep. When I close my eyes (while the headache is still happening) I see flashes of light, like a strobe. They are very fast, one after the other. The flashes only stop when I open my eyes or when I finally drift off to sleep. I've never experienced anything like this. I am aware that many migraines can cause auras and flashes of light but I have never had that happen before and it's never when my eyes are open. My vision itself is never effected. Only when I close my eyes. Is this something I should be concerned about? Is it normal?
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I can only eat very, very small amounts of fruit and vegetables--even organic ones, otherwise I get a headache 8 to 12 hours later. Does anyone else suffer from this condition? Is there anything that can be done to lessen the effect?
Cooking the fruit or veggies does nothing, and I am desperate to find a solution.
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Around 5 months ago out of nowhere, I started having immense headaches which at first I mistakened as just migraines or cluster headaches. I'm not sure how but I managed to endure the severe pain for 8 whole days by staying in bed (This was during exam break so I had no school). I've never suffered such a gratuitous amount of pain in my life! I could barely make it to the bathroom or even sit up to eat (I was 94.5 lbs after not eating for so long!!). After those 8 days I finally accepted the fact that it was not the typical migraine and was rushed to the emergency room. After going through numerous examinations with multiple doctors and specialists, I was diagnosed with posterior scleritis. It was really puzzling to hear that I had such a rare form of scleritis and at such a peculiar age since scleritis usually occurs at ages of 40-50 years. I was then put on 80mg of prednisone which relieved the pain. It was great at first but the heavy side effects eventually caught up with me. Anyways because of my condition, I was physically unable to show up for one of my exams although I wrote all the others while in such an insane amount of pain. I tried to explain why I wasn't able to attend but ended up getting yelled at and disrespected. I was deeply hurt and frustrated that the educators at my school didn't care for the health and safety of their own students ....
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I don't know if im posting in the right place, but here it goes!! So this all started about a month ago, all I noticed was I was a bit more tired, no big deal I thought it was the change of season or something. I was like this for maybe a week before I woke up march 20th and felt very off. My normal routine is to go the gym in the morning, so I got myself up to get ready and realized I didn't think I could go, I felt very dizzy, lightheaded, pressure behind my eyes, stuffy nose, extremely heavy eyes, very fatigued, and a little spaced out. I drove to a walk in clinic by my house, they did routine blood work, checked my thyroid, checked for Epstein barr, and for mono, all negative. I did have a low grade fever if even that it was like 99.5. Now lets go back a few months...i have had a stuffy nose since November constantly blowing it with bloody discharge and i attributed it to the dry heat and the winter weather. I have also had many sinus infections in the past year. I didn't realize it until I thought about it. I also had a concussion, my third one back in August. Went to the ER and got a CT scan, everything was normal and they released me. 2 days later I went back to the ER, I was nauseas and it felt like my head was on fire and on CT scan they said I had inflamed nasal sinuses. Everything else was normal so they gave me antibiotics and i was released again. At that time I thought nothing of it and I got better in a few days. Now back to march 20th and the Dr. They knew of my previous sinus infection because I had went to them in December and they were surprised that since I saw them I was still stuffy, they gave me nasal spray and sent me home. A week later I still feel the same, exactly the same, maybe a little worse. I saw an allergist who tested me for allergies and of course everything was negative. I was so tired at work one day I had to lay down and close my eyes. Im just exhausted even after a full nights sleep and my eyes are so heavy. My headache lasted from march 20-27th and then subsided but still had all the other symptoms. Over that weekends I actually started feeling better everyday! I was sk happy and thought it was some sort of virus or something and it was going away. I still felt off but it started getting bad again April 3rd. This time it was all my symptoms but very exaggerated. Extreme fatigue, extremely heavy eyes, poor concentration, confusion, blurry vision in my right eye, spacing out, brain fog, sensitive to light, pressure behind my eyes, im forgetful, still a little stuffy but not nearly as bad, im a little pale and my headache is gone but my head still feels weird with weird pains that last a second. I went to my pcp on Monday and told him the whole story. He put me on a strong dose of antibiotics and some steroids. The next day I saw an optometrist and i am nearsighted and have an astigmatism in my right eye so i'm getting glasses. It was weird to me though because my vision just became blurry a few days before, unless i just didn't notice it before that and my eyes are always heavy, even as soon as I wake up which I think is weird. So the next day I saw my ENT and told him the whole story and he looked in my nose, flushed it, and took a sono of my sinuses and said my right paranasal sinus in very congested and I need a CT scan of my sinuses. I'm nervous about the CT scan because that will be the 5th CT scan I have had since my first in 2010 from my first concussion. I feel like that's a lot of radiation to my head and face i'm only 25 years old and I feel like that cant be the only reason I have all these symptoms. As soon as I got home from my ENT i noticed this painful hard lump next to my ear on my jaw. my dentist told me to come in and he said my TMJ joint was inflamed on my right side only and that it should go away in a few