My history of headaches...
My history of headaches...
I was in a MAC truck, hauling a load of gravel with my big brother when I was seventeen. The truck had a blow out and went in a canyon sending my head through the windshield. I was in the hospital for a week and remember nothing of it. A few years later I started having headaches and always blamed it on that. When I was about 21 I visited a chiropractor for about a year. He told me the vertebrae in my neck were squeezing the nerves, the nerves were telling the muscles and the muscles were swelling up, putting pressure on my brain stem which was giving me headaches. But after giving him lots of money and no change in the headaches, I stopped seeing him.
They come an go. Sometime I?ll have them everyday for weeks, then not have one for months. I always know when I?m going to have one, because my back starts hurting. I also think it?s my back because I know there are certain things that I cannot do or they will cause the headaches. Mostly anything that requires my arms above my head. Like washing windows, shampooing my carpet, cleaning my car, etc.
I?ve talked to all my doctors about them. My gynecologist says drink more water, my oncologist says talk to your PCP, because he knows my PCP is a doctor of internal medicine, I talked to my cardiologist for at least an hour trying to convince him they were related to my back, but he still thinks they are migraines. I talked to all those doctors when I was there for check ups. Finally I made an appointment with my PCP just to talk to him about my headaches. They were getting so bad I couldn?t drive my daughter to soccer practice, etc. I spent probably a good 45 mins talking to him and he is still convinced they are migraines too. He wrote me a prescription for Lortab. I think it might help a little bit, mostly just because it makes me sleepy. Easier to get to sleep, which is the only real cure I?ve found for them so far.
I had one so bad I actually went to the ER for the first time in my life 7-13-04. The doctor there also decided they were migraines. At my insistence he finally did a CAT scan. The doctor told me the only thing the scan showed was a cyst on my brain stem and that had nothing to do with the headaches. And that the cyst was nothing to worry about. I?m diligent when it comes to getting copies of my records. I got a copy of the records for the ER visit and this is what it says about the ?cyst?.
IMPRESSION:
3 X 1 cm arachnoid cyst in the left posterior fossa. It is difficult to determine if the arachnoid cyst could be causing patient?s headache. However, if patient has symptoms referable to the cerebellum or left 7th or 8th cranial nerves, further evaluation with MRI would be of benefit. Findings are discussed with Dr. Britton following completion of the exam.
It really makes me mad that he didn?t tell me all that! I had also been seeing a chiropractor for a couple of months before I went to visit my son in CA for about three weeks. When I got back I never rescheduled an appt. That was June of this year. The chiropractor was totally convinced he knew exactly what was causing the headaches. He showed me the x-rays showing scar tissue between the vertebraes, etc. After I started seeing him for a while I started waking up with the headaches instead of getting them later in the day. That just convinced me that much more that it has something to do with my neck.
After laying in bed all day I finally fell asleep about 1:00 when I woke up an hour later I felt better. At least I can function. Right after I woke up, I took the toprol, lanoxin and warfarin again. I figured it was late enough in the day that it wouldn't matter if I took the pills again. I did that before reading here... that was dumb. Because now that you mention it... I do recall my cardio telling me once that he has a 24 hour answering service. And I should have tested my INR before... didn?t even think of that.
That?s probably more than you ever wanted to know about my headaches.
It?s been an ongoing problem most of my life. But they are becoming more frequent and less bearable lately. I guess it?s time for another appt. with my PCP.
Thanks everyone. I really appreciate your responses. I have to figure something out, I can't live like this. I'm afraid to even plan anything, because if I'm having a bad one, I can't go anywhere except to bed. My cardio mentioned visiting a neurologist. I may try that next.
