All Day Headaches

[Nanners2]

Hello,

I am new to this forum and hope that I may get some much needed help.  I started having slight headaches on the right side of my head, in the very beginning of April 08.  They started out "slight" but then quickly became consistant and all day long and every day.  They are not severe, about a 1 to 4 on a scale of 10, but each day is different, however, there is never a day that the right side of my head doesn't hurt to some degree.  Sometimes it is a short sharp intermitten pain and other times my right side of my head just hurts.  When I feel the least amount of discomfort there is still a feeling of pressure on the right side of my head.  Every now and then, the right side of my neck feels sore, but again, nothing terrible that I can't function.  I had some extensive blood work done which showed nothing is wrong except my cholesterol is up a very little.  I had a complete CT of my head taken which came back fine.  But now, someone told me there could still be something wrong with my head because a CT would not show everything and I should have had a MRI done.  I don't have insurance for these tests and they are very expensive.  I should mention that I am NOT prone to headaches.  I am 41 years old and can count on one hand how many times in my life I've had a headache and now I have this every day, all day long.  I am sleeping fine (which I find strange) but as soon as I wake up in the night or morning, it is right there.  I have no other symtoms what so ever and I am not taking over the counter pain meds, such as tylanol or motrin because I have heard they can cause rebound headaches.  I am just scared that something is seriously wrong but I don't have the money to go and have a million tests done.  I would be so grateful for any suggestions as to what may be causing my head to hurt?

[Dr Santos]

Hi ma'am,

Perimenopause, or menopause transition, is the stage of a woman's reproductive life that begins several years before menopause, when the ovaries gradually begin to produce less estrogen. It usually starts in a woman's 40s, but can start in the 30s as  In the last one to two years of perimenopause, this decline in estrogen accelerates. At this stage, many women experience menopausal symptoms. If the CT scan is normal, then it's ok. Don't worry and just take pain relievers for the headache.

Take care and regards.

[Nanners2]

Hello Dr. Santos,

Yes, I am still having my monthly periods.  They are very regular, I do get cramps the first day but then it goes away after a few days, which is normal for me.  

I have never had a migraine, thank goodness, and as I say, I am not prone to headaches at all which is another reason why it is more concerning to have pain on the right side of my head, especially each and every day, even though it is not dibilitating.  

I mentioned menopause to my doctor but he said I was too young for this, although I believe my mother started early.  It's just so strange how this headache came out of no where and has stayed now for over 2 months.   Are there any simple tests, such as other blood work that I can have done to see if anything serious is going on?  Do you think the CT scan coming back ok is enough to put my mind at ease since I do not have any other things wrong with me?

[Dr Santos]

Hi ma'am,
How are you? Do you still have your monthly periods?
During the mid-life phenomenon known as menopause and the period leading to it (perimenopause)  changes in headache type, duration and intensity are more common. Throbbing, explosive headaches can pain the sides of your head, and your energy become totally depleted. The slightest opening of an eye can cause a ripple of pain to burst on one side of your fragile head, leaving you in physical ruin. Menopause is known to heighten such uncomfortable, sometimes unbearable symptoms. as well as migraine headaches causing  a repetitive stronger-than-normal headache that resides on one side of your head. During menopause, a woman's hormone system goes awry in part because estrogen is not being produced at normal rates.

I hope this helps. Keep us posted.

[meds101]

in regards to the rebound headaches they only will come if you take the otc drugs for long periods of time with taking more than 1 time a day. like i took excedrine, tylenol, ibprofin. and other otc drugs every 4-6 hours every day. and my dr. thought that i had rebound headaches but that has been disproven since then. but if i were you i would try to take 1 or 2 otc drugs just to see if they work.