Sudden On-Set Headaches

ok, so I figure you all have pretty much been through every pain there is out there, so hopefully someone has some idea. I've tried it all & have been to multiple doctors. I'm headed back to my PM again later this week & he actually asked me if I had any idea what it might be (so I'm trying to come up with something. :)

It feels just like a spinal headache but I haven't had any epidurals for months. I should know, I've had 3 of them (oops!).

Sudden onset, 4 weeks ago
Sharp pain at the back of my head (base of skull & back of neck)
Severe nausea & vertigo
Goes away when I lie down for a couple minutes or longer, but comes back when I sit or stand
Heat makes it way worse
Ice on the back of my head doesn't help, but on my eyes it does help (so strange, right?)
Caffeine doesn't help (that's different from the spinal headaches)
Slightly worse when I'm coughing, sneezing or blowing my nose
Lots of water doesn't help
Restricted diet doesn't help
Pretty much it's at a 7.5-8.5 all day long, until I lie down (8=nausea/vomiting, 9=can't talk, only cry)

My bp is normal, hr is normal, temp is normal... etc., etc.
I just got over a respiratory infection, but my allergist/ENT say that that wouldn't cause the headache, just that it might make it worse. I've finished the antibiotics & the headache is pretty much the same.

We tried facet injections last week (12 of them!) & they lasted for maybe an hour until I tried sitting up & that was it. Usually injections always help & last for about a week. So something is definitely different.

Anyone ever experience anything like this? I'm not asking you to diagnose me, just to give me some ideas to discuss with my PM at my office visit.

thanks!!
frances

Frances

Does pushing in and upward just below your sternum do anything? does it help relieve your headache? You say coughing and sneeezing makes it worse? And laying flat helps? Usually a spinal headache is across the front and bothers your eyes. Sometimes headaches at the base of the skull and down the back of the neck can be caused by the muscles on the skull spasming. My father had that and Mayo Clinic gave him botox injections across the base of his skull and he got relief for over 8 months from them! The injections paralyzed the muscles and that kept them from contracting and spasming! But that was many many years ago!
I hope you can find some answers! Good Luck to You

White Beard

Frances-
Sounds very similar to my wife's. They found she has low lying tonsils at the base of her skull. She saw a neurologist who is sending her to a neuro surgeon to see if they are bad enough to require surgery to relieve the pressure. She gets nausea and vertigo pretty bad when they hit. She has tried maxalta, but it gives her chest pains and she had to stop using that.
Take care,
Bill

I forgot....

It will sound strange but this accually helped me ALOT when I had the headaches.

Lavendar Oil, a few drops in a hot bath.  I would acually be somewhat pain free for a few hours. But its only a temp fix

Laurie

oh my, so many responses. i hope i haven't overlooked any. if so, i'll re-read tomorrow morning when i'm feeling better & will be sure to respond.

Please know that I am grateful for ALL the responses.

For anyone who mentions issues with anatomy. I have Arnold Chiari malformation, but had a craniotomy & C1 lami several years ago. So I can relate to those headaches -- yes, they are almost identical to spinal headaches. In fact, the first I got a spinal headache I was sure the Chiari had somehow "returned". But that's not possible -- though I made them run every possible scan anyways.

This feels a bit different from a regular spinal headache. More like the time when I got an air bubble in me & got an immediate spinal headache. Uggh. That was not fun.

My bp is naturally low. Every doctor I've seen has checked my bp. It's not been higher than 100/70. It's not been lower than 85/60. I do get headaches when my bp drops to 70/40 or lower, but I'm nowhere close to that. I've never had a bp over 120/80 recorded in my life. Even when I am horribly stressed out beyond belief, my bp hasn't been higher than that. We checked my TSH & it's normal (I'm on synthroid).

No new meds except for the Z-pack 2 weeks ago for a mild respiratory infection. No dietary changes. No activity changes. We tried muscle relaxants about a month ago & those didn't help at all, so we've ruled out primary tension headache (my muscles are a bit tight, but they relax completely when I rest for about 10 minutes.) I also tried migraine meds, but they had no effect.

I love warm lavender baths. I even got some lavender bath salts, but the warm water makes my headache worse, plus the sitting is uncomfortable. I do have a soaker tub, but I still can't lie all the way flat so the headaches are just awful (though the rest of me feels better). :)

Oh, so frustrating. I will definitely ask about the botox injections. I know my PM's partner does them a lot. I think he does them sometimes. I'm not sure under what conditions my insurance will cover them (I know they cover them for certain diagnoses but not for others), but I will check into it for sure.

I will also ask more about migraines. I used to get them a lot before I had surgery, but haven't had a one since then. Still, I usually feel better when I was in a cold, pitch black, silent, odorless environment for a day or so. These evil little headaches have been non-stop for about a month straight. I can handle loud noises & strong smells with these headaches. Slightly dimmed lights are helpful, but I really don't care whether it's pitch black or not. So frustrating.

I'm sure I must have missed someone's advice. I really appreciate all the ideas. I will make a list to take with to my appt. No harm even in going over past ideas yet again. We've gotta find a way to get the pain under control. I need to get back to work. :(

frances

Just hope you can get to the bottom of these h/a as they can be so debilitating if they desire. I have had migraines more years than I can remeber and cannot take any of the rx meds due to an allergy to a product in them. about all they can do is knock me out till I sleep it off. Its that or be put in the hospital, I have way too much of that crap under my belt because of those devils.

Do you currently see a neurologist? If so I hope you can get in soon. Take care. You have been doing so well frances I hate to see anything upset the applecart for ya. Generally when you take a nose dive its a bad one.