Aa
Help, advice, anything please
Hello, I'm 17 and a male. Is there anyway to treat this better? Alleviate maybe?
Sometime in early Febuary of 2015, I got a headache. As a few days went by it never went away and began to get worse, ears ringings, blurred/darkened vision. About a month passed and then I began experiencing numbness in my right side limbs. (My hand went numb in school). Then a few days and my leg went numb, and these continued, a few times a week, and rarely more than once/both in the same day. Somewhere during that period of time my left side also started, but only tingling, not numbness. I began to go to the school nurse daily and they started treating me as if I had a concussion until they had word from doctors. I began to get removed from classes, sports, activities. The headaches continue to get considerably worse throughout. I went to family doctor, and he set me up for a CT Scan. About a week prior I had an eye doctor appointment for new glasses, and I failed my visual field test miserably. They brought me back in, the day before the CT, and I failed again. They looked in and saw nothing in my eye, but were eager to tell me to seek a doctor. The CT scan came up with no results and I got no calls for a new appointment, so I called my family doctor and he sent me to a physical therapist for neck pain. My neck pain was very low, but I guess he was just covering all bases. It did nothing for me, but she wrote a big report for my file seeking help because she thought I needed it. We eventually called again, for a new appointment, and we got set on a 2 month waiting list for a Neurological Evaluation on 7-21. I waited impatiently hoping for my help as my condition worsened. It woke me up at night, the headaches amplified, I couldn't even play basketball outside anymore, It makes me super miserable and I'm always yelling at my family, and I feel so sorry, it's like I can't control my mood anymore. I was forced to quit summer spring and summer sports. I even dropped a class as I couldn't concentrate in school at all anymore, and memory was becoming an issue. My nurses, guidance counselors, and teachers were all caring, and hoping to hear something back on what was wrong with me, but I got a 90 day wait. I finally had the appointment now 2 days ago. The doctor thinks my condition is Migraine Headaches and Ordered an MRI for my Brain and Neck. I was also put on 25MG nightly Topamax, which so far has had no effect, but It's only been 2 days. I am writing this because I'm desperate. I have a feeling my cheap insurance won't approve the MRI, just like they denied it earlier. My next appointment is over a month away, and I can't handle these wait times. Everything is getting worse by day now. I felt nausea occasionally throughout the past 5, nearly 6 months. and it's becoming more frequent. I didn't mention this to my doctor, but it's gotten worse today. I think Migraines/Headaches is a bit of an understatement. I'm seeking help, please. I'm scared. I can't do another school year like this, I'll fail.
Side Notes: The numbness tingling happens a few times week still. Ear ringing is usually at least once a day, accompanied with the worsened headache and worsened vision.
Thank you in advance, and sorry for the jumble, I'm not the best writer organizer.
Sometime in early Febuary of 2015, I got a headache. As a few days went by it never went away and began to get worse, ears ringings, blurred/darkened vision. About a month passed and then I began experiencing numbness in my right side limbs. (My hand went numb in school). Then a few days and my leg went numb, and these continued, a few times a week, and rarely more than once/both in the same day. Somewhere during that period of time my left side also started, but only tingling, not numbness. I began to go to the school nurse daily and they started treating me as if I had a concussion until they had word from doctors. I began to get removed from classes, sports, activities. The headaches continue to get considerably worse throughout. I went to family doctor, and he set me up for a CT Scan. About a week prior I had an eye doctor appointment for new glasses, and I failed my visual field test miserably. They brought me back in, the day before the CT, and I failed again. They looked in and saw nothing in my eye, but were eager to tell me to seek a doctor. The CT scan came up with no results and I got no calls for a new appointment, so I called my family doctor and he sent me to a physical therapist for neck pain. My neck pain was very low, but I guess he was just covering all bases. It did nothing for me, but she wrote a big report for my file seeking help because she thought I needed it. We eventually called again, for a new appointment, and we got set on a 2 month waiting list for a Neurological Evaluation on 7-21. I waited impatiently hoping for my help as my condition worsened. It woke me up at night, the headaches amplified, I couldn't even play basketball outside anymore, It makes me super miserable and I'm always yelling at my family, and I feel so sorry, it's like I can't control my mood anymore. I was forced to quit summer spring and summer sports. I even dropped a class as I couldn't concentrate in school at all anymore, and memory was becoming an issue. My nurses, guidance counselors, and teachers were all caring, and hoping to hear something back on what was wrong with me, but I got a 90 day wait. I finally had the appointment now 2 days ago. The doctor thinks my condition is Migraine Headaches and Ordered an MRI for my Brain and Neck. I was also put on 25MG nightly Topamax, which so far has had no effect, but It's only been 2 days. I am writing this because I'm desperate. I have a feeling my cheap insurance won't approve the MRI, just like they denied it earlier. My next appointment is over a month away, and I can't handle these wait times. Everything is getting worse by day now. I felt nausea occasionally throughout the past 5, nearly 6 months. and it's becoming more frequent. I didn't mention this to my doctor, but it's gotten worse today. I think Migraines/Headaches is a bit of an understatement. I'm seeking help, please. I'm scared. I can't do another school year like this, I'll fail.
