[Old Blue 66]

Around November last year I started getting bad headaches. Out of the blue and every day. No rhyme or reason as to when they would happen and I cant pin them down to any food. Very debilitating in the front of my head. I started with Advil and no luck so I just dealt with it until January.

Finally broke down and went to the doc. Sent me for a CT scan, nothing irregular showed up so he put me on what I later found out to be was commonly used for migraines and work pretty well at getting rid of them. He then sent me to a neurologist who sent me for three MRI's. Nothing irregular found.

After I get a call from the nurse saying that they didnt find anything, she then told me the neurologist wants to see me. Nothing open for a week and a half. Ok, not knowing what he wanted to see me about, it couldn't be bad since I have to wait that long to see him.

I want to tie this to migraines but Ive read everything in the world and Ive eliminated all sorts of foods that could be trigger them with no luck. If I shake my head the wrong way, I get one. And if I don't take the meds right at the start of one, it takes three doses to make it go away and I'm stuck with it for a full day which is a killer. If they hang around long enough I start getting more irritable and sound makes everything worse.

Some thoughts from experience? I have a feeling the neurologist is going to put me on a med that Il ltaje every day BEFORE the headache starts. I feel thats sort of a band aid not really knowing whats triggering them and we need to know why the happen.

[Bob Dillon]

Are there any new stressors in your life? Job change, move, divorce, financial problems? These are common things that can cause the onset of migraines, which are caused by the dilation of the blood vessels in your brain. If you're a coffee drinker, a change to decaf might help, as well as avoiding chocolate. Classic migraine makes you very sensitive to light as well as nauseous.

If you're talking about the medication Imitrex, it's reputed to be very effective, but you MUST take the med right at the onset of the headache for it to work well. Do you have an "aura" before onset? Vision disturbances, sensitivy to light, a specific smell? If so, this is the time to take the med, not when the symptoms develop further.

The onset of the headache caused by a certain head position concerns me. Make sure you tell any doc you see about this symptom.

PM sent.

[pugslyx234]

I,m sorry to hear , but have you ever tried a chiropractor worked for my wife!

[rohrt]

Originally Posted by pugslyx234

I,m sorry to hear , but have you ever tried a chiropractor worked for my wife!

X2

I would have started there first.

[MikeNoun]

Paul, be careful of taking Advil or Excedrin without food. These will damage your stomach lining and create an stomach ulcer. Excedrin works GREAT for headaches, but make sure you take 'em with a meal.

Caffeine headaches are common. Do you drink a lot of coffee?

If shaking your head causes a headache, it may be eye strain related. Have you recently changed contact lenses or eyeglass prescriptions?

Also, focusing on a computer screen all day will cause headaches. Nowadays, it's SmartPhone addiction with some people. If you're playing games, watching movies, etc on your SmartPhone for extended periods of time, try toning it down and see what happens. When watching a small 4" x 5" screen, it's natural that people squint slightly, and with that they tend not to blink for extended periods while they're focusing on the small screen.

I work with computers all day, and flat panel monitors put out an incredible amount of light. When you think about it, it's like having a flashlight in your eyes, but for 8 hours at a time. Again, eyestrain causes headaches.

How's your blood pressure? If it's high, they could place you on a low dose blood pressure medication, which will lower your heart rate and pressure. Doctors sometimes recommend this as a way to alleviate headaches.

Mike

[A.J.]

Stress factors or maybe your eyes/seeing? Time for new glasses maybe?

[rwfisher]

I ran into a similar issue last year and found as an adult I had developed allergies which then manifested into a sinus infection causing the head aches. Eye / vision issues / strain also a big culprit as mentioned by others..........

[EOD9339]

Do you have contacts or glasses and when was the last time your eyes were checked? For me it was out of date prescription, and a buddy of mine had a retina detaching out of the blue.

Just a thought

[Cerberus]

A few years back I pulled a muscle in my neck, causing constant headaches. Chiropractor fixed me after ~ 10 visits. Acupuncture works wonders.....

[Old Blue 66]

Getting my eyes checked was the first thing I did. Shoulda mentioned that. I wear contacts and they changed the prescription. No change. I stopped the Advil when the doc gave me the new med.

Never been to a Chiropractor.

[Half-Inch Stud]

I NEVER get headaches. Except the rare moments of illness combined with work; then leaning forward & picking things up from the floor become bad head mojo pressure.

