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Neurology (Expert Forum)
life altering headache and more
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life altering headache and more
by buddy205, May 11, 2007 12:00AM
I have experienced for 3 strait years an agonizing tense feeling in my forehead and eyes (like it's hard to raise my eyebrows) along with dull headache 24-7. It feels like the inside of my head is "asleep" like if you hand falls asleep. Also feels like I have a constantly blocked nose.
Another symptom that comes and goes is severe vertigo in any horizontal position even if I lay perfectly still for hours on end... and eye movements (not head movements) accelerate the dizziness... and blurred mental perception of visual details, the finer and more complex details of objects even when not dizzy (brain fog, as they say).
With no answers from various doctors, I have recently noticed that if my head is put in traction the tension feeling in my forehead is immediately relieved of tension but I still have a bit of a more throbbing-quality headache. I have never been put in a medical traction device but I discovered this by accident and had someone pull my head up and hold it for 30 seconds and I felt so much better than I have in a long time but when they let go the symptoms immediately returned. (elavil and topamax useless).
I had a normal CT (w+w/o) and MRI (w+w/o), MRA (w/o), and MRV (w/o) of head plus MRI of cervical spine (w/o contrast). Also had Videonystagmogram and EEG.
One doctor (a skull base surgeon/dizziness doc) looked at my MRI with me on the computer once, I observed him looking closely at the cerebellum cross sections and it was remarked that the brain is at the level of the foramen magnum but no herniation is noted.
My travel history in the last 5 yrs include Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Bahamas, Western europe and Turkey. The only frequent chemical exposure I am aware of has been leaded fuel, both fumes and accidental skin contact, however it was not recent to the onset. I have also in the past lived in a 10 story building built in 1905.
Another symptom that comes and goes is severe vertigo in any horizontal position even if I lay perfectly still for hours on end... and eye movements (not head movements) accelerate the dizziness... and blurred mental perception of visual details, the finer and more complex details of objects even when not dizzy (brain fog, as they say).
With no answers from various doctors, I have recently noticed that if my head is put in traction the tension feeling in my forehead is immediately relieved of tension but I still have a bit of a more throbbing-quality headache. I have never been put in a medical traction device but I discovered this by accident and had someone pull my head up and hold it for 30 seconds and I felt so much better than I have in a long time but when they let go the symptoms immediately returned. (elavil and topamax useless).
I had a normal CT (w+w/o) and MRI (w+w/o), MRA (w/o), and MRV (w/o) of head plus MRI of cervical spine (w/o contrast). Also had Videonystagmogram and EEG.
One doctor (a skull base surgeon/dizziness doc) looked at my MRI with me on the computer once, I observed him looking closely at the cerebellum cross sections and it was remarked that the brain is at the level of the foramen magnum but no herniation is noted.
My travel history in the last 5 yrs include Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Bahamas, Western europe and Turkey. The only frequent chemical exposure I am aware of has been leaded fuel, both fumes and accidental skin contact, however it was not recent to the onset. I have also in the past lived in a 10 story building built in 1905.
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-Neuro-M.D.-SH, Jul 26, 2007 12:00AM
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.
The symptoms that you describe not uncommon, however it is impossible to get to the bottom of a complex headache isseue in this type forum. It is encouraging to here that you have had good testing (MRI/MRA/MRV of the brain/cervical spine) to rule out a structural lesion (such as a tumor, vascular malformation, etc). I also agree with the ENG and the EEG given your symptoms, but the tests cannot rule out a peripheral vestibular lesion or a seizure respectively, but are good tests to help evaluate for these conditions. I do not think your symptoms are related your travel or building exposures, but I would encourage you to take your case to a neurologist at a major academic center.
I hope this has been helpful.
The symptoms that you describe not uncommon, however it is impossible to get to the bottom of a complex headache isseue in this type forum. It is encouraging to here that you have had good testing (MRI/MRA/MRV of the brain/cervical spine) to rule out a structural lesion (such as a tumor, vascular malformation, etc). I also agree with the ENG and the EEG given your symptoms, but the tests cannot rule out a peripheral vestibular lesion or a seizure respectively, but are good tests to help evaluate for these conditions. I do not think your symptoms are related your travel or building exposures, but I would encourage you to take your case to a neurologist at a major academic center.
I hope this has been helpful.
Just a thought -
Jeff