Hi,

I've been to a lot of headache forums, and this seems to be the best one, so I'm hoping that somebody here can help me. For the past 5 years, I've been with a very horrible alcoholic. He sobered up 1 time in the past 5 years for a year and a half. That's when I married him. 1 week after we got married, he started drinking again. He isn't physically abusive, but he is horribly emotional, mental and verbally abusive. He spends all our money on alcohol, and he's an electrical engineer/designer who makes really good money, so you can just imagine how much this man drinks. My life with him has been rotten. He keeps me prisoner in this house. Last Christmas (of which he ruined), I took down our HUGE Christmas tree by myself and had a lot of trouble doing it. About 2 days after that, and dealing with his abuse, my neck started hurting. I'd been really sick for 2 years with dangerously low blood pressure and I wasn't used to lifting anything heavy. I don't know whether or not I did anything to my neck or not. Chiropractor did see a vertebrae that is compressing and it has a bone spur on it. I started having occiptal tension headaches January 3rd of this year and they won't go away. During this time, up till now, I am grieving the sudden death of my Father, I've dealt with my husband's abuse off and on for months, I've dealt with his family's abuse for years, one of my ex-boyfriends whom I remained close to was murdered last September, my best friends fiancee was killed in a car wreck last November, and my ex-fiancee and the love of my life was murdered Feb. 12th of this year. So yeah, I'm under a LOT of stress. To top that off, I just got word that my favorite uncle died last night. I don't wake up with these headaches, they develop as the day goes on, sometimes dull, sometimes pretty bad. But I always wake up with this extremely sore neck. January 26th I had a CT scan done which was negative. I didn't believe that test as I've heard they're no good really in detecting small tumors. So on March 16th of this year, I had the big one, and MRI w/wo contrast, again, nothing. But the headaches continue. The MRI and the CT showed a massive sinus infection, I actually at times blow brown stuff out of my nose, (sorry to be so graphic). I don't worry about the sinus headaches, I've dealt with those for years, but I am very worried about these in the neck, shoulders, shoulder blades, upper back and head. The headaches move, sometimes they're in the center of the back, sometimes they're down more towards my neck, and sometimes they're in the back, but up at the top. It even hurts in my temples. My neck, shoulders, shoulder blades and upper back are tight as boards. I've been taking Hydrocodone for quite a while due to a lower back problem, and I've been wondering about rebound headaches. I also take Skelaxin, which helps, but I"m so tight that I have to take 2 at a time to get any relief. The headaches did go away when he got arrested for DUI and was in jail for 6 days, they stayed gone for over a month. They started back when I went to the store and bought tons of pop and dog food and carried all those heavy sacks into the house, he wouldn't even help me. He's driving me crazy, he's now coughing up blood, all he does is drink and sleep. When he's awake he's bashing me. Could all this be the cause of my headaches? Wouldn't the MRI have found a brain tumor? I just had it 4 months ago.
Please help me, I'm so scared right now, and I have NOBODY to talk to about this. I just keep right on thinking that that CT scan and the MRI missed something.
Thanks in advance and all the best to all of you.

Mellie

Mellie, I want you to know that the problems that seem to be having, fits me to a 'T", that is the pain you are having, and probably the other stresses you are having is just making it worse. First off, I started having "the back of head headaches about 8 years ago, then 2 years later started with this weird feeling on the left side of my face, it feels like a hair tickling me, this has been going on for 6 years, along with it I have left ear pain, left sided headaches, shoulder pain, and it seems that my skin is hypersensitive on my shoulder and upper to middle back, when I wear a shirt, it feels like little bugs crawling under it. I too, finally, after suffering and worrying for 6 years, finally had a brain MRI done in April, everything normal, except extensive sinus thickening. I asked my doc if a tumor would be seen if there was one there, he said most definently. I would also like to add, that my next door neighbor was diagnosed on July 2 of a brain tumor, she just passed away on the 10th, the only problem that she had was double vision, no headaches, don't worry to much about that, it would have shown. Now getting back to where we were, I weigh 115 pounds, I do indeed do alot of things I shouldn;t do, take down Christmas trees (had 4 this year), carry 50 pound bags of dog food to the car, and into the house, down the cellar steps, my husband and I just moved into our new home (we built), I carried 6 inch blocks, 10 inch blocks, you name it, I did it, painted, sanded drywall, moved heavy things, probably a million times, so yes, I know what you mean. But I was also in 2 car accidents, 12 when I was 18, the other when I was 27, the last accident is when I started getting the headaches, the other good stuff started after that. I am starting PT this week, hoping that this will help. The facial feelings are what is really bothersome to me, thats why I had the MRI done. But nothing showed up. Do you ever get the skin hypersensitivity? I do have a family history of migraines also, which doesn't help, my mom has them, and so does her dad, they are inherited, so lucky me. Sorry to ramble, but your not alone, maybe try PT, and I'm going to ask for a MRI of neck also if the PT doesn't work, maybe there will be something there. My chiro said that I did have slight movement in the C1-C2 vertebrae, but who do you believe, sometimes I think they just say that to get your money. That sounds harsh I know, but I'm tired, so tired of worrying of what the #&ll is wrong with me. Write back and take care, there are probably millions of people with the same problems as us, just pray and think positive!!!!:wave:

