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Benign headache story
I'm very sorry for the length of this post but I felt it was important to include as much detail as possible. If you're able to read it from beginning to end then thanks very much!
I've had a left-sided unilateral headache for the last 4 weeks. The pain varies in place but is always centred around my left temporal area. The pain can be at the top of my head, cheek, side of jaw and even my chin at times. For the last week I've also experienced what seems to be occasional inner ear pain - just brief flashes lasting a second.
I originally woke up with the headache and was able to stop it with paracetamol and ibuprofen. It returned the next day and seemed resistant to painkillers. The headache persisted non-stop - and without any other symptoms - for an entire week before I decided to see my doctor. Ironically the pain eased that day, leaving me with a feeling of pressure on the left side of my head. The best way to describe the pressure is like a balled-up fist pushing against me.
My doctor was stumped. I felt absolutely fine other than the pain and pressure, but he checked my heart rate and it was on the high side. He also looked behind my eyes and thought he saw blurring on my left optical disc. He ordered an ECG which confirmed my high pulse rate. In case the pain and heart rate were linked, he referred me to hospital, which was the last thing I expected.
While I waited for a doctor at the hospital, a nurse took my blood pressure. She said it was only a little high. Once the treating doctor arrived he ran through the usual questions in addition to neurological/cognitive/reflex/strength tests, and I passed them all. He also took my bloods and they came back normal. I had another ECG as the doctor wanted a fresh copy and my pulse rate was still high - sinus tachycardia - but the nurse said that everything else with my heart was reading just fine. After looking behind my eyes, the doctor wasn't convinced that my left optical disc was in any way blurred. He wasn't sure what the problem was and by this point it was 1am, so he suggested that I stayed overnight so that I could see a consultant/specialist first thing in the morning, rather than have to go through the long-winded outpatient process. I had my blood pressure taken once more at around 4am and the nurse said it was still a little high but again that everything else was fine.
Fast-forward to mid-morning and the consultant saw me for about a minute. He didn't even acknowledge my heart rate, just said that as I had no other symptoms other than the pain that it was likely a benign tension headache, and I was better off getting through it at home. Based on what the treating doctor said, he too wasn't convinced that I had blurring on my optical disc but referred me to the eye doctor just in case. My eyes were examined and all was well, so that ruled out optical disc issues.
As I was discharged from hospital I asked a nurse about my sinus tachycardia. She said the heart does that sometimes (I was told it was going around 20 beats too fast, which wasn't that high all things considered) and being in hospital or seeing your doctor doesn't help matters. She noted that I was fit and healthy.
The first thing I did when I got home was check this heart rate monitor app that I have on my phone. My resting heart rate was around 75bpm, which was a relief, so I put it all down to anxiety.
That was three weeks ago and I've still been suffering with the headache, with the pain being in the same place as always. The pain has been constant on some days and on others just in the background. I've had pain-free days where I've felt a few pangs here and there, but no matter what I haven't felt completely normal for just under a month.
Lying down to sleep at night is when the pain seems to be at its worst. I could have a largely pain-free day and within a minute or two of my head hitting the pillow, the pain would come on fairly severely at the back of my head and the usual areas. I had to take painkillers to be able to ease it off enough to sleep. I changed my pillow three times, but the strange thing is that I don't have this problem when I sleep at my partner's house. I don't get a flare-up when my head hits the pillow there and I'm able to sleep fine.
After a sleepless night, I decided to see my doctor again. The previous 48 hours were mostly pain-free with only occasional pangs of pain and I felt good. I slept at home fine after taking a precautionary dose of paracetamol and aspirin and had another good night's sleep the following night when I stayed at my partner's place. Back at home, I was looking forward to a third good night in a row (what would have been the first time I've had three nights of painless, uninterrupted sleep in a row for the last month) when low and behold, the pain suddenly came on when I laid down. This was after taking another precautionary dose of painkillers around 30 minutes before I went to bed. I had also felt very, very slight dizziness that evening when I moved, something I had only experienced the day after I left hospital, but only for around 24 hours. I was up all night and further doses of painkillers did absolutely nothing to ease the headache. From my experience with all this over the last month it seems that a good night's rest is what really helps the most, and yet a good night's rest has been very difficult to get. Because I hadn't slept I hadn't been able to break the pain so it persisted all day. Then I had my doctor's appointment at 5pm.
My doctor didn't have a specific diagnosis but backed up the idea that it was a benign headache. He said that pain in the back of the head upon lying down can be quite serious, but couldn't understand why I get it at home but not at my partner's house, so therefore said it couldn't be serious. He checked my blood pressure, which he said was shooting, but I noted the anxiety and he didn't seem concerned. He checked over my jaw, felt my neck, pushed down on my shoulders, etc, and all was fine. I was prescribed 500mg of naproxen, twice a day, as a trial. He agreed that I'd likely be in more considerable pain if it was something sinister, and reassured me that the doctor and specialist at hospital weren't concerned with the issue being anything untoward.
