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right sided headaches

I am a 28 y/o female with a BMI of 29 and BP of 120/60 and have been suffering from migraine for 15 years. I don
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HI all I have had severe pressure in my head all over since a month. It came on suddenly..and i went to ER i never had headaches..and it was soo severe..i thought i wa sdying. They said i had anxiety.which i do..but neve rthis. The weakness was felt in my rt eye and into my jaw..whihc has now stoped the feeling in my jaw..but i went to a neurologist and am having a MRI open..w no contrast  on MON. i am so ascared as i has a neuroblastoma tumor in my abdomen..which was removed succesfully. the head pressure at the beginning caused my neck to feel weak..and my legs..and arms ..alike i was soo weak ..and pounding in my head.I wa ssoo happy when i found this site  I hope to learn more soon good luck all
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Avatar universal
Hello

Have you ever had an MRI?  In my experiences an MRI shows the imaging better than a CT.  I too have had headaches but I don't think mine are migranes.  In addition, I get dizzy, light-headed, and sometimes my arms are weak.  You didn't mention any of these things.  In the past I've had CT's but all was fine.  In July however I had an MRI and it showed a lesion in the brain...we're not sure what it is yet.  Thus, I think MRI's show more things than CT's.  Good luck!!
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Avatar universal
First of all, keep in mind that I am unable to diagnose you because I am unable to examine you, this forum is for educational purposes.  From the symptoms/history you provided I agree that you are having migraine headaches. The other possible condition you were being evaluated for was pseudo-tumor cerebri (more correctly called Benign Intracranial Hypertension[BIH]).  This condition is common in young females, especially if they are overwieght.  It causes papilledema and can lead to vision loss.  The medications used to treat this include diuretics such as diamox(carbonic anhydrase inhibitor), but also topamax has a weak carbonic anhydrase inhibitor activity and is sometimes used, usually when the line between BIH and migraine is not clear.  It sounds like you have had a decent workup for this condition and an opening pressure of 15 on your LP and a normal ophthalmologic exam is encouraging.  Another test that I would recommend is an MRV (magnetic resonance venogram) some patients with sinus venous thrombosis will have symptoms of increased intracranial pressure and if identified can be treated with blood thinners.
   From your symptoms though, I would suspect a role of your neck precipitating your headaches.  Lying down flat, often involves changing your neck posture and if you have tight muscles and limited mobility of the neck vertebrae this could precipitate your headaches.  Neck problems can also be a cause of tinnitus (ringing in the ears).
  I would recommend a Topamax starting at 12.5 mg at night with a taper up to 50-75 mg at night over the next 4-6 weeks (speak to your neurologist about this) for a migraine prophylaxis and possible help for any mild BIH you may have.  I would also suggest a muscle relaxer such as Parafon Forte and some physical therapy on your neck by a physical therapist trained in cervicogenic migraine related neck physical therapy. I would continue with the Zomig for headache abortive therapy (they also make a nose spray that has a faster onset).
   I would also recommend an MRI of your brain with and without contrast and MRV (as mentioned earlier).  A CT is not adequate.
I hope this has been helpful.
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