Side Notes: The numbness tingling happens a few times week still. Ear ringing is usually at least once a day, accompanied with the worsened headache and worsened vision.
Thank you in advance, and sorry for the jumble, I'm not the best writer organizer.
I cut out all artificial sweeteners. You MUST do this. Then I realized that my mouthwash contained a variant of saccharin(worst of all the fake sugars) in it. I stopped using it and all symptoms stopped.
Do you have migraine or other headache conditions in the family?
You need to give nortriptyline more time, at 50 or 60 mg the effect usually kicks in. Variations occur of coarse. Good that you give it a fair chance.
What do the doctors say, if it is not migraines? I assume they have checked you thoroughly.
You need to give nortriptyline more time, at 50 or 60 mg the effect usually kicks in. Variations occur of coarse. Good that you give it a fair chance.
What do the doctors say, if it is not migraines? I assume they have checked you thoroughly.
The worst of it, yes. I still get worse headaches when upright, but nothing as severe as the ones following the spinal tap.
I've never heard of migraines causing things that I've experienced. I'm currently on 40mg nortriptyline for another 2 weeks, then upped to 50mg.
But we started at 10mg, and I've since had no change with the 4x increase.
I've never heard of migraines causing things that I've experienced. I'm currently on 40mg nortriptyline for another 2 weeks, then upped to 50mg.
But we started at 10mg, and I've since had no change with the 4x increase.
Has your headache from the spinal tap gone away?
With all the tests normal the migraine diagnosis is of coarse very plausible. You need to give topomax a fair chance but if it doesn't work for you you may need to try another medicine.
With all the tests normal the migraine diagnosis is of coarse very plausible. You need to give topomax a fair chance but if it doesn't work for you you may need to try another medicine.
Spinal Tap had no results, have another eval in 2 days.
Medication doing no good, on 3x increase than last week trying to make it work.
Spinal Tap was horribly painful, and I couldn't leave my bed for nearly an entire week after. I couldn't bare to lay down because the pain in my back was too intense, but I couldn't sit up, lean up, or stand up because my head would be even more intense pain. I had to crawl to my kitchen to get water because the pain was too intense when I was upright. Worst pain I've ever felt in my entire life. I couldn't raise my head at all, I even had to hold my drinks below my bed with a bendy straw so I could turn to drink them.
Long, sleepless, vomit-filled nights of agony.
Headaches, numbness, ringing, vision problems are all still active and just as bad if not worse than before. Going to school but struggling very much so, it's very hard. Doctor diagnosed, but is still further researching for more options. Diagnosed with Chronic Daily Migraines to an extent that I could legally accept disability payments in the UK.
I'm still not doing work, or playing sports, or working out. I'm only going to school because I haven't been advised not to, yet. Although I believe after my next appointment my school life will be changed. I still have random back pains like I had after the spinal tap.
Medication doing no good, on 3x increase than last week trying to make it work.
Spinal Tap was horribly painful, and I couldn't leave my bed for nearly an entire week after. I couldn't bare to lay down because the pain in my back was too intense, but I couldn't sit up, lean up, or stand up because my head would be even more intense pain. I had to crawl to my kitchen to get water because the pain was too intense when I was upright. Worst pain I've ever felt in my entire life. I couldn't raise my head at all, I even had to hold my drinks below my bed with a bendy straw so I could turn to drink them.
Long, sleepless, vomit-filled nights of agony.
Headaches, numbness, ringing, vision problems are all still active and just as bad if not worse than before. Going to school but struggling very much so, it's very hard. Doctor diagnosed, but is still further researching for more options. Diagnosed with Chronic Daily Migraines to an extent that I could legally accept disability payments in the UK.
I'm still not doing work, or playing sports, or working out. I'm only going to school because I haven't been advised not to, yet. Although I believe after my next appointment my school life will be changed. I still have random back pains like I had after the spinal tap.
They've mentioned Chiari, Peripheral Neuropathy, but are leaning more towards a Brain Tumor, and possibly cancer now. My MRIs are on Thursday and I'll let you know if I find out anything. Also, I've done, Aleve, Tylenol, Excedrin, Topamax, Gabapenten, and Nortriptyline, all with no results.
Thanks for the tips guys, insurance finally approved MRIs after my doctors seriously wrote pages for an approval. They're rushing 2 MRIs this week in search of a brain tumor, since then, Ive been getting noxious and vomiting, very lightheaded, and everything else is consistent. Something very recent is my leg starts to feel like it's burning for no reason. They're leaning towards malformation(s) in my brain. Apparetntly I don't balance, breath, or talk right either. Ive also been put on 2 other medications to no result.
He already said MRIs were ordered and he never said he was not going to do them so, that is why I didn't address it.
What you should do in this situation is to follow your doctors instructions and take the tests ordered. Your symptoms are serious. It might be migraine but it might also be something else. In that case they need to find it and treat it.
