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Soreness, numbness, crackling in head brought on by meditation.
by fantomas94, Jun 18, 2008 07:31PM
Hi,
I've been suffering with some horrible symptoms for the past 7 months, and nobody can tell me what's wrong or how to treat them. This is very bizarre so bear with me. I am a 35 year old male, otherwise very healthy. I always ate well and exercised regularly. On November 18 2007, I tried meditating for the first time. I downloaded a program off the internet which described how to perform a mantra meditation, where you close your eyes for 15 minutes, and think of a syllable in your head over and over. It was supposed to be relaxing. So anyways, I do this, and as soon as I opened my eyes when finishing, I felt electric-like explosions all over the side of my face and my entire head went numb. It became very sore all over, and starting making horrible crackling and crunching sounds in my ears, on the crown of my head, and in my neck. I went to the doctors and had a ct scan done, as well as an MRI, an MRV and bloodwork. Apparently this showed nothing irregular, so according to all the docs (2 primary doctors and 3 neurologists) I was fine. I also went to see an acupuncturist, 2 chiropractors, a hypnotherapist, and an all natural pharmacist who does energy healing and works with homeopathy. I always get the same story, either there's nothing wrong with me, or that they can fix me up pretty easily, yet here I am suffering immensely with no relief at all in 7 months. These symptoms are 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with absolutely no relief. I was hoping that it would eventually work itself out or go away, but that has not happened yet and I am getting very concerned. Especially with the bizarre circumstances in which this all started, its very hard to get any doctor to think outside the box, and take it seriously. They just say "oh meditating couldn't do that." Yet it clearly did as it was like flipping a switch as I opened my eyes. I went from feeling great to this. Clearly it is not a headache, it is something very different, I just wish I knew what it was, and how to treat it. Life has become pretty miserable more or less. I try to stay positive, but its just time for this to end... I just found this site, and thought I'd put my story on here to see if anyone had any thoughts.
Thanks so much,
Rob
I've been suffering with some horrible symptoms for the past 7 months, and nobody can tell me what's wrong or how to treat them. This is very bizarre so bear with me. I am a 35 year old male, otherwise very healthy. I always ate well and exercised regularly. On November 18 2007, I tried meditating for the first time. I downloaded a program off the internet which described how to perform a mantra meditation, where you close your eyes for 15 minutes, and think of a syllable in your head over and over. It was supposed to be relaxing. So anyways, I do this, and as soon as I opened my eyes when finishing, I felt electric-like explosions all over the side of my face and my entire head went numb. It became very sore all over, and starting making horrible crackling and crunching sounds in my ears, on the crown of my head, and in my neck. I went to the doctors and had a ct scan done, as well as an MRI, an MRV and bloodwork. Apparently this showed nothing irregular, so according to all the docs (2 primary doctors and 3 neurologists) I was fine. I also went to see an acupuncturist, 2 chiropractors, a hypnotherapist, and an all natural pharmacist who does energy healing and works with homeopathy. I always get the same story, either there's nothing wrong with me, or that they can fix me up pretty easily, yet here I am suffering immensely with no relief at all in 7 months. These symptoms are 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with absolutely no relief. I was hoping that it would eventually work itself out or go away, but that has not happened yet and I am getting very concerned. Especially with the bizarre circumstances in which this all started, its very hard to get any doctor to think outside the box, and take it seriously. They just say "oh meditating couldn't do that." Yet it clearly did as it was like flipping a switch as I opened my eyes. I went from feeling great to this. Clearly it is not a headache, it is something very different, I just wish I knew what it was, and how to treat it. Life has become pretty miserable more or less. I try to stay positive, but its just time for this to end... I just found this site, and thought I'd put my story on here to see if anyone had any thoughts.