Rare but happens

[Old Blue 66]

Originally Posted by Bob Dillon

Are there any new stressors in your life? Job change, move, divorce, financial problems? These are common things that can cause the onset of migraines, which are caused by the dilation of the blood vessels in your brain. If you're a coffee drinker, a change to decaf might help, as well as avoiding chocolate. Classic migraine makes you very sensitive to light as well as nauseous.

If you're talking about the medication Imitrex, it's reputed to be very effective, but you MUST take the med right at the onset of the headache for it to work well. Do you have an "aura" before onset? Vision disturbances, sensitivy to light, a specific smell? If so, this is the time to take the med, not when the symptoms develop further.

The onset of the headache caused by a certain head position concerns me. Make sure you tell any doc you see about this symptom.

PM sent.

I did not get your PM.

The med the neurologist put me on is Butalbital. He doesn't like the fact that Im on it because its not meant as a long term solution based on the caffeine it has.

I dont drink coffee, I do eat a decent amount of chocolate but I stopped eating it and I still got the headaches. No changes in my life other than owning my own business which has its stress but that isnt new either. Been in business for a few years now. Light doesn't affect anything and no nausea.

What do yo mean by an aura?

Im probibly the most stressed out person I know. I always had an issue dealing with anxiety. Thats a whole different thread though.

[goatmanmitch]

A GOOD chriropractor! Very important to have everything properly aligned.


Side note, good move going to the doctor and getting your head thoroughly checked out. My sister-in-law died last summer after her doctor did not properly pursue the reason for her bad headaches. She died at 46 due to an undiagnosed brain tumor that she never knew she had.

[Bob Dillon]

Originally Posted by Old Blue 66

I did not get your PM.

I seem to be having trouble sending PMs. Just sent it via email to the address you use for this forum.

The med the neurologist put me on is Butalbital. He doesn't like the fact that Im on it because its not meant as a long term solution based on the caffeine it has.

Ask the doc about Imitrex.

What do you mean by an aura?

An "aura" is a visual disturbance, a smell, or some other thing that happens right before the headache starts. It's usually visual disturbances, blurred vision, like that.

Im probibly the most stressed out person I know. I always had an issue dealing with anxiety. Thats a whole different thread though.

Modern life, but has anything like I asked about above additionally happened to raise the level above your usual load?

[Old Blue 66]

Originally Posted by goatmanmitch

A GOOD chriropractor! Very important to have everything properly aligned.


Side note, good move going to the doctor and getting your head thoroughly checked out. My sister-in-law died last summer after her doctor did not properly pursue the reason for her bad headaches. She died at 46 due to an undiagnosed brain tumor that she never knew she had.

Id be a liar if I said I wasn't worried about that before the tests.

[Old Blue 66]

Originally Posted by Bob Dillon

I seem to be having trouble sending PMs. Just sent it via email to the address you use for this forum.



Ask the doc about Imitrex.



An "aura" is a visual disturbance, a smell, or some other thing that happens right before the headache starts. It's usually visual disturbances, blurred vision, like that.



Modern life, but has anything like I asked about above additionally happened to raise the level above your usual load?

I don't have a aura. It just starts to ache a little then turns into a full blown headache. Nothing like what you described triggers it.

Modern life, but has anything like I asked about above additionally happened to raise the level above your usual load

A little but I would hope not enough to raise the bar this high. I got your message by the way. Ill see what the doc says tomorrow.

[GTO JOHN]

Paul I had similar headache issues about 3 years ago. Severe migraine type headaches especially in the morning when I woke up.

Simple fix for me was changing to a different pillow that offered more support for my head. Now I use a Memory Foam Contour pillow which keeps my neck in line while sleeping.

I have used a chiropractor with excellent results about 3 times in my life. Someone who knows what they are doing can really help you.

Also dehydration causes headaches so make sure your drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day.

[Garry Sr]

I'm betting Tinnitus can be a contributor as well as countless other things.

[Sirrotica]

I just saw a tip on TV last night that said eating almonds at the start of a headache will stop the constricting of blood vessels and in some people will stop a headache. Something contained in the almonds causes the blood vessels to relax. Just a thought, can't hurt to try it, surely not expensive and homeopathic medicine works sometimes as well as if not better than pharmaceutical compounds, less side effects too.

[The Boss]

Following this as I suffer from a number of sinus related issues resulting in localized headaches & ocular migraines. Mine have been drastically reduced through the use of a nasal spray once each evening.