weeks, I do grind my teeth at night, but I think its weird that my right eye is now bad, my right paranasal sinus is very congested, and my right TMJ joint is inflamed! I see my neurologist. I have a neurologist in the first place because back in 2009 I had a what I thought was a vaccine reaction to the HPV vaccine. A few hours after I got it the room was spinning and I was so nauseous and weak. A week after that vaccine I was having trouble walking, tingling in my legs and arms, severe fatigue and weakness, severe headache. I got an MRI back then to rule out MS and did an EEG and an EMG all normal and after several months all the symptoms went away. So yesterday my neuro did a vertigo test which came back normal, now she wants me to get another MRI next week to rule out MS again and I'm terrified. I don't have any numbness or tingling or trouble walking but i'm so scared. My life was so normal and I was actually in the best place I've ever been in my life before this happened and now its all turning to ****. Im crying everyday because from the moment I wake up until the second I fall asleep I feel all the symptoms. They are getting worse, I am getting more frustrated, I am getting more scared that this is something serious because its not going away. Did this ever happen to someone else? Does anyone think this is really MS? I'm assuming my optometrist looked at my optic nerve and would have said something if it looked weird. I have also heard of silent migraines where u have all the symptoms of the migraines except the headache because I have also recently felt like im seeing flashing lights or its hard to explain but its like when im looking at a bright wall, its like I was just staring at static on a tv and then looked at the wall, except im always seeing it I find myself staring into space I have to like snap myself out of it. This whole experience is driving me crazy and i am so irritable and upset. I've also lost my appetite and i cant stop crying because this feeling wont go away it is affecting my life so negatively. I don't even know what to think i want to feel normal and I want my life back its affecting my job, my relationships with everyone, and myself and my happiness I want to do the things I used to. Im sorry for all the jumping around in the story and how long it is, I am very overwhelmed.
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I have not officially been diagnosed with Occipital Neuralgia, but I am beginning to think that that is what I have been suffering from. I will be going back to a doctor soon (husband is military and we are currently getting ready to move to a new country...so it will be a few months before I settle and can get to specialist). In the meantime, I wanted some advice from others who deal with this. I am curious if this sounds like ON to you (I know you can't diagnose me...just curious if my story is similar to anyone else's) and what you do for the pain.
I am 25 years old right now. The headaches started when I was about 18 or 19 years old. It started on the right side of my head right at the base of my head and neck. I got them almost everyday. It was just a dull ache. Nothing awful, but definitely annoying enough that I would have to take advil (especially when I had class or work or something). As months went by and the pain continued, I started getting nervous that I had a tumor (I am a pretty big hypochondriac). I went to my doctor and he sent me to get a CT scan. Everything came back normal. The headaches continued. Went to a neurologist and got an MRI. Again everything came back normal. The headaches still continued. Went to physical therapy. Still not much improvement (granted, I don't practice the exercises he taught me very often). At this point, to be honest, I gave up hope. I took advil almost every day and learned to deal with the pain. I assumed it was just tension headaches. The pain has now gotten worse. The headaches are still only that one side of my head, but the pain spreads behind my ear and up to my right eye when it is at its worst. It feels like a deep ache and I constantly want to stretch or crack my neck or something (which doesn't work). I have a "knobble" that I use to massage the area. Applying a lot of pressure on it hurts...but in a good way. It sort of relieves the pain for the time being, but unless I take advil it will usually come right back and it will last for a few hours if I don't do anything.
I am a teacher and I obviously have to be at my best everyday. The pain makes it impossible, which is why I usually give in and take meds even though I KNOW I should not be taking it everyday. If I am just at home and have nothing to do, I try to massage the area and relax until it dies down.
Does this sound like it could be Occipital Neuralgia? Does anyone have any other idea of what it COULD be? I haven't had much help from doctors, so I sort of want to be armed with information the next time I go see one. I am sick of being told it's nothing when I am spending every day in pain.
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For the past year I have experienced mild to severe head and neck pain only on right side. What would cause it and can I get rid of it completely? Some things help but it always comes back. I have not had any injury to my knowledge if so it was due to possible moving wrong or something. I can relieve the pain slightly by pushing my head down and to the left with my left hand. It's really bad if I cough or sneeze. If I massage the indentation on the right of spine on neck at base of skull it helps a little. A chiropractor has helped as well as using a water pillow but the pain eventually comes back.
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I know people have migraines on occasion, but I seriously feel like I have it nonstop every day for years. Nothing that I try has worked or made them less strong.. Has anyone experienced this and what was your solutions? Also, there is absolutely no doubt that there is pain, but is it somehow possible that I have convinced myself that I have headaches and that is what is causing them (a friend suggested this, kinda makes sense). I hate living like this.
