please help

[nrehman88]

Hi im a 20 year old girl.  I tend to get headaches almost every day.  They are usually on my right temple and feel like someone is poking me w/ a sharp object.  They come and go usually.  But lately they seem to only be getting worse and stay for longer periods throughout the day.  This used to happen to me when i was younger.  My parents had taken me to a neurologist and they had took a scan.  Nothing had come up.  This was maybe 6 years ago.  After that the neurologists reffered me to a nutritionist.  But since my headaches had stoped.  I didnt have any need to go to my nutritionist anymore.  They started again maybe a year ago.  I dont understand what this is.  Can anyone tell me

[jram3584]

A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with cluster headaches and had similar symptoms.  Depending on the amount of pain and the length of the headaches, this could be a possibility.

[marileew]

Hi!

I will message you personally about a few ways I have personally tried and I few ways I have had friends/relatives try and a few ways I have read about... and what I know about them!!

I go in and out of chronic pain cycles, but YES, I am able to break the chronic chronic pain cycles. If I am actually in a migraine cycle... there is nothing I can really do... other than take the migraine meds and pain meds and hope for the best... but, if I get into a chronic pain cycle after a migraine cycle ( low grade headaches or transformed migraines - mixed migraine/tension-type headaches ) ... I have learned how to get out of them. Sometimes it is harder than other times, but, I always have hope now and eventually I get relief because I know how to treat chronic pain now... it does not always last because I have migraines and the studies are showing that migraines don't really just go away... just like epilepsy doesn't just go away... but, I know that for MANY people, especially women, migraines get less frequent the older you get, so that is also hopeful, so... even though they technically won't just disappear, I am sure that one day I probably will notice that I haven't had a headache in years. :) For now though, I just deal with the months of disability as they come and I try to make the most of the months where there is the possibility to function (because the true 8+/10 migraines are gone) as long as I break the transformed chronic pain cycle.

Pain is one of those subjects that still a lot of people don't understand and even a lot of doctors don't understand. The best doctor that anyone in chronic pain can go to is a chronic pain specialist. They understand the physiology of pain... because there is actually a physiology of pain... something that is hard for anyone not in pain to understand because it's hard to see, but, it's not hard for a chronic pain doctor to see because they understand the science behind pain. It's pretty interesting stuff. And sadly... a lot of people don't get treated properly because their GPs just don't understand the physiology of pain or how to treat chronic pain.

Now, I don't want to give you false hope or anything either. 9 years is a long time to be in chronic pain. Pain cycles are easier to break the sooner you break them. BUT! That does not mean that it is impossible to break your pain cycle either. If you go to a pain specialist, you could find that you have complete lasting pain relief for the first time ever after one appointment / one prescription / one treatment / etc. It's possible. It's more likely that you'll have to work with the pain specialist on an on-going basis for a few months, or maybe a few years (depending on how complicated your individual case is... although since you are in your 20s, you have a much better outcome, seriously, so I am very hopeful for you and I bet you are really looking more at months and not at years) to find a pain management plan that works best for your situation. And... it really is about working with the doctor, and this is what is great about pain specialists... because the majority understand that we are individuals with individual problems... like... example... you might not want to go on opiates because you have fears of developing dependency (not wanting to go on daily opiates, even if you are a chronic pain patient in severe pain, is understandable for someone in their 20s or 30s)... a pain specialtist WILL work WITH you to find other methods of pain control.

The main goal is to always BREAK the pain cycle. Then, the goal after that is to stop it from returning.

So... basically, without naming every single option available to you (although I will go into much more detail in a personal message), these are the steps to beating the chronic pain cycle:

1. Stop the current pain cycle. (usually with much more extreme measures than one would normally take to treat regular acute pain)
2 Prevent the pain from returning. (life-style changes. trigger avoidance. medication sometimes.)
3. Acute therapy to treat future pain so stop any NEW pain cycle from forming.

Okay... I'll message you now! :)

[Rochellemaree]

To: marileew

Have you had an issue with chronic pain and getting out of a chronic pain cycle? I've been having headaches every single day for 9 years. Would love to know if it's possible to break the cycle! I'm in my 20s too.

