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Neurology (Expert Forum)
4 month headache on top of head
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4 month headache on top of head
by semm, Oct 12, 2005 12:00AM
Back in June, I began experiencing a daily headache which would not break. It began in the sides and almost weekly had migraine intensity. Doctors though it was chronic tesion then a change to existing migraine patterns. They gave me tylenol 3, torodol, fiorinals. Nothing worked. The headache eventually settled on top of my head in the middle. It is been this peculiar hard to describe feeling just under my skull. I feel so unwell and have been beddridden many times. The neurologist has ordered an mri to rule out anything serious and gave me to topmax to try. It made me so sick I couldn't take it. He says he doesnt' think it's migraines either so why the tomomax?? I ended up using percosets for a while but became sick and lost my appetite. In the last week my headaches have changed to excruciating burning!
I am still waiting for my MRI. No one can offer me help or relief and this burning is driving me out of my mind. What could the burning be? I read and read and no one ever discusses head pain on top of their head or burning. I read all the headache sites and the decriptions for tension, migraine, etc. never seen quite right for me. In the background, I found out earlier in the year I clench my teeth and have a mouth guard at night. I do get boughts of facial nerve disturbance but the the specialist I saw about the clenching says my tmj is fine. Could either jaw muscles or trigeminal nerve problems refer pain to the top of my head? My common sense says they connect but the docs say no?
I am still waiting for my MRI. No one can offer me help or relief and this burning is driving me out of my mind. What could the burning be? I read and read and no one ever discusses head pain on top of their head or burning. I read all the headache sites and the decriptions for tension, migraine, etc. never seen quite right for me. In the background, I found out earlier in the year I clench my teeth and have a mouth guard at night. I do get boughts of facial nerve disturbance but the the specialist I saw about the clenching says my tmj is fine. Could either jaw muscles or trigeminal nerve problems refer pain to the top of my head? My common sense says they connect but the docs say no?
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-Neuro-M.D.-PW, Oct 13, 2005 12:00AM
Head pain does not necessarily originate from where it seems to be coming from, commonly it is referred from somewhere els ie the side, the back of the head, the neck etc, so pain on top is not uncommon especially in the setting of chronic headache
It sounds liek you need a good headache neurologist who can break you out of this 'status migrainosis' with IV infusions like DHE, steroids, among others. then you need to stop overuse of pain medications as the headache will not go away otherwise, and will just rebound. Overuse generally means not more than 4-5 per week. Then a preventative medication like topamax will be effective. The MRI is important to make sure there is no struictural abnormality.
Goodluck
It sounds liek you need a good headache neurologist who can break you out of this 'status migrainosis' with IV infusions like DHE, steroids, among others. then you need to stop overuse of pain medications as the headache will not go away otherwise, and will just rebound. Overuse generally means not more than 4-5 per week. Then a preventative medication like topamax will be effective. The MRI is important to make sure there is no struictural abnormality.
Goodluck
For me, I wasn't sure what caused it so treated several things at once. Got help for structural/muscular tension from a skilled osteopath; ate a very strict migraine diet, stayed out of the sun and slept well; took daily antihestimines (I have summer allergies); and did lots of relaxation exercise for my TMJ.
I have had longterm top-of-the-head headaches on three summers over the last ten years.
Good luck to you!
headache started, my husband brought home a kitten from a barn. I do not recall anything like a bite but I will mention the idea to my doctor. Thanks.
Scroll down the list of questions to find mine "Possibly fibrous dysplasia or something else - brain compression" --- I check back these responses often so feel free to discuss this here with me.