headache and stiff neck for DAYS?

[owen1tx]

Hello!
I was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday morning with the worst headache I have ever experienced.  It caused nausea, vomitting (dry heaves), severe sensitivity to light, momentary loss of movement in my arms, and difficulty speaking.  I was given an IV at the hospital and they did a CAT scan.  It came back normal.
I was given Vicadin for pain.
It's now Sunday and I have had a throbbing in my head (so much so, I have taken the pain killers every 4-6 hours) and an extremely stiff neck (so much that I can't turn my head from side to side and it even makes my jaw hurt) every since Wednesday night.  I have to keep warm compresses on my neck to even be able to move around.
I wonder, since this has never happened before, is the stiff neck just a side effect from having such a horrible migraine?  Is there something else I can take that would alieviate the pain/stiffness in my neck?  Will it eventually go away???
I will go see my regular doctor next week (he couldn't get me in this past week!) but wouldn't something like menigitis or bleeding in the brain show up on the CAT scan  or in my blood work?
Thanks for any insight you can provide!
Dawn

[Vanessa Lacuesta]

Hi

If you are also presenting with a fever then, this may suggest an infection. Neurologists usually request for a spinal tap given these symptoms. This is the definite diagnostic tool in diagnosing meningitis. A complete blood count may be able to determine the presence of a systemic infection. However, not all systemic forms of infections affect the brain and its coverings or meninges.  A spinal tap will be able to directly obtain spinal fluid and have this assessed through microscopic evaluation and culture.

[owen1tx]

An EKG wasn't done.  I don't know about the results of the blood work, only that it was "normal" whatever that means.  The neck stiffness really has me stumped.  I'm also running a fever.  When I looked up "migraine and stiff neck" it kept popping up different kinds of migraines and meningitis.  With all the other symptoms, nausea, vomitting, fever, I just wonder if that is what it is (meningitis).  My husband seems to think that if that were the case, though, it would have shown up in the blood work.  The ER physicians wanted to do a spinal tap but I refused one there, thinking I could get in to see my regular doctor (apparently not!)
I will see him tomorrow though, hopefully.  I just wondered if the only way to see if you have meningitis is through a spinal tap or if it can be detected through blood tests?
Thank you again.

[Vanessa Lacuesta]

Hi

A CT scan is sensitive for any intracranial bleed. At this point, we can safely say that the headaches are not due to a bleed. Your physician may request for an MRI if this is indicated based on how you progress. If an infection is suspected a lumbar tap and MRI will be able to determine the presence of a meningitis or if an intracranial inflammation is present.

This sounds like a hemiplegic migraine. This may be a likely differential at this point considering that your tests came back negative.

Were they able to get levels of coagulation factors?

Was a 2D Echo done to assess cardiac function?