During the last six weeks I’ve had more than a dozen “brain attacks” lasting one to four hours that have scared the daylights out of me. They always include a feeling of lightheadedness (not
vertigoBenign positional vertigo
Dizziness
Vertigo
Vertigo-associated disorders, which I’m familiar with) and a feeling of
pressurePressure ulcer in my
headHead and face reconstruction
Head injury
Head lice
Indications of head injury
Radial head injury. The
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First-testosterone mc one came on when I was driving to work, and my coworkers ended up calling the paramedics. Other times the attacks come on in the middle of the night. Sometimes they will include a feeling of tingling or
numbnessNumbness and tingling in my
faceFace pain and scalp, or some aching in my legs. Once it included pain in my left arm, and a couple times when I first woke up with the symptoms, I couldn’t move my left arm properly for a few seconds. The more severe attacks make me think I’m about to pass out from a stroke or a heart attack, causing me to really panic. Milder spells just leave me feeling crummy, unable to drive or to really concentrate. Also, sometimes I notice a feeling of pressure in my ears, and I am more sensitive to the “pressure” of loud sounds.
I’ve been in the ER twice, have had an MRI, a cat scan of the brain, an echocardiogram, a stress test, and an ultrasound of the carotid artery. The MRI showed a small amount of atrophy in my brain, and a bit of sinus inflammation. But other tests were negative.
In two weeks I'll be seen at the Cleveland Clinic. In the meantime, does it sound like I'm having transient ischemic attacks? Or increased intracranial pressure?
The cardiologist today said my symptoms don't really match a particular syndrome. I will also be seeing a neurologist, and, eventually, a sleep specialist. I guess my night time attacks sound a bit like sleep apnea?
When I learn more I'll post again. Meantime, it will be interesting to see if I feel better or worse when I'm not taking the Fludrocortisone and Accupril.
it went away when i put my reading glasses on, but for 2 days I had a "muggy head" not a headache just kinda muggy.left me with my appetite gone and now and again feelings of nausea.
not sure what it was but scared me.
my BP is ok( im on BP pills), I didnt have any heart pain or stroke signs etc.
today (monday) 3 days after im a bit light headed but thats it
although I need glasses for work (I stare at a computer screen all day)
and that makes my eyes ache.
Im confused !
Keep me posted on any updates
Have you, in the past year, been treated with a fluoroquinolone-based antibiotic (levaquin, tequin, cipro, floxin, etc)? If so, you may be suffering from an adverse reaction to that drug. These reactions can come on long after you are treated, and cause long-lasting pain and other symptoms. Very often those hurt think they have MS, or ALS, or fibromyalgia, or a host of other maladies.
If you are suffering these weird symptoms, I suggest you check out the following sites:
www.medicationsense.com
www.fqvictims.org
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/quinolones
Lastnight I had it again but this time it was much different. I woke up and my whole head and neck and parts of my arms and it almost felt like my whole body was tingling at one point, but my heart wasn't racing like panic attack, and on top of that I was seeing double and everything was like garbled...my hearing was messed up, and I felt lightheaded. I'm really worried about this...because I'm scared this is going to happen again tonight.
Any ideas what it might be? I have this constant pressure in my head all the time, and it's like there is more in my head that should be there you know what I mean? Let me know.
Thanks
My story starts Feb 11th and has continued until present and none of the 15 plus doctors I have seen have any idea what I might have. Many of the symptoms expressed by danny7 and others on this forum are similar to what I am experiencing. Here it is:
1. Fatigue (on and off)
2. Numbness and Tingling in left side and it usually feels heavy. This also comes and goes as if they were episodes. So far, I have not lost mobility.
3. Pressure in my neck and head.
4. Numbness and tingling in my head.
5. Sensitivity in my temples also a constant low lying headache unlike any I’ve felt before.
6. Random jabbing pains in both extremities.
This is a summery of the symptoms. I have been watching this thread to see if any of you guys have had any luck finding out what you have. I decided to post and see if this sparks any further ideas. I will also add some items I have noticed for whatever it is worth.