It's now been a day since my appointment and I'm on my third dose of the medication. As noted, because of the sleepless night I hadn't been able to shift the pain all day, but the naproxen killed it in about 20 minutes. It wore off after about five hours and I started to feel the pain return, but I took a dose of paracetamol and was able to sleep just fine. Although I still get the occasional pangs of pain on the left side of my head, I've pretty much had a pain-free day, which is nice. I do still have the very slight dizziness when I move however. I'm not sure if dizziness is even the right word, I just feel a little bit "off'. I've read that naproxen is a great immediate painkiller but it actually takes about two weeks before it properly works as an anti-inflammatory that can break the cycle of benign headaches. Does this sound correct?
I've also been keeping track of my heart rate via my phone app. When I'm very well rested it falls somewhere in the 60s and 70s, but my average resting heart rate seems to be 80-90bpm. When I stand up and move around a little bit it goes up to 110-115bpm. Is this normal/healthy? I'm 25 and not overweight, but I don't do any exercise, which I'm looking to change. I don't often get it back down to the 70s during the day. How much can ECGs pick up or detect? As noted, the nurse said that the readings indicated my heart was fine other than the sinus tachycardia I had at the time, but I've since read that it isn't harmful anyway.
Is the very slight dizziness that has only really just started (although before I started taking naproxen) a symptom of benign headache? Has anyone had similar experiences as I? Thanks so much!
I've had a left-sided unilateral headache for the last 4 weeks. The pain varies in place but is always centred around my left temporal area. The pain can be at the top of my head, cheek, side of jaw and even my chin at times. For the last week I've also experienced what seems to be occasional inner ear pain - just brief flashes lasting a second.
I originally woke up with the headache and was able to stop it with paracetamol and ibuprofen. It returned the next day and seemed resistant to painkillers. The headache persisted non-stop - and without any other symptoms - for an entire week before I decided to see my doctor. Ironically the pain eased that day, leaving me with a feeling of pressure on the left side of my head. The best way to describe the pressure is like a balled-up fist pushing against me.
My doctor was stumped. I felt absolutely fine other than the pain and pressure, but he checked my heart rate and it was on the high side. He also looked behind my eyes and thought he saw blurring on my left optical disc. He ordered an ECG which confirmed my high pulse rate. In case the pain and heart rate were linked, he referred me to hospital, which was the last thing I expected.
While I waited for a doctor at the hospital, a nurse took my blood pressure. She said it was only a little high. Once the treating doctor arrived he ran through the usual questions in addition to neurological/cognitive/reflex/strength tests, and I passed them all. He also took my bloods and they came back normal. I had another ECG as the doctor wanted a fresh copy and my pulse rate was still high - sinus tachycardia - but the nurse said that everything else with my heart was reading just fine. After looking behind my eyes, the doctor wasn't convinced that my left optical disc was in any way blurred. He wasn't sure what the problem was and by this point it was 1am, so he suggested that I stayed overnight so that I could see a consultant/specialist first thing in the morning, rather than have to go through the long-winded outpatient process. I had my blood pressure taken once more at around 4am and the nurse said it was still a little high but again that everything else was fine.
Fast-forward to mid-morning and the consultant saw me for about a minute. He didn't even acknowledge my heart rate, just said that as I had no other symptoms other than the pain that it was likely a benign tension headache, and I was better off getting through it at home. Based on what the treating doctor said, he too wasn't convinced that I had blurring on my optical disc but referred me to the eye doctor just in case. My eyes were examined and all was well, so that ruled out optical disc issues.
As I was discharged from hospital I asked a nurse about my sinus tachycardia. She said the heart does that sometimes (I was told it was going around 20 beats too fast, which wasn't that high all things considered) and being in hospital or seeing your doctor doesn't help matters. She noted that I was fit and healthy.
The first thing I did when I got home was check this heart rate monitor app that I have on my phone. My resting heart rate was around 75bpm, which was a relief, so I put it all down to anxiety.
That was three weeks ago and I've still been suffering with the headache, with the pain being in the same place as always. The pain has been constant on some days and on others just in the background. I've had pain-free days where I've felt a few pangs here and there, but no matter what I haven't felt completely normal for just under a month.
Lying down to sleep at night is when the pain seems to be at its worst. I could have a largely pain-free day and within a minute or two of my head hitting the pillow, the pain would come on fairly severely at the back of my head and the usual areas. I had to take painkillers to be able to ease it off enough to sleep. I changed my pillow three times, but the strange thing is that I don't have this problem when I sleep at my partner's house. I don't get a flare-up when my head hits the pillow there and I'm able to sleep fine.