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For over the past 3 years (starting around July 2010) I have had a constant headache. It is not extremely intense but is dull and always present. Along with this headache I am also constantly fatigued and my head feels very fuzzy, like it's stuck in a cloud. I should also include that I am otherwise in good health, I am a normal weight, I eat properly, get enough sleep, can run around 7-8 miles without stopping, etc.
I have talked to a few doctors, had various tests done including a CAT scan but none of the tests ever gave any results. I was diagnosed with migraines (even though its not plural, it's just one that has never gone away) and given multiple migraine medications. Sumatriptan does not work and actually makes my head hurt significantly worse. No pain medications have any effect on the pain, I have tried many OTC and prescription meds, from aspirin and ibuprofen to stronger stuff like norcos and percocet, but nothing has had any positive effect. I have been prescribed two different antidepressants but they have the unfortunate side effect of making me tired and drowsy, which when added onto my already fatigued state makes it nearly impossible to get out of bed in the morning.
I am writing this because in the past few months my head has been hurting me significantly more and to be honest it is scaring me pretty bad. I have not had much luck with any of the doctors I have seen, they have no idea what is wrong with me and just give me scripts that don't work. I am not too familiar with migraines but I don't seem to fit the symptoms, except that my head hurts. A doctor at UCSF told me that migraines come in cycles but I could not find on the internet someone who had cycles with constant pain lasting many years at a time.
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I have never really suffered from headaches during my life until now (i'm 29). There is no family history of migraines.
Out of the blue, after a family function 2 years ago, we got home and I noticed the image out of my right eye was 'cloudy'. I wear glasses so immediately thought my glasses were dirty. I got a shock when taking them off to find it was my eye! I was a bit concerned, then 30mins later I had the worst headache in my life. I had to go to bed early. At some points even the sounds of the TV from downstairs were making me feel sick. It was as if every sound and sense in my body had been amplified. I think there might have been a tiny bit of twitching but can't confirm now as memory of it is a little hazy.
I woke up the next day feeling normal again, and put it down to hangover or just a 'bad headache'. I went back to my daily job (work in IT) and didn't think anything of it. The same thing happened again about a month later, this time not a headache as much, more visual symptoms. After 3-4 hours it passed and I was back to normal again.
The frequency of them started changing from one every month, then around Jan 2013 one every two weeks, and since around June 2013 one every 7-10 days.
At this moment in time I am off work due to depression/anxiety (Since Feb 2014) and currently can get them every 2-4 days. Last week I had four in the space of 7 days.
What I experience now: The 'trigger' feeling that I know one is coming is slightly worrying; I can visibly see my pulse (vein shape) pulsing in my right eye's vision to my heartbeat. This goes on for about 15/30mins, then I start to get spots/lines/an 'arc' shape which will sometimes be there and sometimes now. I will also get moments of no vision in that eye 'black spots appearing over the central vision'.
When I read of people with 'ocular' migraines they note these symptoms usually leave after approx 1 hour followed by a blinding headache. My concern is the aura stays with me the entire course of the migraine - approx 6-9 hours. I believe I have 'retinal' migraines. Difference being I ONLY get the aura in my right eye. If I patch the right eye my vision is normal out of my left for the entire 9 hours. Also my head feels incredibly tight and sometimes will get a throbbing pain just above the tear duct on the right side of my noise.
I have had my eyes checked and been told the pressure is fine (no risk of glaucoma). Also my blood pressure is normal/high (bearing in mind I do suffer with anxiety/depression).
I am at my wits end trying to work out what triggers them. I have spent months cutting out caffeine/alcohol. It made no difference. I have also tried limiting my use on computers/phones whilst I am off work. No difference.
The only relief I have found is through exercise. I typically don't do any sort of intense daily exercise, maybe a 20min walk a day and household chores.
2 Weeks ago, I decided to start an exercise regimen. Did jogging/walking for about 45mins-1hr each day. I went approx 10 days without a migraine (usually it's every 2-3 days at the moment). I am wondering what in the exercise is causing this relief? Could it be hormonal or just a stress reliever?
I don't smoke and don't drink much alcohol any more. I do have a bit of a weak neck - maybe this has something to do with it? My main concern above all else is it's not your typical aura, I only get it in one eye.
I have also noted that I have never had a migraine before 1PM and after 10PM (apart from one rare occasion at 4AM when I was having a panic attack in bed). Something is happening between approx 2PM-10PM to trigger it, but I don't know what.
I'm a bit of a hypochondriac at the moment, thinking it's a brain tumour or i'm at risk of stroke. I wanted to get a scan but GP said "if you would have had a brain tumour since 2012 you would know by now" and suggested meds.
Does anybody else here suffer from their 'retinal' migraines, or can offer any support or advice?