1. The symptoms tend to get worse when I am seated.
2. I have had MRI’s of both my head and neck. The doctors did find spurs in my neck but I have been told that it does not explain the symptoms in my head. The neurologist I have been seeing said he did not think that it was the cause of my symptoms. Who knows?
3. My ears seem to “Pop” like air travel when I have these episodes.
4. I don’t think age has anything to do with it I am 28.
Anyway, I wish everyone luck. I will be visiting my cardiologist Thursday to review an echocardiogram he requested. After that I will be following up with the neurologist on Friday. If I find something out, I will let you guys know.
- muscles seem very, very tight in head, shoulders, and back all of the time
- night sweats
- anxiety due to not knowing what is going on
- shortness of breath
- bad stomach aches
- tired
- difficulty sleeping
- vision changes - blurry, flashes, spots
- neck pain - off and on
- heart races and skips beats (I am on atenolol for PVCs)
- trembling
- can't stand heat, I need it cold in order to be comfortable
Any input would be great!
- twitching muscles in face and neck
- jaw hurts off and on
- back of my head felt asleep when I woke up
- knees get sharp pains through them
- ears always feel full
- I also seem to be more sensitive to sound and hear things better
Could this all be of a muscular origin? TMJ?
It turned out that, several months previously, I was on a water ride called The Edge, where you are on a mat and drop over a steep edge onto something that looks like huge skateboard half-pipe. When I was flung up to the other side, my head was slung back and it felt like a crunching at the base of my neck. I had an immediate headache that lasted the rest of the day and my neck was stiff for a few days. It went away after a couple of days and I didn't think of it again until the nuerologist asked me about it. It was determined that I had a compressed nerve in my left shoulder. According to the nuerosurgeon, there is a nerve that runs from the spinal cord through the left shoulder and all the way into the thumb. Because of this nerve being compressed, and the tension created from that, it was causing tension in the muscles running up the left side of my neck as well, which was causing the symptoms and headaches on the left side of my face and above my left eye. He sent me to a place called Integrative Therapies, where I went through a series of therapies including bio-feedback therapy, cranio-sacral therapy (not sure if that is spelled correctly - really interesting therapy that worked great!), deep tissue massage and something that included posture, such as preferred sitting, standing and sleeping positions to relieve pressure on the shoulder and neck areas. With the bio-feedback therapy, they were able to show me, on a computer screen, that the tension level on my left side was much greater than on the right. They showed me relaxation techniques and I was able to actually see the tension level decrease on the screen while I was performing the excercises. During one of the deep tissue massage sessions, the therapist located that nerve running through my shoulder and the pain shot down my left arm all the way to my fingertips! I went through these therapies for about 2 months and my syptoms (symptoms) went away completely. I also purchased, at the recommendation of the therapists, a contoured memory foam pillow. What a difference it made in my ability to sleep. It took all the pressure off of my neck and shoulder and even made my lower back pain go away completely (and I had that before all these other symptoms). I started out with a pillow that I purchased at Target for $20 and now use a Tempurpedic contoured memory foam pillow. It is much better but also way more expensive, which is why I started out with the pillow from Target. I do not go anywhere without my pillow because I can tell a huge difference when I do not use it!
Sorry this has been so long, but I hope that it helps. I have just now started to have some symptoms again. It has been 1 1/2 years since I completed the therapy. I have been stressed lately and feel like my stress is accumulating in that same spot again, so I am going to go back to the excercises that they gave me and schedule some deep tissue massage sessions and, hopefully, that will take care of the problem. Good luck with all of your conditions - hope this has been helpful!!!
I am going to ask my doc about it but I wanted to ask you if that compression showed up on an exam, or did they just guess at it?