I have been having migraines for about ten years now with the sensation of numbness and pins and needles on my left side and other neurological affects. I got bromchitis about four months ago and the next month at ovulation had severe dizziness and nausea. The next month same thing for 6 days again but before period then day period was supposed to come body got stiff like mannequin, I was numb all over ,ny lips were puckered like a fish and my face pulled in like I was having a stroke. I was given 4 shots in e.r. and after that head started bobbing to the left and cramping into sustained positions.Oh- sorry, had migraine with stiffness in e.r.- then cramplike spells in neck and torso and lower back. Was very scarey- cramplike spells continued- I have been in bed for over a month now- doctor thinks I could have gotten inner ear disturbance called labyrinthitis which you can get after a respitory or sinus infection or other bacterial infection. Causes body to be off balance to your brain and muscles can pull to try and balance you. I have stopped having the cramping spells but have horrible burning pain in neck shoulder upper back running down to side and I am exhausted. I finally broke down and took Tramadol- non narcotic pain pill- but still makes me feel like I will throw up. Try some Meclizine- it's an antihistamine- BUT ASK YOUR DOCTOR FIRST- it is available without a prescrition- will be sold close to Dramamine in store. Hope you feel better. My headaches radiate down into my jaw and hury in my ears. Even my teeth feel "sore". Take care.:)

Jenny and Trish,

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to reply, but I had to get through that horrible binge with my husband, couldn't concentrate on even e-mailing anybody, he was so bad, plus I was terrified that he'd lose his job. He's sober now and didn't lose his job. Then, my favorite uncle died, then, I made the fatal mistake of eating peanuts, which I know I'm not supposed to do, and they made me very ill. I'm not allergic to them, they just make me incredibly sick to my stomach, cramping, bad.

Anyway, thanks for your replies. Jenny, I do have some skin hypersensitivity, but the dr. thinks it's my sinuses causing it, it's always in my face, on the left side. It feels numb, but really isn't. I can remember having that a long time ago, and I remember it scared me. Doesn't last long though. Other than that, I don't recall ever having anything like that.

Still having headaches, not every single day though, but now I think my speech is slurred, even though everybody else says it's not. I can say tongue twisters rapidly, can read out loud to myself very fast and never slur a word, but in general conversation, that's when it happens, and even then, not all the time. These crazy headaches move all over my head. They might visit the back of my head for a while, right in the center, then maybe they'll run over and say hi to the lower back of my head, directly above my hairline, then maybe they'll hop up to the top, then, across my forehead and both cheeks. They frequently like to visit the bridge of my nose, too. I call them my moving headaches. I've always been prone to having headaches, some of them have been very severe, and I've often wondered if they weren't migraine, although I never had any of the other migraine symptoms. I have had a LOT of sinus headaches, and I know that some people think that those are migraine, but I know mine have been sinus because of the constant drainage, runny nose, sneezing always relieves them for a while, etc.

I just don't like having a headache every single day, that's scary. I believed the CT scan and the MRI at first, but now I'm terrified that something has grown in 4 short months and it's devouring my brain. I'm sooooooooooo depressed about my life situation all the time and I do have a ton of anxiety. I worry about EVERYTHING. I try so hard to overcome this fear, but something always happens to set me back. I thought I was over it, again, but then when my uncle died, my cousin was telling me about her Mother who just died a year ago in June of a deadly brain tumor. Told me all about her symptoms. She only lasted 3 months from the time they diagnosed her. Then, my uncle's wife is dying of one too, however, hers is benign, but it's killing her anyway, and they told me all about her symptoms. I didn't ask them to not tell me, as having this condition is embarrassing to me, and I only talk about it to my husband and best friend.

Okay, I'm rambling now, but I just wanted to apologize to you both, and explain to you why it's taken me so long to reply.

All the best to both of you,

Melanie