Keep your hope up and go to the MRIs.
Good luck!
Keep your hope up and go to the MRIs.
Good luck!
You should seriously look into Lyme disease and coinfections! I know from personal experience because I went through HELL like you with all kinds of terrible symptoms and I ended up being told I was fine my all kinds of doctors and it turned out that I had undiagnosed and untreated Lyme disease. Sadly over half of people that get sick with Lyme disease never get diagnosed with it because the testing for Lyme disease is only accurate 50 percent of the time. So they ended up suffering with no answers. Trust me. There's a great Lyme disease section right here on the MedHelp. You should go post in there. They can help you out a lot and can help you find a doctor who will be able to treat you!
Best of luck. Definitely go post in the Lyme disease section. Hang in there!
Best of luck. Definitely go post in the Lyme disease section. Hang in there!
Hi and welcome to the Migraines & Headaches Community.
I am sorry to hear about your recent struggles. I am also sorry to tell you that there is no fast and easy "fix it" for migraine sufferers. There is no cure. And treating migraines is not a sprint, it's a marathon.
Topamax is a common medicine for migraines and you start out with a low dose and it gets increased slowly. And then for some people it might take more than one medication. And playing with the combos of meds and the dosages of the meds. It is a long progress. This process involves preventative meds which is what Topamax is but, your doctor should have also given you something to treat/stop the migraine that has already started...abortive meds. You didn't mention anything other than the Topamax so, I suggest you ask your doctor about that the next time you see him/her. In the meantime here are some over-the-counter tips you can try.
1. There are several symptoms of migraines and what causes the pain of a migraine is the blood vessels in your brain become dilated. So, sometimes it helps it you put a bit of pressure on your head. I am sure you have already been doing this unconsciously with your hands from time to time. So, get a bandanna or a cloth headband and wrap it snugly around your head.
2. If you rub Mentholatum across your forehead and on your temples that helps relax those tense muscles. You can do this with or without the wrap, depending on if you like the heat or not.
3. Try either a cold or hot pack, whichever is more comfy to you.
4. The best OTC meds that I have found that works is Excedrin. It is a combo of Aspirin, Tylenol and Caffeine and that happens to be an excellent combo for migraines.
5. I mentioned caffeine before...well, drink coffee, Mt Dew, take Vivirin...sometimes a mega dose of caffeine will stop it in its tracks.
6. If you get nauseous or dizzy get some Meclizine from the pharmacy (the stuff behind the counter) you can take 25mg three times a day as needed. Yes it works on both.
You also just need to take it easy. Lighten your daily load as much as possible. As I said before treating migraines is a marathon not a sprint and I'm afraid that it COULD mean the end of sports for the time being. But, only you will know the answer to that. It takes preventative meds at least 4 weeks to even start helping and a good 12 weeks to reach maximum potential so, maybe you will be able to play sports once you get this under control, maybe not. I just don't know.
Try the tips above and ask your doctor about some abortive meds. And please keep us updated.
I am sorry to hear about your recent struggles. I am also sorry to tell you that there is no fast and easy "fix it" for migraine sufferers. There is no cure. And treating migraines is not a sprint, it's a marathon.
Topamax is a common medicine for migraines and you start out with a low dose and it gets increased slowly. And then for some people it might take more than one medication. And playing with the combos of meds and the dosages of the meds. It is a long progress. This process involves preventative meds which is what Topamax is but, your doctor should have also given you something to treat/stop the migraine that has already started...abortive meds. You didn't mention anything other than the Topamax so, I suggest you ask your doctor about that the next time you see him/her. In the meantime here are some over-the-counter tips you can try.
1. There are several symptoms of migraines and what causes the pain of a migraine is the blood vessels in your brain become dilated. So, sometimes it helps it you put a bit of pressure on your head. I am sure you have already been doing this unconsciously with your hands from time to time. So, get a bandanna or a cloth headband and wrap it snugly around your head.
2. If you rub Mentholatum across your forehead and on your temples that helps relax those tense muscles. You can do this with or without the wrap, depending on if you like the heat or not.
3. Try either a cold or hot pack, whichever is more comfy to you.
4. The best OTC meds that I have found that works is Excedrin. It is a combo of Aspirin, Tylenol and Caffeine and that happens to be an excellent combo for migraines.
5. I mentioned caffeine before...well, drink coffee, Mt Dew, take Vivirin...sometimes a mega dose of caffeine will stop it in its tracks.
6. If you get nauseous or dizzy get some Meclizine from the pharmacy (the stuff behind the counter) you can take 25mg three times a day as needed. Yes it works on both.
You also just need to take it easy. Lighten your daily load as much as possible. As I said before treating migraines is a marathon not a sprint and I'm afraid that it COULD mean the end of sports for the time being. But, only you will know the answer to that. It takes preventative meds at least 4 weeks to even start helping and a good 12 weeks to reach maximum potential so, maybe you will be able to play sports once you get this under control, maybe not. I just don't know.
Try the tips above and ask your doctor about some abortive meds. And please keep us updated.
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