head tension, neck pain, random symptoms

[Ahodge01]

Hello, this is my first time posting but I have been following the medhelp community for awhile trying to find answers. I'm a 22 year old male, non smoker, 135 lbs, 5'7, recently a non drinker also because of recent problems.  I will start from the beginning and sorry if its a long story.

I graduated college in May as a healthy male with joy and charisma, i basically have never been sick in my entire life other than battling migraines when I was younger, but grew out of them with the help of Imetrex.  I left for my first big job at the start of August healthy and refreshed from the summer.  I work on film sets as a laborer which involves a lot of lifting, standing and carrying for long hours, sometimes we work 22 hour days.  I got the usual tiredness as the months wore on and battled off a mild sore throat with just using Airborne.  I returned in mid October happy to be home and feeling in relatively good health other than tiredness. After returning home and resting for a week my girlfriend an I decided to drive out to Vegas, from St. louis for a week.  i must say the trip was not the vacation we thought it would be it was very stressful, we fought, didnt get any sleep and basically the night before we left drink way to much and didnt sleep or prepare for the 24 hour drive the next day.  Well, on the way home driving, I became very ill, vague symptoms of just not feeling well, I was soar all over, a little dizzy, it was hard to hold my head up.  We had to make a stop and I took some excedrin and we tried to rest as best we could in a truck stop in the freezing dessert.

Well, I made it home from that trip and thought after a couple days rest I would be fine.  It never really happened.  I started getting weaker and weaker as the weeks went by.  I was a well rounded athlete before all this started.  I tried to keep my running routine up in early November but just couldn't do it.  I began loosing weight, along with my appetite and my ability to basically do anything.  Finally, in late November, I got to see a primary care doctor.  She diagnosed the problem as anxiety/ stress in her office and ran three blood test (thyroid, mono, cbc) all came back negative.  She prescribed Celexa, however, I never got started on the Celexa because a day after seeing her.  I had to go to the ER and found out I had appendicitis.  Some what relieved that doctors had finally figured out what was wrong with me, or so I thought. I had the surgery which was probably the most stressful time of my life, first surgery, but made it through thinking now I can start feeling better.  

I never started feeling better.  i was sent to another primary care doctor who ran even more blood and said I had epstein barr virus and wait 2-4 weeks.  I waited the 4 weeks and nothing changed.  I called and accidentally said I was getting depressed so his nurse (this doctor would not talk on the phone to patients) told me to come in and they would give me something.  she handed me litterally a plastic bag full of cymbalta and told me to take them with a meal.  literally this was the only instruction, not how many, not what time, just take them with a meal.  I never started the cymbalta cause the doctor also said I needed to see a neurologist, a cardiologist and an infectious disease doctor. All told me different things, epstein barr means something some said it doesnt mean anything, some said take the antidepressants some said dont.  

So to hurry things along I have now been sick for almost 6 months with no answers.  I have had over 6 blood test ran, ekg's, an echo of my heart, abdominal CT, and chest CT.  I have suffered a list of of symptoms a mile long I have been tested for hiv, lyme, west nile along with others, the only thing my new doctor has said is that my cortisol levels are a little elevated which is normal in times of stress.  

I recently had to move to New York for work, which has been very difficult trying to find a doctor and handling work feeling like crap all day. And that is why I am here, I have had a few symptoms which have been constant, wont leave, and they have to do with head pain.

The main thing that keeps me up at night is this tension/pressure right between my eyes.  It is constantly there! I have started having spots in my vision also along with some lightheaded-ness.  The pressure seems to be very localized it is always between my eyes but can also be in my temples and even side of my head which is the weirdest.  Its not like sinus pressure it more seems to run in narrow lines of tension and can even feel like waves or bubbles moving across my forehead when I lay down.  It scares me quite a bit but if I rub the area it usually goes away for a couple minutes but then returns.  I experience this with gnawing pain in the back of my head and basically complete neck discomfort. Along with all these sensations and pressures I have sharp pain that runs down the side of my neck from time to time and some pain and tingling, never really numbness in my arms.  The pressure/ tension seems to be less in the morning and worsen with the days.  The best way I can describe the feeling is like a bubble is under the skin of my head in random places.  It does seem to have some relevance on what position I'm in.  Standing up straight or walking seems to almost completely get rid of it.  Sitting makes it feel almost even around my head being most forceful between the eyes and about an inch up from the temple.  Lying down on my back is the worse sometimes it can feel like something is crushing my face from the inside and tightening around my head.  I know this sounds painful but it is actually more of an annoyance, its just a weird feeling.  Lying on my side it seems to go up to which ever side Im not lying on, left side of head on pillow pressure/tension/bubbly feeling move to right side, it almost like I can feel it moving along my head.

Please can somebody help!

Thanks,
Alex

[Ahodge01]

Remar,

Thank you for your reply.  i use to only have anxiety but depression is building more and more.  I did make some advances today i have a doctors appointment with a doctor at a regular medical practice wednesday and I actually have a psychiatrist appointment for Tuesday next week.  I dont mind the diagnosis of Anxiety... I do however have problems when doctors just say everything is anxiety without ruling things out first... or when you have a problem with a medication and they dont call you back.  I have had horrible reactions with two antidepressants I was given.  The first experience with Celexa in which I developed a rash on my hand and my arm ached so bad I could barely move it.  I called the doctor and his response was to take the xanax he gave me. Well when I called him the next day he told me he would not recommend another prescription because I didnt want to take the Celexa anymore.  The next AD I was given was Elavil, my experience with this literally scared me to the hospital.  I took two pills and on the second day I developed electric like shock sensations from my brain to my finger tips that hurt soooo bad, my heart was beating in irregular rhythms and I felt like I was working drunk, I tried to talk to my boss an about seven different words came out in the weirdest order.  Called the doctor twice and never got a return call..  Is there really no doctors that really want to help people anymore? I mean Im not on week two of this Im on month 6. I just want these constant pains in my head and neck checked or someone that is willing to work with me on a medicine or treatment plan!  Still looking for ideas on the crazy head sensation.  I just find it so weird that really 6 months ago I was a healthy young male.

[remar]

I think you need to have your neck checked out. You could have a pinched nerve or a bulging disc. This could cause the strange feelings your describing. I can't believe the nurse gave you Cymbalta without telling you when to take it and how much to take. If you are having anxiety I personally would not recommend this med for that. It does work great for a lot of people that have depression, but if you only have anxiety it can make it worse in some people. I hope you find out what's going on. Don't give up, okay. Keep seeing Drs until one of them will listen to you. Take care. Remar

[Ahodge01]

anyone, got anything? Or am I just going to have to be told its anxiety again and worry about dying everyday.  Im 22 years old I dont understand it seems like no doctor takes this seriously.