localized intermittent headache

[cookienkikin]

I'm a 22 yr old male and for the past 6 months I've been having a very localized intermittent headache in the very same spot it started 6 months ago. It was present for 2 months, went away for 2 months, and is now back and has been present for 2 months.  It's about 2 inches above and behind my right ear. Go 2 inches from the top of your right ear and then 1 inche toward the back of your head.  Could this be a spot for an anuerysm to form?  Would an anuerysm present itself like this?  The pain will go away and then I will get sharp shooting pains in that spot, and occasionally at the front and very top of my head. Not very often though. I'm also very tired all the time, I sleep 12 hrs a night and it's till hard to wake up and then I'm tired all day long.  How would an unruptured anuerysm present itself? does this sound like my case? I had a complete physical exam done yesterday, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and reflexes.  All good

[cookienkikin]

Hello, it around the time my headache started last year like this.  Its the same thing and is very persistent, and localized.  It affects my sleep and everyday life.  Last year around June/July I had a brain MRI/MRA done and it was completely normal.  Could an aneurysm appear since then to now, in that amount of time?   Please help I'm tired of this dang thing, and my fears are always that when something is wrong with me that its really bad, don't know why.  Thanks so much

[Vanessa Lacuesta]

Hi

I do understand your concern. You have been having these headaches for the past 6 months. Have you had headaches before? If yes, would you say that those were different from headaches you are experiencing now? Or would you say hat the headaches have progressed in terms of character and intensity?

Sentinel headaches are warning headaches that may herald a bleed or ruptured aneurysm. I know this is your primary concern. Usually these headaches do not respond to medications and there may be persistent history of injury as well as presence of associated symptoms like visual symptom and vomiting. With regards to an aneurysm, "The precise nature of the clinical syndrome can vary according to the site of the aneurysm ... With carotid artery involvement, patients may have localized headache, facial palsy, and tinnitus. "Aneurysms of the cavernous carotid, however, may cause trigeminal neuralgia, exophthalmos, and retro-orbital pain," . Patients with aneurysms of the posterior communicating artery can have third-nerve palsy and ipsilateral orbital pain. Sudden monocular blindness may result when the site is the ophthalmic artery."

Source:http://www.neurologyreviews.com/nov00/nr_nov00_headache.html

So the presentation may largely vary With your case however, you have been having these for months and it appears to be localized on one area of the head. There are no other signs and symptoms associated with these. You may need a CT scan to have this assessed initially. Have you been to a neurologist already?