HEAD PAINS

[hawaiianflight]

I received surgery for 4th cranial nerve palsy, strabismus, in September 2006.  My Doctor has advised it will take approx 2 years to fully heal.  Sometimes I still get "vague" vision moments when the carpet pattern or room items feel like they are moving.  I have not returned to work during this time as the 2 attempts I have made have resulted in moderate to severe head and eye pains.  I take Lithium for a Bi Polar condition and am male, aged 45yrs.  Some days I have no pain, on others it comes and goes.  Most pain is in a C shape around the top, side and base of my left eye.  Also, forehead upper, central head and rear - all down left side which is the side the surgery was done.
I am wanting to get back into work but not confident that this wont recreate the previous problems I experienced.  I am wondering if these pains are related to the eye surgery or whether it is related to the Lithium medication.  A friend who was on Lithium for a long time told me she was getting headaches after being on Lithium for many years though I think she would have taken it for a lot longer timeframe than me, so maybe not relevant.  I have been taking Lithium since January 2002.
Any advice you can give me would be gratefully received thanks.  I will be seeing my GP early October again but like to take along some research results when concerning matters such as these.

[hawaiianflight]

Thanks for your advice.  I will be seeing my family Doctor on Oct 02 2008 so will pass on your comments and hopefully have some details as to the what, when and where of when things are playing up and causing grief.

[hawaiianflight]

Thanks for the advice.  I go for blood tests for levels usually every 3 months or so depending on seasons.  All tests ever done have returned levels around 0.7 - 0.9 every time; within acceptable guidelines.  Twice a year I get Thyroid function tests done along with Kidney function.

[Sandy Feldman, MD, MS]

Dear hawaiinflight,

I would recommend that you see your eyeMD to determine the cause of the symptoms you are having.  Lithium does not usually cause headaches but you should definitely determine the cause of your head and eye pains.  Try to recall when the pains occur, how often, the duration, location, type of pain will assist your doctors in determining the cause.

Dr. Feldman

Sandy T. Feldman, M.D., M.S.
ClearView Eye and Laser Medical Center
San Diego, California

[JodieJ]

These seem to be good questions for your surgeon and the doctor who is prescribing your Lithium.  Have you had a blood test done recently to see how much Lithium is in your system?  This medication can have toxic effects if the dose is too high, and the only way to tell how much is in your system is by having a blood test.