Am I losing it? Head/brain problems

Hi. I have had some symptoms for well over a year, but have always felt fobbed off, so I havent been to the doctor in about a year.
Here is a list of symptoms:-headaches - all over, front, behind eye, sharp stabbing pains in left side of head, wake up with them, get woken up by them, pressure, weird feeling with them/strange feeling in head, cant describe, dizziness, lightheaded with nausea, see stars, struggle finding right words, some memory loss (cant answer simple questions or complete tasks that I have been doing for years), ssometimes get a whiff of smoke and other smells when noone else can, trouble getting to sleep, sleepiness during the day, partner struggles to wake me up, feeling depressed, frequent, sudden urgency to go to the toilet, keep bumping into things (am covered in bruises), moood changes/swings, permanent floater in my eye and others that come and go, hearing dullness and tingling comes and goes, repeat sentences (I will say something and then repeat it in a slightly different way), conversations with myself/innerthoughts and in the mirror, a feeling of zoning out and not being able to concentrate or focus on what people are saying, teeth clenching (I stop when I realise I am doing it). I feel really stupid if I say something to someone.

[Neuro Forum]

Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with a doctor.

Without the ability to examine and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of the symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.

There are several causes of headaches. Headaches can be divided into primary and secondary. Primary headache disorders are headaches without a direct cause. These are diagnosed after secondary causes have been excluded. Secondary headache disorders are due to an underlying problem, there are many many causes but some include medication side effects, systemic illness, nervous system infection, tumors, bleeds in the brain or clots in the veins of the brain, and others.

Primary headache disorders are much more common than secondary ones. There are several primary headache disorders, over 50 different types.  For example  migraines, which usually a pulsating throbbing one-sided pain with nausea and discomfort in bright lights that lasts several hours. Another type is cluster headaches, which are sharp pains that occur around and behind the eye often at night and are associated with tearing of the eye and running of the nose. These often occur the same time each night and waken the person out of sleep. Another type of stabbing one-sided headache is called paroxysmal hemicrania.

Without further information about your headache, it is difficult to provide you with adequate information. However, it is important for you to understand that if you have not experienced headaches in the past and you are now having new head pains, seeing a physician is a good idea, just to make sure there is nothing serious causing this pain. Imaging of the brain (with CT scan or MRI) to exclude secondary causes to the headache is indicated depending on your exact symptoms, your physical examination, and other factors.

The memory problems may result from the sleep problems; lack of sleep is a not uncommon cause of memory but more often attention/concentration problems. Daytime sleepiness most often results from poor sleep, which can be due to sleep apnea or other sleep disorders (in obstructive sleep apnea, snoring occurs with periods of lack of breathing). Sleep apnea can also lead to headache. Thyroid disorders can also lead to poor sleep. Depression can also lead to a variety of symptoms including headache, fatigue, and sleep problems.

As you can see, there are many potential causes to your headaches, sleep problems, memory problems, and mood problems; they may all be related or they may be due to different causes but contributing to each other (one making the other symptoms worse). Evaluation by your primary doctor/internist is recommended with referral to a neurologist, sleep specialist, or other specialists as indicated.

Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.