After a sleepless night, I decided to see my doctor again. The previous 48 hours were mostly pain-free with only occasional pangs of pain and I felt good. I slept at home fine after taking a precautionary dose of paracetamol and aspirin and had another good night's sleep the following night when I stayed at my partner's place. Back at home, I was looking forward to a third good night in a row (what would have been the first time I've had three nights of painless, uninterrupted sleep in a row for the last month) when low and behold, the pain suddenly came on when I laid down. This was after taking another precautionary dose of painkillers around 30 minutes before I went to bed. I had also felt very, very slight dizziness that evening when I moved, something I had only experienced the day after I left hospital, but only for around 24 hours. I was up all night and further doses of painkillers did absolutely nothing to ease the headache. From my experience with all this over the last month it seems that a good night's rest is what really helps the most, and yet a good night's rest has been very difficult to get. Because I hadn't slept I hadn't been able to break the pain so it persisted all day. Then I had my doctor's appointment at 5pm.
My doctor didn't have a specific diagnosis but backed up the idea that it was a benign headache. He said that pain in the back of the head upon lying down can be quite serious, but couldn't understand why I get it at home but not at my partner's house, so therefore said it couldn't be serious. He checked my blood pressure, which he said was shooting, but I noted the anxiety and he didn't seem concerned. He checked over my jaw, felt my neck, pushed down on my shoulders, etc, and all was fine. I was prescribed 500mg of naproxen, twice a day, as a trial. He agreed that I'd likely be in more considerable pain if it was something sinister, and reassured me that the doctor and specialist at hospital weren't concerned with the issue being anything untoward.
It's now been a day since my appointment and I'm on my third dose of the medication. As noted, because of the sleepless night I hadn't been able to shift the pain all day, but the naproxen killed it in about 20 minutes. It wore off after about five hours and I started to feel the pain return, but I took a dose of paracetamol and was able to sleep just fine. Although I still get the occasional pangs of pain on the left side of my head, I've pretty much had a pain-free day, which is nice. I do still have the very slight dizziness when I move however. I'm not sure if dizziness is even the right word, I just feel a little bit "off'. I've read that naproxen is a great immediate painkiller but it actually takes about two weeks before it properly works as an anti-inflammatory that can break the cycle of benign headaches. Does this sound correct?
I've also been keeping track of my heart rate via my phone app. When I'm very well rested it falls somewhere in the 60s and 70s, but my average resting heart rate seems to be 80-90bpm. When I stand up and move around a little bit it goes up to 110-115bpm. Is this normal/healthy? I'm 25 and not overweight, but I don't do any exercise, which I'm looking to change. I don't often get it back down to the 70s during the day. How much can ECGs pick up or detect? As noted, the nurse said that the readings indicated my heart was fine other than the sinus tachycardia I had at the time, but I've since read that it isn't harmful anyway.
Is the very slight dizziness that has only really just started (although before I started taking naproxen) a symptom of benign headache? Has anyone had similar experiences as I? Thanks so much!
Hi and welcome to the Migraines & Headaches Community.
Well, to start off....it sounds to me like...along with the headaches...you are dealing with TMJ Syndrome, which is arthritis in your jaw. It is caused by excessive ice, gum or hard candy chewing or grinding your teeth when you sleep. So, the first thing you need to do is get a mouth guard to sleep in. You can get it at Wal-Mart for about $20. Follow the directions to mold it to your mouth and you keep it clean by brushing it with your toothpaste or using mouthwash on it.
I know you said you changed your pillow already but there has to be something to that story somewhere. I had to switch to a memory foam pillow. Or you can try taking the pillow at your g/f's house home with you and see if that works. If you cannot find a pillow that helps then I would think it is some allergy that is in your bedroom and you will need to start ruling stuff out.
For nausea get some Meclizine, 25 mg. from your pharmacist. You can take one 3 times a day as needed. It works on both nausea and dizziness.
The best medicine I have found that works is Excedrin, it is a combo of Tylenol, Aspirin and Caffeine which is a great combo for headaches and migraines.
Try these things and see how it goes and keep us posted.
Well, to start off....it sounds to me like...along with the headaches...you are dealing with TMJ Syndrome, which is arthritis in your jaw. It is caused by excessive ice, gum or hard candy chewing or grinding your teeth when you sleep. So, the first thing you need to do is get a mouth guard to sleep in. You can get it at Wal-Mart for about $20. Follow the directions to mold it to your mouth and you keep it clean by brushing it with your toothpaste or using mouthwash on it.
I know you said you changed your pillow already but there has to be something to that story somewhere. I had to switch to a memory foam pillow. Or you can try taking the pillow at your g/f's house home with you and see if that works. If you cannot find a pillow that helps then I would think it is some allergy that is in your bedroom and you will need to start ruling stuff out.
For nausea get some Meclizine, 25 mg. from your pharmacist. You can take one 3 times a day as needed. It works on both nausea and dizziness.
The best medicine I have found that works is Excedrin, it is a combo of Tylenol, Aspirin and Caffeine which is a great combo for headaches and migraines.
Try these things and see how it goes and keep us posted.
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