-tingling in the scalp, thumb, fingertips, arms, forearms, nose, toes
-pressure in the top and sides of head, ears, eyes, nose
-scalp pain (not a regular headache, so thats the best I can describe it)
-blurry vision, spots, shadows, black lines
-numbness
-increased sensitivity to light, heat and sound
-twitching and sharp quick pains throughout the body
-chest pains, irregular heart beat, fast heartbeat, high bp (occasionally)
-pain in arms, legs, fingertips, hands, wrists
-neck and shoulder pain and tightness
-scratchy throat, nasal congestion
-some anxiety, of course, because nobody can tell us whats wrong and keep giving both of us different answers
Unfortunately my husband and I have no health insurance and, because of the few ER visits from this since last year, we really have no medical fund left to keep checking. If anyone has any advice or has followed up with their doctor I would certainly appreciate a response. It has become aggravating and depressing to live like this. I also have two small children who are pretty much too young to explain in words what they are feeling but I can tell they are going through the same thing - my daughter actually just told me last night that sometimes, when she is just about to fall asleep, she gets a "weird" feeling, not scared, sick, sad or anything, just "weird" was all she could describe. I guess thats the best I can describe it now too. One more thing - the only thing I can say that might shed some kind of light is that we relocated from New York to Florida approximately 6 mos. before all of this started. Again, thanks to anyone who might have any suggestions.
Pills are not the only answer either,anxiety can be treated with the help of a good doctor to help you understand the causes of your anxiety and how to cope with it and understanding family members. Panic attacks can seriously affect your life and your job.
First and foremost you must get a thorough exam to make sure it isn't anything else.
Symps:
pressure in right side of head
neck pain
shoulder pain
tighness around eye
cracklin in right ear
twitching of muscles on sides of head
racing of heart beat at times (really dont like that)
sweat when I sleep
can feel my heartbeat/pulse all over my body
All this happened, and has been getting worse since Feb. 2005 help I went snowboarding sick with a cold and whipped out.
First they told me:
Sinus infection
Second they told:
I have bad case of TMJ
Third:
They might have to drill out of nose some.
Forth:
I dont think these doctors know what the he!! they are talking about.
Tomorrow I go find out more details on my CATSCAN results, and question why they didnt give me MRI and check for brain tumors. i will keep you all posted, and hope to help us with similiar issues narrow this down.
ct good,I have a few more test to do so I hope that I will have an answer soon. I also have had painic attacks for 7 years but I never feet Numbness or perssure in head for 8 weeks I just cant belive it would be my pain attacks. the dr said your mind can do funny things. me typeing now is makeing my arms and hands feel funny. has any one gone thought this please help me
Has anyone felt this before?
I hope that you have found the cause for your symptoms and that treatment is working as well for you!!
Hope this helps (make sure to read my post on 5/18 for many more details) Good luck with getting better!!
jp67
A few years back I suffered some of the symptoms which some of you have.
Almost fainting followed by pressure in the head. Sometimes headache [pressure] did not start till the following day.It got to a point where i had so many 'episodes' that I was never without the bad head ,couldn't cross a road by myself or walk down the street. I was bad news.Also had 'tingling' but no pain.
Had an MRI but nothing wrong.
Neurologist sent me to a cardiologist
Cardiologist did 'tilt table test' and decided I had Neurcardiogenic presyncopy [presyncope]
syncope is fainting so presyncope is the almost fainting which I was having.
I was put on beta blockers but this did not help.
Cardiologist then gave me a choice of a drug which would control the heartbeat or something which would alter the chemicals in the brain. I felt so dreadful that i chose the latter.
BINGO! I was feeling fine in days.
if you look up Neurocardiogenic Syncope [or Syncopy] and Presyncope you might get a better idea as to whether this may help you.
it does seem to be stress related.
I hope this may help you
jmlo
Just a few thoughts I had when I read about your symptoms and that your husband and kids may be having similar symptoms. I wondered about environmental exposures since there are multiple persons living in the same household with some symptoms. It might be difficult to know but are you exposed to pesticides or herbicides for your lawn or community spraying now that you live in Florida? Or do you live in a home which was flooded and either has black mold or other fungus or possibly was sprayed inside for pests or mold? If you have mold you might consider using diluted clorox and airing out the house very well. If you have chemical/pesticide exposure you might want to determine the types and talk to neighbors too and then a county health doctor or even a PhD professor type at a nearby college for information about it. Just some thoughts I hope will help. God bless.
