please help i am so worried.

[rose17]

I have been feeling unwell for the past 3 weeks. It started with a red/bloodshot left eye which disappeared the next day. This was accompanied by a sort of ache/just a general feeling, kind of tingly i guess at the left side of my head, behind my ear , high up. This feeling sometimes occurs on the right side of my head instead. Or sometimes at the crown of my head. I also experienced pain in my left eye and sometimes my right which has calmed down now. However last night i felt extremely bad. I felt an intense pressure over my nose, like the bone and my eyes felt so sore and as if they were being pushed out. My scalp feels like it is burning but i know that its inside of my head and not out. Last night i also had relatively sore upper teeth and my jaw was sore/tender. I also have random occurancies of earache and a feeling of swolleness or a slight tingle in my throat. My headaches change daily. Sometimes its an dull ache or tingle, sometimes a pounding feeling or sometimes its just a normal head ache pain: kind of heavy. My doctor said it seemed like a sinus problem but i dont have a runny or blocked nose and i dont feel pressure in my cheeks under my eyes which is what ive felt when ive had a cold. I am so anxious that i feel nauseous and cant eat which is probably making my headache worse. My neck and back muscles feel tense and i have difficulty relaxing. I feel i have to keep moving or else something might happen.

I begged my mum to take me to the ER so i could get a MRI or CT scan on my head as i am so paranoid. I had a thorough eye exam and nothing was wrong except dry eyes. The eye drops havent changed anything. I dont feel safe unless i know i have an appointment with the doctor every week. I went on monday and have another one tomorrow, as well as that , today i called the nurse and spoke to her about my symptoms and she recommened ibuprofen. and last night i searched on the internet to talk to a doctor and found a number to call to speak to a qualified doctor, even though it was expensive. Im just not satisfied with one opinion and i feel like i need a scan to tell me if its serious or not. But my mum says that you can just walk into ER and demand a scan. This has been going on for 3 weeks please help. This is affecting me so bad i cry all the time and i cant eat and or sleep. I am only 17 years old i dont want anything to happen to me. I just want to convince my mum to take me to the hospital so i can get checked out properly.  

Thanks

[spade22]

Thanks for the update.  Are you feeling any better yet?  Hopefully the antibiotics will help your symptoms.  Change in lifestyle (better diet, exercise etc.) and alternative therapy will definetly help the anxiety.

[rose17]

Thanks :)


Well yesterday I got so paranoid about it being something serious that my dad took me to the ER. They did alot of tests such as making me follow his finger and basic stuff like that to check my nerves aswell as checking my blood pressure (which was normal).

I had a really tight chest and tingly fingertips when I was on my way to the hospital and the doctor was asking me if I suffer from anxiety and said that's what caused this.

So another doctor came and spoke to me. I asked him about CT/MRI scans. He said generally they dont get used just to ease someones anxiety, because they give off 50 times more radiation than a chest x-ray, and he wouldnt want to put me through that when I have no symptoms of a serious problem. He basically told me to stop worrying and take more care of myself, stop drinking alcohol, eat properly, exercise, also advised me to take 2 paracetamol every 4 hours for 3-4 days and see if the pain goes away.

Just back from the doctor who said my headaches could be viral and also prescirbed me antibiotics and advised me to go see the dentist so I have a dental appointment a week today. The antibiotics are for 5 days so if there is no change I will definately have to go back to the doctors.

Also considering going to an alternative therapy clinic. Get some sort of massage or something similiar which is known to relieve headaches/sinusitis/rhinitis etc.

Ill keep you posted, thank you so much :)

[spade22]

"Also the fact that the pain in my teeth/jaw/ear will come and go throughout the day, which makes me feel like the actual problem isnt there because its not constant?"

Another thought - have you been to the dentist lately?  Its possible this pain could be tooth related, e.g. an impacted wisdom tooth for instance would cause this type of pain which could even migrate (I had an impacted wisdom tooth and the pain would migrate from my jaw to my eye).  Also, if there is an infection you may feel the pressure that you describe.

"Im not being treated for my anxiety or hypochondriasis."

From what you have written, this is something that is effecting your quality of life and, as such, you should definetly seek treatment for these conditions.

"My doctor said I was too young to have anything serious such as insomnia or depression and wouldn't treat me with medication."

Too young to be depressed???? This is nonsense!  Please seek a second opinion on this, preferably from a physchiatrist who can definatively diagnose you and discuss treatment options with you.  

"Not that I would like to be on pills at this age but I just felt I was dismissed."

Medications have been used effectively in people younger than you who experience anxiety/depression/OCD etc. etc. etc. but there are MANY other treament options to explore such as lifestyle changes and cognitive therapy which can be VERY effective.  These are things that you should discuss with someone who is specialized in mental health rather than your regular GP who does not seem to be doing much for you.

[rose17]

Sorry, missed some stuff out.

The doctor prescribed a nasal spray to help with sinus problems but as I mentioned before I dont feel the problem is my sinuses. Also the doctor I phoned last night said that the type of nasal spray my own doctor prescribed takes at least two weeks to work. I havent been prescirbed antibiotics.

My doctor seems to be wary of what she gives me and usually just advises me to take a couple of ibuprofen. Even a bloodtest would put my mind at ease I guess, but I will be sure to include my anxiety and fear over whats wrong, and she might let me have a scan just to ease my mind.

