Daily Headaches

[Holli_May21]

I have headaches at least twice daily to the point where it hurts to touch my head. I become dizzy and my vision is blurred. Today while driving home, I had another bad headache and I noticed that the left side of my cheek and mouth were numb and looked swollen. I have read information on aneurysm and I'm scared that this could be something I may have. My sister was diagnosed with a brain tumor six years ago and underwent surgery to have it removed. Should I take my headaches seriously and make sure I don't have an aneurysm or tumor? Who should I see?

[crwstar]

Hi - sorry to hear about your headaches. They can really put a damper in your day.

If you have been having these headaches for a while 2x a day it is probably wise to go ahead and see your primary care doc. They will be able to refer you for futher testing. This is really the only way to know truly what's going on. Some questions, do you drink a lot of caffeine? Are you drinking enough water? Are you taking over the counter meds that can cause rebound headaches?

How long have you had these headaches?

See your primary care doctor first - they will refer you either for testing or to a specialist.

[Holli_May21]

Thank you for replying. I do drink caffeine and plenty of water. I do not take over the counter meds and I've noticed things such as: tylenol, advil, aleve, and  excedrin do not help my headaches. They come on very strong at first then slowly start to diminish and then once again come on full force. My equilibrium is off, I get dizzy, and I sometimes see spots, as well as nausea. I've had headaches for as long as I can remember. I have been to an eye doctor twice, last one being over a year ago, and I've been told by both that I only require glasses for reading.

[crwstar]

Hi again ;-) If you've had headaches for as long as you can remember and over the counter meds are not helping you might ask your doctor to send you to a headache specialist. At a minimum if you have insurance your doctor should be able to send you for a CT scan prior to a visit to a specialist, usually you don't need insurance approval for this test.  When my headaches started back in 2007 they came everyday. The first thing the doc did was give me some meds, after 1 month of that not working I requested a ct scan and then an MRI as things were not getting better. They ususally have to do the least invasive thing first before going on to bigger tests.

Either way, take your headaches seriously because as I use to tell my doctors its not "normal" to have headaches everyday.

All the best

[Holli_May21]

Thanks again. I am making an appt tomorrow to meet with my doctor. I do not have insurance so I'm hoping maybe  its something mild, although I probably will request a CT Scan because of the history in my family. My sister had a tumor in her brain growing over her left eye and Im almost wondering if I may have one as well. My headaches will sometimes cause sharp shooting pains behind my eyes when I try to open them. I'll try to keep in contact and let you know how it goes.
Thanks again,
Holly
P.S. What ever came of ur headaches?

[crwstar]

My headache lasted for an entire year and then subsided but I still get them especially when I'm active for anything as simple as going to church and intereacting with people!!

Yep, I get those sharp shooting pains that can drop me to my knees.

Definitely, keep us posted.

[Holli_May21]

Hello,

I went and saw my doctor and she prescribed me with a blood pressure medicine to stop the blood vessels in my head from pulsating and hopefully help with the headaches, so far it hasn't helped. She has also scheduled me for a CAT Scan to make sure I have no tumor because there is history in my family of tumors. I'll keep you posted.

[crwstar]

That's great that there's some movement. Like I mentioned before, first thing my doctor did was give me some medication that didn't help and after a few weeks of being on the meds I had a CAT scan. Nothing was found so next step was an MRI and MRA....MRA looks at arteries in the head. I'm sorry to hear that the medication isn't working but you are on your way to getting some answers!!

Definitley keep me posted and feel free to send me a note or an e-mail if you have an other questions.

[Holli_May21]

I had a CAT scan done and the results came back normal. Now I'm back at square 1

[crwstar]

Hi - This can be a discouraging process but don't give up. A CAT scan is usually the first and least expensive test that is done. If you are still having symptoms you might request an mri or ask to be referred to a headache specialist or neurologist. I know its frustrating but you have to take one step at a time.