Migraine and sinusitis

[jasonp1978]

Hi i have been having problems for 3 years with a headache that accompanies a white circle over my vision thats when i know its coming on i see a bunch of yellow small dots millions of them even in a dark room when the attack is bad. When i get this way i have pressure in my ears i have tried saline nose sprays i would blow my nose my ears will get alot worse i spoke to a few neurologist they told me that you have to take care of the sinus problem first then your migraine wont be bad i get these attacks daily 2 or 3 attacks a day and they can last anywhere between 20 minutes to 7 hours once i throw up i have to leave a bucket at the side of the bed and throw up in it once i throw up and it relieves pressure in my ears the white circle aura goes away in time and after i throw up about a half hour more the headache goes away. I have started a medicine called navane its used for paranoia and hauccinations i also take a drug called prevacid when i looked up the package insert on both drugs it said that the prevacid in less then 1% of paitents causes migraine and sinusitis the navane nasal congestion. Spoke to my gastro doctor about this he said that it wouldnt cause sinusitis. I had sinus surgery the endoscopic sinus surgery i had a devided spetum lots and lots of polyps and extensive sinus congestion i been on navane and prevacid for a good 7 years the problems with the pressure in the ear and migraine started 3 years ago. it is now 3 weeks after the surgery i still get pressure in my ear along with the migraine with the aura can any doctors figure this out for me.

[jasonp1978]

Hi Vanessa the problem is getting worse now.  I went into the emergency room sunday march 16,2008 cause of severe migraine they gave me a narcotic daludid 2mg they gave me steriods, reglen to control the nausea still threw up and it wasnt bile it was all mucos i through up about 4 times and alot of it was congestion. They did a catscan catscan of the brain was normal but showed thick mucos in the sinus er doctor told me i have sinusitis he mentioned i will have to go to an ent have them stick and instrument puncter the sinus inject fluid into the sinuses and drain them.could it be something i am allergic too to get recurring sinusitis even when the doctor operated on me and i had surgery it seems to be recurring back just like before having surgery. it seems when i get the sinus pressure that triggers the migraine attack.

[Vanessa Lacuesta]

Hi,

It has only been a month post surgery ( is this correct)? And you have mentioned that they removed nasal and sinus polyps ?

Given that your symptoms remain unchanged even after the surgery may require a referral to a neurologist.This may suggest that the sinus problems and the polyps may not be directly causing the symptoms.A cranial CT scan and blood tests may be requested. An EEG may help  determine an underlying seizure disorder.

Do communicate with your physician with regards to your medications.A neurologist may be able to help modify your medications  to decrease side effects . Do not stop or taper your medications without first informing your physician prescriber.

[jasonp1978]

No no eeg done i went back to the person that did the surgery and my dad explained to him and i explained to him that i get pressure in my ear i hear shushing my ears my ears pop and crack and even prior from the surgery i had the same thing. I figured getting the surgery would correct this problem but i guess i was wrong. the doctor finally said after i told him my symptoms first he looked in my nose and ears and said your ears look fine and your nose doesnt like good it looks great. I Dont understand why my nose gets so plugged up when i get these attacks the pressure is so bad in my ear that i vomit where ever i am. I believe that maybe a medicine is trigging the sinuses i am not really sure to tell you the truth.

[Vanessa Lacuesta]

Hi,

Some headaches are associated with intake of certain food like cheese for instance.Continue to avoid any of these possible triggers.You may ask your physician if some of your medications may actually be causing the headaches.A this point, anti migraine medications may help if the headaches are shown to be independent of any underlying conditions. You are taking an anti psychotic medication and this may cause certain side effects. Has your physician ruled out your migraines to be a side effect of your medications?

Have you had an EEG done at any one time?

[jasonp1978]

Yes allergic to cheese,chocolate exc but i have been avoiding the foods i been trying to avoid dairy products as much as i can.

[Vanessa Lacuesta]

Hi,

The sinus problems and the migraines may be separate complaints.Your sinus problems may aggravate the headaches but may not be able to explain the auras
( visible lights prior to the attack).

You had your sinus surgery just 3 weeks ago, so the ear fullness may be expected.Migraines do occur quite often and  I understand that you have been deeply troubled by the attacks. You may need preventive migraine medications and it may be necessary to ask a neurologist about this since it may interact  with your other medications.

Do you have other underlying conditions? Any allergies?