[rose17]

Thank you so much everyone.

Well first off i live in the UK so anything to do with my health is free.

I dont feel a pressure or stuffiness under my eyes/cheeks/nose area thats why I dont believe it's my sinuses.  

I am SO paranoid when it comes to my health, just like rita33. Its just the fact it has been going on for 3 and a half weeks. Also the fact that the pain in my teeth/jaw/ear will come and go throughout the day, which makes me feel like the actual problem isnt there because its not constant? Not sure if that makes sense, but if the pain in say, my jaw was permenant I'd think that to be where the problem is.

Im not being treated for my anxiety or hypochondriasis. At the beginning of this year I had difficulty sleeping and loss of appetite and all my doctor suggested was attending a kind of sleep therapy group, and the referal to that itself took 2 weeks. My doctor said I was too young to have anything serious such as insomnia or depression and wouldn't treat me with medication. Not that I would like to be on pills at this age but I just felt I was dismissed.

Thanks for the help and I'll be sure to update on how my appointment goes tomorrow :(

[spade22]

First of all, based on your symptoms it DOESNT sound like anything is seriously wrong.  Head pain that migrates to the ear and jaw along with pressure absolutely sounds like a sinus issue.  Have you tried decongestants?  Did the doctor ever prescribe antibiotics is case you have an infection?

An MRI/CT scan are very expensive tests and they dont sound necessary in your case, based on your symptoms. You mentioned you had a thorough eye exam - doctors can actually tell a LOT by looking into ones eyes.  Any serious neurological issues (I assume this is what you are concerned about) can often be ruled out in this manner along with  examination of other neuorological functions.  For instance, if you had a brain tumor you may experience things like: different behaviour of pupils in response to light, weakness on one side of the body, seizures, slurred speech etc. etc.  Doctors are trained for years  - if they were worried about anything serious they would order the appropriate tests but your symptoms do not warrant that.


" am so anxious that i feel nauseous and cant eat .......I dont feel safe unless i know i have an appointment with the doctor every week."

Are you being treated for your anxiety and hypochondriasis disorders?  If not I would very much recommend seeing a physchiatrist who can set you on the right path.  Right now, you are living a life of fear and there are many things that can be done to improve your quality of life.  If you did have an MRI for you current symtpoms, how long would it be before you want another one because you develop new symptoms and you are concerned something happened after the scan or was missed on the first one?  Understanding and treating your primary anxiety/hypochondriasis disorder will help you learn to deal with health "scares" in a more effective manner and lead a better quality of life.

[rita33]

Could the bloodshot eyes have been from your eyes getting dry?  I have had major anxiety that past two months and part of it involved having dry eyes.  Apparently when we're expereincing anxiety we blink more often and they become dry.  I had an mri mainly I think because my doctor realized how stressed out I was becasue of my strange symptoms, and that came back fine.  I have the tingling, strange headaches, burning, and lots of other strange things too which are accountable to anxiety.  I also find that I make things seem way more serious than they actually are - perhaps because I'm so in tuned to my body whereas I never paid attention to them before.  Like, did I always have this many moles?  Why do my veins look different? And on and on and on.  Anyhow, meeting with your doctor will probably be the only thing that will give you piece of mind that you are ok so it's good that you're doing that.

[torque]

When I am having anxiety issues I get a ton of sinus problems. I have severe sinus pain and pressure- from different parts of my head- sometimes in the eyes, over the nose, top of the head, etc. Sometimes I have post nasal drip and  a little bit of a stuffed nose, but not everytime. I went through all kinds of allergy tests and nothing. They said it was just in my sinuses. They never said it could be anxiety related. I found a few different articles that described non-allergic rhinitis. This can be caused by stress and anxiety. I think it is also called Vasomotor. Once my anxiety and I start to relax, the sinus pain and pressure slowly goes away. I usually just take a couple of motrin to help with the pain. Are you on any medications? Have you done anything differently? I went through the same thing where I always felt more comfortable about having a doctor's appt. Have you thought about talking with a counselor or a psychologist? Anyway, just relax because you have an appt tomorrow with the doc. Make sure you express your fears- ALL of them, and let them know how upset you have been. Best of luck and please let us know how you make out!!

[heartfluttersflyawayplz]

i have the tingling around my ears and back of head and on top of head sometines it goes into my face around my nose and mouth, sometimes my cheeks . mines anxiety when i get anxiety i can tell because i start havingthe tigling and yes sometimes its a burning tingling. go have it checked out . hope you get your mri, but are you under stress and does it happen more when you are thinking about it ?

[niobe]

In your position I would want an MRI as well.  I think doctors can be dismissive when you're young, but I can understand why you'd be concerned.  I'm sure your anxiety is amplifying the symptoms... but it makes sense to me that they should give you a scan.  You need that peace of mind.

I wonder if by chance you have severe TMJ and clench / grind in your sleep and/or clench during the day?  I have this problem and it can result in some awful headaches and teeth / jaw pain.  The bloodshot eye, however, is another story... I don't think TMJ would explain that.

Not sure what kind of insurance or health care system you have, but if you are able to see a specialist that would be ideal.  I'm surprised your mom doesn't get that.  Good luck.  I know this probably isn't much help, but I think you'll feel much better after the scan and I think that it's reasonable to want one.

[rose17]

sorry, i meant to say "you CANT just walk into the ER and demand a scan"