Head Veins and Stress.. Please Help

[patient49]

Among all the other problems I have I am experiencing severe head stress. I have been under a lot of stress for over a year now and I have developed this thing where the veins in the sides of my temple and forehead swell and I can feel them, they are really tight, and I can see them clearly. I have them worse now then ever, on both sides of my head. This isn't new though, and they can persist for a couple days at a time, and then subside. And though they subside (seemingly go away), they really concern me because they were never here before a year ago and I am 28 now.  They go and they come back, and they are, when severe, accompanied with a headache that feels like my head is about to throb, but worse.  It's like an ongoing tension and my brain feels a lot of stress!! But it seems that this is worst after doing physical exercise. It almost seems that because I am stressing so bad mentally, with or even without physical exertion my brain undergoes very bad stress and these veins appear to prove it. Sometimes it makes me feel like my brain "clenches" and it becomes hard for me to swallow, and I feel like I am going to drop dead, literally. I know that difficulty swallowing is anxiety attack, and I am not denying that, but can anyone please help me explain the stress that my brain undergoes, please?

[patient49]

ok, thank you!!

[Paxiled]

You're asking me questions that a physician should be consulted about; I was trying to help give you some direction on what might be going on.  I never had a physically visible swelling of blood vessels, and I know I had migraines because I saw a doctor about it to get it diagnosed.  Don't leave that part out!

[patient49]

Hey, thanks a lot for your info! And I am further inspired to try some of those natural remedies, as I kinda know about them. You really think they work? And I have been meaning to do biofeedback, thanks for these reminders a lot! Yeah, and meditation, right?!. Constriction can mean both getting small and big? So is what I am experiencing a common physiological response to stress (migraines and vascular headaches)? Is it really normal for my viens to swell like this for days. And then subside. So can there be perminant damage, I am afraid my veins are going to develop permanetly on the sides of my head?! But they can basically be non-visible sometimes, and it is hard to believe because of how bad they can get. Also, should my brain feel so much stress at the time. Sometimes I feel it is hard to bend over, as my head fills with pressure. Can you relate to any of this? Thanks a lot again!!

[Paxiled]

Let's liken it to a migraine.  Migraines are caused, usually, by a period of constriction of the blood vessels during stress, then when the stress eases, the blood vessels in the brain open up before the ones in the extremities do, forcing most of the blood to the head and producing the vascular headache.  This might be similar to what's happening with you -- the stress is causing constriction of the blood vessels.  With meditation or biofeedback some people can learn to keep the blood vessels more evenly open; meditation almost rid me of my migraines, though not completely.  Didn't cure my anxiety problem, but it did do that.  There are also herbs that help keep blood flowing, such as gingko, gota kola, horse chestnut, witch hazel, and such.  Hot herbs also can help, such as cayenne, cinnamon, and such.  Exercise can help.  Of course, the cure is to stop becoming stressed, but that's harder, obviously.  Good luck.