Pressure in Head - Rapid heart Rate

[Dealing with it]

Everything I've read above as far as head pressure fits my problem. I am almost 50 years old, and have always been very healthy, not over weight, never smoked, always active, never on any meds other then taking one 1mg of Ativan to sleep at night after my Mohter passed away two years ago.I don't even think it works anymore, because I am now having a hard time getting to sleep again. No excuses as to why I may have this constant pressure in my head, other then tension and anexity. It all started after my daughter got married in Oct of 2006. Yes, it's been going on that long. It was a stressful time, but it only added to the usual stesss in my life. Now that the wedding is over, I still carry a great deal of stress and for good reason. I worry constantly about everything, and I feel this pressure is due to that. I wake up in the morinng feeling ok, but as the day goes on around 2pm, it starts to come back, and by the time aI go to bed , it's sometimes unbareable. I need to squeeze my head to feel relief! I do not take medication very well, and don't believe in a lot of what they offer for anexity or stress during the day becuz I always feel so tired on all meds. For the past month, I have been experiencing a raipd heart beat for no reason. Sometimes I can't walk very far without my head feeling like it's going to explode, and my heart is going to beat out of my chest. Had a CT, everything was clear, had a EKG, everything is ok there too. I'm at a loss and tired of doctors guessing as well. Used a nasal spray becuz my right ear had fliud in it, but it never took the head pressure away. Is this something I need to live with due to simply stress? I know stress can affect people in a horrible way, but there are times when I do realx, and don't worry, but it NEVER goes away. Any suggestions???????

[copyman]

i would look hard at the thyroid

[adida]

I am 38, for me the unexplained loud heart beat when I was 35 made me go to a physician who had my heart monitored for 48 hours using a holter monitor (pager like device picking up heart rhythms like EKG). Everything turned out to be normal. I have been on a long route to discover the root of that problem.

I have a fascination to measure everything around me. In that path, I came across a personal dosimeter that measures ionizing radiation (background - caused due to radiation beyond our planet and foreground - caused due to materials on our planet). Interestingly I have been able to associate a few health symptoms like very loud heart beat, excessive floaters in the eyes, mild sore throat symptoms depending on how long the personal dosimeter shows presence of ionizing radiation. The duration the alarm shows activity has consistently shown the above mentioned symptoms to manifest in the order described above.

Now, what kind of ionizing radiation causes the symptoms to show up is unknown. If you have the means, I would recommend investing in a detector that does not have external link via wireless. Detectors that are capable to communicate via a wireless link to a computer are susceptible to random interference that may show false +/-(learnt from personal experience).

Try a self-contained device like NukAlert or ones that come in a pen configuration where you have the ability to reset. To make sure they work correctly go to your local hospital and request the Radiology department to shine their X-ray to show your detector comes alive when say it is subjected to 90 Kilo electron Volt energy.

If the detector shows consistent activity, you might want to ask your physician to have your blood examined for Dicentric Chromosome count and Translocation Analysis. These tests show to what extant your health is adversely affected by ionizing radiation.

If you do not have unhealthy ionizing radiation in your surrounding I think that ought to give you peace of mind.

[Kevin Pho, MD]

I agree with the imaging study and the workup thus far.  

A referral to a neurologist can further exclude a neurological condition for the headaches, and an MRI can be considered.

If stress and anxiety continue to be issues, medications like antidepressants may help. Seeing a counselor or psychiatrist can be considered to address these issues.  

I would only consider psychiatric conditions if the tests continue to be non-revealing.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Kevin, M.D.
kevinmd_