Thanks so much,
Rob
I am going throught something very simular. I hear popping and cracking in my ears. At first the sound scared me. Then I relaxed and thought to myself that maybe it was God or that I had reached a higher spiritual plain. This happened during my evening meditation so right afterwards I went to bed. The very next morning I was awaken by the phone. I was running late for prayer at my church. After arriving at church I notice that every time God’s name was called I experienced the popping and cracking. I suggest making peace with it and embracing it. You have gone to the doctor and they can not find anything that you should be concerned about. Look at it this way. Your brain is like a transponder receiving and sending messages. When you hear the popping and cracking ,feel those vibrations and be open to the message or what ever it is that might be taking place. That’s what I did. I still have not a clue as to what it means or what it is. But I can say is that when I decided not to be afraid of it and embrace it the pain dissipated immediately. Again, I don’t know what the popping and cracking sounds are. But the thought that it is God or that I am growing in my spiritual journey is very encouraging for me to continue with my quest for truth. I pray that you have peace and good health.
thanks again and goodluck!
Rob
It is a very unusual case and something that I have not seen either.
Are you still meditating?
The symptoms are suggestive of neuralgia. These are painful disorders of the nerves and they cause episodes of excruciating burning or stabbing type of pain.
I would suggest you to consult a neurologist who specializes in neuralgias. Take care!
Thanks for the reply! Tell me about it... Its so unusual and bizarre I still cannot believe that it happened and that I am still suffering from it. I only meditated that time and that was it. I haven't done it since, and this was 8 months ago now, yet the symptoms haven't improved.
I am very sorry about your condition, but I am glad to hear you are remaining positive, considering. I have a condition that bears some resemblance to yours, yet I too am in the dark and the 1 primary doctor and 1 neurologist I have seen have not been able to help. I had an eeg, spinal tap, MRI, blood test; all came back negative.
I have had a constant pressure sensation on the crown of my head for a little over 6 months. (Would you describe it as this?) I also have experienced a crackling sensation, but only when I run; and also a clicking in my ear which occurs a little more easily. In addition, it has been hard to concentrate and my memory is noticeably worse, especially with recall of words. (How about you?)
I think that the crackling sensation has something to do with the meninges. Along the crown of the head, the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) is reabsorbed through a specialized portion of meninges. Obstruction here, can result in the pressure sensation, (you didn't mention pressure though), from a build up of CSF. I think the crackling is related to this hypothetical situation. If this is true, a spinal tap should offer temporary relief, at least after the headache that results from the spinal tap itself. This was true in my case.
I will see my neurologist again on the 15th and talk to her about this. I'll let you know how that goes. And please let me know if you find out anything yourself. When is your next appt. and have you found any other useful sites?
I too have been trying to remain positive, that is the last thing that I have control of it seems.
Best Wishes
Sarhas
I have also had pressure in the head. That is definitely one of my symptoms. Since I last posted on here, I've seen a cranio sacral therapist 3 times. He said that my cranial bones were all stuck together, and I had no cranial rhythm, which can cause all sorts of problems. Like I said he treated me 3 times, but to be honest I don't feel all that much better.
I've also spoken with a Chinese doctor who stated that she has run into people with similar symptoms after doing Qi Gong, and she has had success treating them with traditional Chinese Medicine. Unfortunately she is in Beijing right now, so if I was to go this route, I would have to order medicine from China, as it is not available in Pittsburgh where I live. If you are close to someone who practices Traditional Chinese Medicine, that may be something you want to look into.
I also just went to Cleveland Clinic where they did an MRI of my cervical spine. There were a few issues they noticed, that my spine was too straight, and also some minor disc issues. I was told that these could cause symptoms like I have, so I have been referred for physical therapy on my neck. I've gone twice, and have been doing exercises at home. I'll let you know how that goes.
I was also told to look into Reiki, which I have not done yet, so I can't really comment on it.
But that's pretty much where I am at this point. It might feel a little better but after 9 1/2 months its nowhere near the improvement that I should have had. After all the doctors and alternative specialists I've seen, I feel this should have been corrected long ago...
Either way, I ask about the stress because, I was referred to a psychiatrist and put on two anxiety medications and now I feel normal again. Remember, I had suffered my symptoms for 6 months, and the relief occured in days. It is very difficult for me to believe that I can have such a severe response to stress