Intense Pressure in Head/Numbness in Face - Brain & Nervous System Disorders Message Board

heyrae31 · 05-27-2001, 02:36 AM

Can someone please HELP ME!!! I have been having problems for over a year now. It all started 1 year ago. I had dizziness, clogged ears and rapid heart beats. I was told I had panic attacks/anxiety attacks. I was put on Ativan for 6 Months and developed an addiction to them. During that 6 month period of time, I developed intense pressure and pain in my head starting in my forehead just above my eyes and radiating from my entire forehead to the top of my head down to the back of my head. My doctor kept telling me tht I had anxiety problems and it was all in my head. I ended up in rehab to get off the Ativan and was able to get off of it, however, my symptoms have not gone away. Instead, they have progressed worse. I have been back and forth to my doctor and to an ENT and I can not find out what is wrong with me. Each time I see my doctor, he gives me a new diagnosis. First it was anxiety/panic attacks. Which have all went away. I have never had anxiety in my life until this started one year ago and the only reason my heart was racing is because of the way my head was feeling, it scared the heck out of me. The second diagnosis I was given was that I had allergies and I was put in allergy medication. I tried that for a month and that didn't help. I went back to the docor and he said I had a terrible sinus infection that was causing my pain/pressure in my head and ear pain/clogginess/fullness so he put me on antibiotics for four weeks. That didn't help so I went back again and was told now I had a double ear infection and was put on antibiotics again for another 4 weeks. That didn't help and I went to the doctor again and this time he referred me to an ENT. The ENT did a CT Scan of my sinuses but could find nothing wrong with my sinuses or my ears and sent me back to my doctor. I went back to my doctor a week ago after leaving the ENT's office and my doctor now tells me I have a Eustachian Tube Dysfunction and Myofascial Pain Sydrome. He put me on Anti-Inflammatory medication and on Decongestants. I get minimal relief from them and have demanded that I see a Neurologist to have an MRI performed, which is being done soon (of course, I have to wait for my HMO's authorization before I can see the Neurologist which may take 1 to 2 more weeks). I am at a loss on what to do and am wondering if anyone else has similar symptoms and what they did about it. My symptoms today (since they have progressively gotten worse over the last year) are as follows: very intense pressure in my forehead, top of head, back of head, mygraine headaches, numbness and tingling in my face/cheeks/jaws, I can not stand up or sit down for long periods of time, laying down and sleeping are the only two things that provide any sort of relief (minimal I might add), my legs burn and tingle and sometimes my toes get numb, my fingers and hands sometimes tinlge and get numb. If anyone can help me I sincerely would appreciate it. I have been living a life of complete hell the last year and I truly want to feel better and get back to living my life. I have a child to raise and I had to have my Father move in with me in order to help me take care of my child because I can't do anything. Sometimes I can't even eat because I can't sit up long enough to eat something. Please HELP ME!!!! Thank you,

Robert2 · 05-27-2001, 04:52 AM

1. Your doctor seems more concerned about saving the HMO money than bringing you some relief. Maybe it's time for you to get a new doctor.

2. If it were me, I would tell the doctor that I wish to be admitted to the hospital for full diagnostics. You go in for a couple of days. They poke, prod and pass you through or under every piece of equipment in the hospital. During that time, they attempt to draw out every drop of blood in your body for testing.(well, it feels that way) These procedures often involve a number of specialists. But, it's all coordinated by the doctor in charge, not your family doctor.
I would try to find a well equipped hospital to do this. I like teaching hospital that are associated with large universities. They usually have the best equipment and the latest techniques.

As far as a cause,keep in mind that this is mostly a guess, I would be interested in examining the blood flow to your brain. I would use a realtime digital Xray that looks at your brain while a contrasting dye is injected through an IV. You state that you feel better lying down. More blood can reach your brain when you are lying down. To me, that suggests a partially obstructed artery feeding the brain. If that is so, it is treatable with medication.

In the mean time, I suggest that you try taking an asprin every day. It thins your blood a little. If need to motivate your HMO, call them every time you feel sick and tell them you need to go to the emergency room. Then, go. Sometimes, great discoveries are made by emergency room doctors. The HMO will soon discover how expensive it is for you to go to the emergency room. Then, they might send you for the right tests.

funni · 06-23-2001, 06:10 PM

get a ct done on the ventricles in your brain
may be hydrocephalus.

Lost · 06-25-2001, 02:17 PM

do you (or did you) use recreational drugs?

i only ask because my "problem" was provoked by drug abuse.

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