I am 28 year old , i have been experiencin panic attacks for now more then 4 years, but all of suddeen i started feeling sevre head ache and pressure feeling in my head which has made my life miserable i cannot concentrate on my work , i always have this pressure feelign on my head plus nausea and feelign i will faint
I have shown to the neurologist who says clinacally i nothign wroing and asked me to see for another month and if symptoms do not go away then he will conduct the MRI, I have been workign under lot of stress these days
I am not sure whether this part of the panic attack or some thing else
-balance problem (have fallen 3 times now)
-tingling in left and right arms
-foggy headed
-bluring in mainly left eye
-headache (not migrane)
-pressure in the back of my head
I have been to: ENT-Eye specialist-vertigo specialist-headache specialist-vascular doctor-nurogalist-Neurosurgeon.
I have taken the standard pills for veritgo and did the eppley (not sure of spelling) procedure for 3 months. I have had a cat scan-MRI-MRA-sonagram. All of these have show nothing.
I am getting very depressed and tired of feeling like this from the time I get up until I go to bed.
This affects my job because I am reluntant to go to certain places and if I have to walk for a long distance.
If anyone has any suggestions for me I would greatly appreciate letting me know. If you can think of another type of doctor I should seek help from please let me know.
Every night I wake up with a bizarre sensation in my legs pressure is down from my legs to my ankles where it sits & then my legs start to tingle and get numb and then my back of skull feels numb and tingly, tongue feels swollen...final result I become faint...I have to get up walk around and massage my legs for it to calm down..sometimes elevating the head or legs helps.
After 2 weeks of this sudden disability, I had a massage therapist come to my home who did some deep tissue, so far she said I have an inflamed sciatica, but I don't know why my head is involved or arm. Anyhoo, all my labs for lyme, RA, CBC and back xray, are normal..I will have a brain scan Friday, which I hope is ok. I did sleep well for the first time in a week after the massage, so maybe it could help some of you as well.
It is frustrating I know. I will post if I find anything useful in my results. I only take aciphex and naprosyn for the moment..I have taken naprosyn for 3 years now.
My symptoms seemed to kinda start with jabs in the calves after taking Methylprednisolone (spelling)..5 day pack. It lowered my postassium without my knowledge and then a week after I finished this med...I started with all this weird stuff.
Best of luck to you!
I am also going thru something so horrible to me that I cant even describe and now its getting worst and worst which doesnt let me live my life anymore in a happy manner, it started at the beggining of the year in Jan 10 when i was having lunch and i felt a headache and numbness on the back of my head, right after that i passed out for a few minutes and when i came thru i was soaked wet in sweat and was really really cold. after that I got a physical,and eeg, and electrode and all came back normal. I still dont know what it was but now things are worst. I get alot of the symptoms that you guys describe. I have the brain attacks as danny puts it, which feels like your going to pass out and like if your head is getting numb and you feel cold flashes passing thru your head and body. also i feel fatigue,numbness at times of the back of my head and jaw and face. my ears get stuffy and feels like im on a plane. i feel pain on my neck and back of my head, the muscles feel very tight. i get night sweats. shortness of breath due to this , i guess im starting to have panic attacks and my heart races due to not knowing whats wrong and thinking im going to pass out. I get trembling. I dont know what could be causing this, i have always been healthy and never had any problems till this year, its been 8 months and im still going thru this hell , I dont know what else to do. I feel sometimes like my head is going to burst and as if im going to pass out but i dont. Please help anyone or any info would be great. Thanks you.
I have the same symptoms, the dizziness, the pressure behind my nose, the back of my headache, and the occasional numbness and tingling. I have been to a neurologist, who suggested a CT scan, and MRI. All came back normal. I'm just waiting for my ENG results. I have been in perfect health up till this point, I'm only 30 years old.
Does anyone have any answers? Could this be a sinus issue, if I had my sinuses scanned and looked fine? This is very depressing... and any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Guys!
