pain in middle of forehead

Hello,
For the last 8 years I have had a dull pain/pressure in the middle of my forehead, sometimes it is worse than others but it is always present to some degree.

The problem started after an operation 8 years ago for sleep apnoea, after sleep research my ENT told me I had chronic sleep apnoea and that they would operate to open the upper nasal passages which were too small, from what I understand this involved operating on my septum.

The headaches started gradually after the operation but now I have them constantly. I have been back to the hospital and have up to now had 5 CT scans an MRI scan and a bone scan but they didn't show anything. I have tried various medications but none of these touched the pain. I have also seen the best neurologist in the Netherlands who just prescribed more medication. I have also tried acupuncture which didn't help at all.

I am currently seeing a different ENT doctor who is trying to find out if it is due to a trapped nerve, I had some injections to find out if it was caused by a trapped ethmoid nerve but these also didn't seem to relieve the pain.

The doctor is now trying different points in my sinuses to see if she can locate where the pain is coming from but I am now beginning to wonder if this will find the cause of the problem.

I would be grateful of any advice regarding this, any possible suggestions as to what I could try next if this doesn't work

Michael

[Dr Rajput]

Hi, welcome to the forum, headache you are is atypical type. Firstly, migraine can be suspected, if so the triggering factor for your headache like specific food, smell etc has to be ruled out. The other possibility is there may be some brain pathology.

As you have already gone through various CT and MRI scans, which rules out the brain pathology. Another possibility can be chronic daily headache (CDH) wherein headache presents for more than 15 days in a month. This usually happens due to over use of analgesics. In such cases you should restrict the use of analgesics.

You have to start relaxation exercises, hot and cold bath, enough sleep, lifestyle changes, stress management skills etc. Triptans, tricyclic anti depressants against prescription will help you. I suggest you to consult neurologist and undergo examination. Take care and regards.

[MichaelCoers]

hi Dr Rajput,

Thanks for your reply, the headaches are not migraine, and I don't think they are an allergic reaction as I have them constantly to some degree.

It is not like a normal headache but just in one spot in the middle of my forehead. I do try meditation and this helps sometimes although I do think there is a specific cause of the headache, it feels to me as though it could be a trapped nerve.