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I started getting these 'blind' migraines a couple of years ago. I went to see a specialist, had a brain scan and blood tests, and this is the name given to my problem. They start with an aura, usually over one eye and then develop slowly. I end up seeing wwwww inside one eye. It takes 20/40 minutes for it to disappear. I am usually left with a sore head rather than a painful migraine.
They have been quiet since Christmas and for some reason have started again. I can't seem to find much out about them on the internet and thought I would come onto this great site to see if anyone else has the same type of symptoms.
It may help to know I am female and in my 60's. Have suffered all types of migraine since I was about 13. I don't drink much either. Maybe a glass of wine now and again.
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My mother is a 54 year old woman whose life is controlled by the use of her computer. It's affecting her performance at work (I've seen it) as well as her relationship with her family. She neglects her family and many household chores are left undone or half done. Her personal hygiene has also become vile. Recently, while sitting at her computer I've noticed her falling asleep, only for a few seconds, then waking up again. This happens frequently. So, to be specific, can a cyber-relationship addiction cause narcolepsy?
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I have had headaches for over 20 years. They have the following symptoms: pain in the temples (only on one side at a time),across my forehead,sting sensations on top of skull, the feel of a splitting maul slammed into my skull, and a vise/halo effect. I have tried several medications, including dhe 45. I had a ct scan about 2-3 years ago showing a lipoma in the center of my brain. I also have short term memory loss,fatigue, no energy. I do not have any migraine symptoms. I had them for years. I am scheduled for a new ct scan next month to check the size of the lipoma. Could the lipoma have grown and be the cause of my headaches?
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I can sleep 18hrs and not even have to go pee!
The last time I remember actually wanting to get out of bed I must have been quite young because I remember it was to watch cartoons.
Depression I s everyone's answer to this but I do this even when life is sweet!
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I am a 29 year old female. Around 19 years ago, I had slipped capital femoral. Around 6 months ago, the same pain started to occur. I went for a dye injected MRI and the results were inconclusive due to the pins interfering with the magnets. The pain has gone away for the most part with a few outbreaks but about two weeks after the injection, I found a pea-sized hard movable lump in my groin, painless unless manipulated a lot . I spoke to my general practitioner about it going on 6 months ago, and he said keep an eye on it but confirmed it was a swollen lymph node. I am scared to go back but the lump has stayed consistent, possibly enlarged. Should I be worried? I have had insomnia and I have narcolepsy, so it's very rare for me. I am always tired, but again have narcolepsy and hypothyroidism .
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I've been having migraine headaches, pressure headaches, dizziness and nausea. I kept chalking it all up to menopause. Because as most of you know, so many of these symptoms are menopause.
Last Friday, Jan 2nd at around 7:30PM my boyfriend and I were leaving a restaurant, suddenly I started getting shocks in my right leg like my leg was falling asleep, while I was walking to the car. This shocking feeling quickly radiated up my arm and into my head, all on the right side. My boyfriend quickly started toward the hospital. On the way I lost the ability to formulate sentences and words. I would say one sentence and a totally different sentence would come out. I would try to say one word and a totally different word came out. Being a former medic the only word I wanted to relay was "stroke". It felt like someone had tasted my right side. It was the most frightening thing I'd ever experienced and I was awake for the entire ride. After getting to the hospital I was in the ER for about 3 hours. Then sent to Neurology/Stroke ward. For the next few days I had a battery of MRI's, EEG, EKG's, CT Scans, Blood Work, Ultrasounds and a Spinal (Lumbar Punch). Within 6 or so hours I was able to formulate sentences and say words again. I forced myself the entire time. My right side started getting feeling back within a few days. I still have some numbness in my right hand and am experiencing peripheral neuropathy symptoms in my right leg and foot.
The neurologist found a mass in my brain. Thanks be to God that it is benign. I just found out yesterday that I am cancer free. However, they still don't know what the mass is. It could be a tumor or a jelly bean I stuffed in my nose as a child. (joking) But we won't know for a while.Also it might be inoperable too. I will be seeing the Dr on the 13th for an MRI Rx. In a month we'll do the MRI and see what has happened with this mass. Is the edema gone, has it shrunk or grown? Things like that.
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I have had migraines since i was 12 (I'm almost 28 now) and over the years they have become increasingly frequent. It got to the stage where i was having 4-5 severe ones a week. I'm a medical student so this was REALLY getting in the way of life and i just used to wander round in a painkiller induced daze or be forced to collapse in bed.
A few weeks ago I came to the end of my tether. despite being on beta blockers and antidepressants and armed with seriously strong painkillers and all sorts of things like sumatriptan i was still completely incapacitated with a 4 day migraine. So i took the plunge and tried the pizotifen 1.5mg given by by GP.
Three days went by with no migraine... then a small migraine then another 4 day whopper probably more severe than before which knocked me out cold for the whole weekend and beyond. I've been on the pizotifen for 2 weeks now and low and behold today - another migraine.
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