As the Good Lord would have it I found you guys with many of the same symptoms that I have been struggling with for some time...In looking for the millionth time as to what could possibly be at the bottom of it all I spent considerable time today mining the net (again!) and found one common denominator that fit many of the symptoms to a "T" - Electromagnetic Sensitivity.
It would take a good while to cut and paste all the abundant information on it, and it couldn't possibly fit into this posting, so I'll just list some of the research links I've compiled for all your consideration ~ plan on spending a fair amount of time reading...NOT fun discoveries to be sure.
So, hope to be of help and here goes (listing, listing followed by site address - be sure to explore sites):
ElectroSensitivity-UK
July 30 2006
Cross Currents and The Body Electric
by Dr Robert O Becker
Dr Robert O Becker; twice nominated for the Nobel Prize, author of Cross Currents with a new foreword by Louis Slesin and the book The Body Electric.
http://www.electrosensitivity.org.uk/
The danger of chronic exposure to electromagnetic fields
http://www.tetrawatch.net/science/chronic.php
ENERGYFIELDS.ORG
AKA Council on Wireless Technology Impacts
We are citizens and professionals concerned about safe uses of
Electromagnetic Radiation
http://www.energyfields.org/
EMR POLICY INSTITUTE
http://www.emrpolicy.org/
Study Review of Hypersensitivity of Human Subjects to
Environmental Electric and Magnetic Field Exposure
http://www.dhs.ca.gov/ehib/emf/RiskEvaluation/Appendix4.pdf
Computers
for the Electrically Sensitive (ES)
by an ES Engineer
EMF Control for Computers
Computer Tips
Gathering Stories
Questions and Answers
Proper Use of a Trifield Meter
Building a computer from scratch
EMF from hard drive
EMF from mouse
Modifying Keyboards and Screens
ES or Flicker Sensitive?
http://www.citlink.net/~bhima/emfcomp.htm
Take care all ~
This could be possible. I am a designer and work in front of a computer for 8 hours a day. With little distractions throughout the day. I have doing this for the past 8 years. I was once told to stop every so often and refocus my eyes, or get out for a walk occassionally not only for sanity reasons, but for health reasons. Being in front of a computer for so long each day could possibly have a negative effect.
Does anyone have the same symptoms and in a similar work situation?
Although, last night I did read somewhere that a pinched nerve can cause similar symptoms.
My dr. kept diagnosing me with a sinus infection but that's clearly not it. Also, about 2 mos.ago, I had trouble breathing and thought I was having a heart attack. After 7 hours in the ER they sent me home and told me I had aniety. I'm scared to death. When I look up all of these symptoms, I get answers like MS or head/neck cancer. Has anyone had these symptoms and it be something minor?
I had the same symptoms, and had an MRI and CT Scan of my sinuses and brain. All came back negative. I saw an allergist thinking it was a sinuse infection as well, and since the ct scan came back fine for my sinuses he ruled it out, but gave me a nasal spray and antihistamine anyway. THat did't work, it only made me jittery, so I stopped it right away.
I've had this for a month, and just had an ENG done last week. This tests your inner ear to see if a virus or disease could have infected it, which would make me unbalanced and dizzy. No news yet, but I should get a call today with the results.
My Doctor, Neurologist, and the ER doc I saw all said the same thing... I must have gotten a virus, that infected my ear, and has caused all of these symptoms. I doubt it, but they are the ones with the medical degree, so who knows.
Your Neurologist will most likely send you for an MRI - which is a piece of cake. Just bring a CD of choice, and you'll be in and out in a half hour. My Neuro said he wanted to rule out everything, and he has, which was a relief. But the waiting for results is painful. Try to stress your concern and have the results back in 24 hours. Mine came back in 6 hours... no joke... 6 hours after my MRI the neuro called me with the results.
I too was having anxiety, which my doc said is a byproduct of not knowing what is going on, and the lack of control we have over it. I still get it ocassionally, but not as much these days. Just hang in there, and ask a ton of questions, and push to get more tests done. The more you know, the safer you will feel, the less anxiety you will have.
Feel better -
Thanks again!
Good Luck.