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Neurology (Expert Forum)
24/7 Head Pressure - Lightheaded
This forum is for questions and support regarding neurology issues such as: Alzheimer's Disease, ALS, Autism, Brain Cancer, Cerebral Palsy, Chronic Pain, Epilepsy, Fibromyalgia, Headaches, MS, Neuralgia, Neuropathy, Parkinson's Disease, RSD, Sleep Disorders, Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury
24/7 Head Pressure - Lightheaded
by Glenville, Jun 01, 2007 12:00AM
Took a contractor job in Iraq. After 4-months, I was sick with extreme fatigue, head pressure, lightheaded and tinnitus. After getting over whatever illness I had in Iraq (lasted 3-4 weeks), I was left with constant painless head pressure, lightheaded and tinnitus. An Army ENT in Iraq thought the symptoms were left-over from a viral infection which could take months to heal. When I came back from Iraq, I had a CT Scan, sinus x-rays and had a chiropractor work my back and neck for a month. The MDs ruled out a sinus infection or serious allergies. They gave me more pain medication (do not take), high BP med (do not have high BP) and a nasal spray thinking it was some type rhinitis or chronic headache. I took 3-months off at home to rest and relax in case it was burnout. Sometimes at night, I feel a painless throbbing in the back of my neck and lower head when it is on the pillow. Questions: 1) Can a viral infection take months/years to completely get over and can the head pressure lightheaded feeling be attributed to a post viral infection? 2) Can you develop a chronic headache without any history of headache and have just pressure without pain? The prescription meds did nothing for head pressure.
Doctor's Answer
by Forum-M.D.-SH, Jul 30, 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.
Yes it can take that long to get over a viral labrynthitis (a viral infection of the inner-ear). In addition, if your ear was damaged by a virus then this can disrupt your vestibular system, which causes chronic neck alignment problems and chronic headaches. To evaluate whether you have had a viral labrynthitis more testing can be done by either a neurologist or an ENT including electro-nystagmogram, hearing screen, and vestibular testing. I would also suggest a trial on a headache preventative medication (it will work if taken daily for 3-4 weeks, so be patient) such as elavil, topamax, nadolol, verapamil.
I hope this has been helpful.
Yes it can take that long to get over a viral labrynthitis (a viral infection of the inner-ear). In addition, if your ear was damaged by a virus then this can disrupt your vestibular system, which causes chronic neck alignment problems and chronic headaches. To evaluate whether you have had a viral labrynthitis more testing can be done by either a neurologist or an ENT including electro-nystagmogram, hearing screen, and vestibular testing. I would also suggest a trial on a headache preventative medication (it will work if taken daily for 3-4 weeks, so be patient) such as elavil, topamax, nadolol, verapamil.
I hope this has been helpful.
Fiona
He then referred us to the Michigan Head Pain and Neurological Institute in Ann Arbor, Michigan (www.mhni.com). These folks have saved my husband's life. After two years of searching desperately for an answer, they had a diagnosis and a solution to his problems in seven days. His symptoms included: lightheadedness, ringing in ears, equillibrium problems, memory loss, coordination problems, and a strange inability to walk through stores or crowded places without being adversely affected by people passing him in the aisles. He described it as a "spacey" feeling, constantly, like his head was on drugs or just a lazy brain. I'll tell you that we were at our wit's end when we finally found MHNI.
Please look at their website and every place you see the word "headache", replace it with the word "pressure" and find out if you might be able to benefit from this wonderful facility.
We can't say enough about Dr. Saper and his staff. After seven days my husband was feeling better and he is now on his last leg of treatment. Seems that all his symptoms up his neck and into the back of his head creating the pressure etc., were referred by his cervical spine. His treatment required a two-week stay in the hospital while Dr. Saper's staff took complete control of my husband and his medications. I can tell you that we had film of every MRI, CT Scan, X-ray that was ever taken and these had all been shown to every doctor we had visited before MHNI. No one found anything out of the ordinary, or could give us a cause for my husband's chronic symptoms, until MHNI. Like you, my husband did all the steroids, nasal sprays, and even had sinus surgery, thinking all his symptoms were related to a deviated septum, or allergies. Nothing helped.
After two years of searching, we now finally have a cause and a treatment. I hope that maybe these folks will be able to give you relief.
Good luck.
I have the same symptoms like your husband except I have a brain cyst that we just decovered last March 2007. But my neurologist said that my symptons is not coinciding with the brain cyst type of symptoms. And it has been 4 months now and have gone through several test and MRI but have not come up to a final diagnosis. What was your husband's doctor's diagnosis? If you don't mind me asking. I just need and answer and to an end of my symptoms (pressure and pain in my right brain and back of my neck, ringing in my ears, spacey type of feeling, floaters, etc.) So, I can mention that to my neurologist and to my hematologist. Right now, they are still in the process of figuring out what's really wrong with me and what cause these bizarre symptoms. I really hope to hear you soon.
I don't know what a brain cyst