Thanks!
:)

[marileew]

Eye strain can cause pretty bad headaches in a lot of people. You should try wearing your glasses as prescribed and see if it helps at all... maybe even making another appointment with your eye doctor if you think that you eye sight has got worse since your last prescription.

Also, have you had your blood pressure checked during your last physical exam? Headaches and feeling dizzy makes me think of blood pressure problems... if you do make an appointment with your doctor, they'll be able to test your blood pressure too. Also, if you want to get your blood pressure tested before then, many pharmacies have blood pressure testing machines available for patients these days to use in store free of charge and available for home-use purchase.

One other thing, if you are having low grade headaches all the time... these could also maybe be "rebound headaches" from medication or "transformed headaches" from too much pain. People who take over-the-counter NSAIDS often get rebound headaches because over-the-counter NSAIDS such as advil on a daily basis aren't the best form of treatment for headaches and can add the the problem instead of making it better... that's why it's important to get to a doctor, as there are prescription medications and prescription painkillers (and even prescription NSAIDS that are LESS likely to cause rebound headaches) that are better for treatment of headaches. So, if you do use advil or any other over-the-counter pain killer often, the every-day headaches might be "rebound-headaches". Also, since you are experiencing pain so often, the every day milder headaches could be "transformed" headaches... "transformed headaches" are when the body gets into a pain cycle that it can't get out of... basically, the body gets confused, the chemicals, the neurotransmitters, the nerves, everything gets confused because it has been in SO much pain for SO long and it actually Physically forgets how to be out of pain... and it gets into a chronic pain cycle. It is always important to stop these pain cycles, the sooner the better... as the sooner there is intervention, the easier it is to treat. So... it is good that you are looking into this now and going to see a doctor about this soon. :) You want to avoid chronic pain cycles for sure. :) Especially at our age... in our 20s!!

[nrehman88]

Thank you all for answering. Well i do chew gum but not very often.  I am thinking of going to a doctor soon.  But i also forgot to add that I also get headaches which arent really painful, they just feel like kind of like when your dizzy, but im not dizzy at all it just feels like that and that headache occurs all over my head but is usually centered in both temples.  I was also thinking that maybe it could be because i am supposed to be wearing glasses for driving and watching t.v. But i usually end up forgetting to put them on at those times.  Do u think that may be a factor?

[Ramin Mehregan, DMD]

Dear Patient,
Not every one sided headache translates to be a migraine. As Dr.Noorpur indicated it could be associated with TMJ disorder or to be precise, your bite. Your lower jaw is controlled by a group of muscles, one of the major muscles which spans from your jaw up into the frontal, temple and almost above the ear area is called the Temporalis. If this muscle is subjected to strain from imbalances in your bite it could lead to headaches and sometimes can mimic severe Migrains. I have treated many patients who had been on the so called "Migraine Meds" many times come to find out that it was only a severe case of Tension headaches. I am not ruling out Migrains, but it is a condition that is misdiagnosed very often and often placed on unnecessary meds.
I also do recommend you have another evaluation and if no organic causes are found I recommend you have a consultation with a Neuromuscular Dentist by visiting www.top3dentist.com
Sincerely,
Dr. Mehregan

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi,

It will help us to know if you have a habit of clenching teeth in the night or do you chew gum. If yes there is a possibility that this headache is due to TMJ or temporomandibular joint disorder.
Other possibilities include allergies to food or environmental allergens or sinusitis. There is a possibility that these headaches are migraine variant. I would suggest you to get a clinical evaluation done. In the meantime maintain a headache diary which will help in identifying the triggers for these headaches.

Thanks

[marileew]

headaches on one side of the head sound like the could be a migraine. maybe you should go to a different doctor to get a second opinion.

if they are migraines... you should be treating them with triptans (migraine medication) at the first signs of pain.. that will interrupt the physiology of the migraine and stop the pain from continuing and prevent pain cycles from forming,