New Kind of Head Ache

[Soundy]

I am beginning to think there is no end to what may trigger a head ache for me ... Sneezes ,coughs ,bending over , getting too tired , laying flat...the list keeps growing...

Last Friday I had ran into town to run some erands... was feeling fine ...me
and the kids got our shopping done picked up pizza and headed home...

the sun was just right in the sky to throw shadows across road and it was a bright
clear day... I live out in the sticks and all along the road it is mostly trees... as I drove through the
shadows and back into the sunlit patches I was getting a kinda strobe effect...I started getting
light headed and it felt as if my truck was rocking.. I pulled over but the trigger had been pulled
and continued to be light headed nauseated and a head ache began to develope... I took two
extra strength Tylenol and just sat... I have the misfortune of having very little cell phone capabilities
along this stretch of road and couldn't call anyone... I sat for about 30 minutes and then continued
on home...

the sun had sank enough that the strobe effect was almost gone...when I got home I took a
hydrocodone and went to bed... about 6 hours later I was up and feeling fine again...I don't guess I
have a question ... just sharing an experience... and know that I will not go into the schools haunted
house next week at the Harvest Fetival...

something else I have noticed is that even without taking something ,  like hydrocodone , that makes
me sleepy is that the headaches knock me out... it isn't like I am asleep...almost and unconscious state...

[Janet]

Soundy,

Have you been to a headache neurologist yet? If I was driving with the sun in my eyes, it could trigger a migraine type headache. I take a Maxalt at the very first twinge of pain behind my eye. It works well for that type of headache. I only need to take it about 2-3 times /month. Most of my headaches are stabbing pains in the back of my head which can be caused by movement like you said. I take Indomethacin daily for that.  I also get Botox injections in my head, neck and shoulders to keep the muscles from tightning. (They only tighten on one side and is involuntary. My other side is completely relaxed.)

There are other ways to treat migraines, so a trip to a headache neurologist could really help you. These doctors deal with every sort of headache and have more experience with headaches than other doctors. Maybe you have already been?

I hope you get some relief soon as I know this is a tough road!

Janet

[Soundy]

Haven't made it to a headache doctor yet...I have had left side migraines for a
long time prior to surgery... luckily have no t had one since surgery... I take toprol
to control them without it I was having several migraines a week...

Hard to explain but it was like my eyes couldn't keep up with the movement forward
of the truck... the light headed feeling and dizziness came on before actual pain...

I have been looking for a pain specialist for aches and pains in joints and I guess I need
to add head ache specialist to the list of -ologists I need to see...

I had another bad head ache yesterday ... can't identify the trigger... I took a hydrocodone after
Tylenol didn't work and called my doctor and got permission to also take a muscle relaxer that
I have for back problems... together they worked better... gonna ask about botox ... I
know I have headaches that start as tightened muscles across neck and shoulders and also
have headaches that start in head and before it is over my muscles are tight

[bruski]

  Hi, Bruski here. I was just diagnosed with AN. Scheduled to see surgeon Dr. Pieper, Providence Hospital, Southfield, MI. next month.
  I've been reading the post-treatment threads and the headaches hit me hard. I had occipital nerve damage which caused horrible headaches with stabbing/lancing pain for 18 months. Went through 9 nerve blocks with no relief. Then tried acupuncture (from the same office that was doing the nerve blocks). Three sessions later and the headaches stopped.
  I'm not saying this is the answer but it may be worth a try.

[er]

Sorry Soundy about the headaches.
I very fortunate I only have slight headaches once in a while
bruski, I wonder if the acupuncture would help traumatic head injury.
My son was in a sever car accident while he was in the service and because of the brain being bruised he suffers from sever headaches every thing he takes has started hurting his insides. He has lived with these headaches for 12 years
eve

[bruski]

A good pain clinic that offers acupuncture may be able to help your son. My closed head injury was also the result of an auto accident, head-on with a semi trailor that slid in front of me. Really stretched the back of my head as it went into the airbag. Pills didn't work, nor did a TENS unit or nerve blocks. I was truly amazed with the acupuncture results.

[er]

I'll let him know thank you. He is a stay home dad because of this problem & my husband helps him.
eve

[Captain Deb]

The first thing a headache neurologist will tell you is that Tylenol or hydrocodone taken on a regular basis for regular headaches (which are probably migraines)will start causing more headaches than it is  curing.  It is called rebound headache, and I stuggled with them for quite a while till I got to the right doc. The best approach is prventative meds like topamax or Neurontin or abortives like Imitrex or Maxalt (tryptans) Get thee to a headache specialist! That strobe effect is a sure fire migraine trigger!

Capt Deb

[Soundy]

already on preventatives for migraines and have not had a migraine since surgery... or at least not a
migraine on left side where my migraines were located... I could draw a line up middle of chin and
nose and over the part in my hair ... the left side hurt and no pain at all in right side of head...
these head aches are nothing like the migraines I used to have ...and I didn't think there could
be anything worse than they were but these are ...

Have avoided situations where the sun does the strobe thing across road... and keep dark glasses in
case and do OK...

I talked to the doctor office  yesterday... when they did the last post op MRI I had the fluid pocket that
was re-absorbing ... I was told that in some cases where there was room for fluid to move to much ,
they could go  back in and added fat to get fluid movement back to normal... something about when
I lay down the fluid pools around surgical site and not enough remains around brain causing headaches...

I have never heard of this being done ... it kinda makes sense to me but I haven't even looked around the site or
googled for information... I  don't want to think about opening my head to put in more fat...

I had called about my hearing ear as I am having some problems with it ... a sound like a refrigerator running ...
quiet but annoying and trouble hearing certain sounds ... was told this was nothing to worry about and they would
address it at my December appointment... easy for her to say with her two hearing ears 

the nurse practitioner asked if I was still having head ache problems and I said yes and as she was looking at my
chart told me about the repacking with fat... don't know if he had written a side note in record as something to
watch or if she was passing on the information as general... wasn't hearing her well and didn't ask as much as I
should have ...