Sudden severe headache, numbness in face? - Headaches & Migraines Message Board

Dee74 · 06-13-2004, 08:54 AM

Hi all, not like I don't have enough medical problems as it is, now I've got something pretty weird going on. I'm a 29 yr old female.

Yesterday, I was just sitting here, smoking (yes I know, bad bad - trying to quit though), and all of a sudden, I got a SEVERE headache that felt like electrical shocks going from the back of my head on the left side, through my head to the front right side. Then the dizziness and facial numbness came. The numbness was mostly on the left side on my cheek spreading just to the outer right corner of my mouth. This lasted for about 10 minutes max.

Then last night, it happened again, only the numbness was just right around my lips. I wasn't smoking at the time. I woke up this morning with the same thing, only the headache is no where near as bad, and is mostly just in the back of my head. The numbness is only my bottom lip. It's not completely numb, more like a pins and needles type of feeling. I'm extremely tired even though I actually got plenty of sleep last night. I can barely keep my eyes open.

I'm calling my doctor first thing in the morning.. does anyone have any clue what this is??? I was thinking maybe it was related to smoking, like possibly just a lack of oxygen type thing, but honestly I have no clue. I do suffer from headaches quite often, mostly tension type, with the occasional migraine that lasts for 3 days.

Any info you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

beach_tiglet · 06-13-2004, 05:41 PM

I think I would go to the ER NOW. I don't mean to alarm you, but when the headache comes first, and the headache and dizziness come second, that could be a problem other than a migraine, a more serious problem. It could just be a migraine, that has happened to me before, but my doctor has made me come to the ER for CT scans and other tests when the symptoms go in the order you have described. Hopefully it is just a migraine, but you DON'T want to mess with it. DO NOT mention migraines to the ER admitting person, just say you have severe head pain, dizziness, and numbness and it is scaring you. Describe everything you did in your post, just leave out the fact that you have migraines so that they don't leave you sitting out in the waiting room forever. Please let me know what happens. Dana

Dee74 · 06-14-2004, 05:40 AM

beach_tiglet, thank you for replying. As you can see, I'm still alive

My husband was trying to get me to go to the ER last night, and I WAS tempted, but I have been a few times already because of severe migraines that I get that last for 3 days at a time. A cat scan was run the last time I was in. I think it was probably a year ago-ish? Not really sure, so I HIGHLY doubt they'd even consider doing another one.

The headache is still there, just not the electrical shock-like pain. More of an all over throb with a tight and heavy feeling in the back of my head. I'm still getting really dizzy, but only when I stand. The numbess, or pins and needles feeling is just staying in my bottom lip.. almost right in the center. Also last night, I had a pretty bad bout of double vision, but it only lasted for about half an hour. This could be a weird migraine I guess.. not sure, it's definately different from the others. I keep thinking, or maybe just trying to convince myself, that if it was something serious, something would have happened by now.

I am calling my doctor as soon as her office opens this morning.. just to see what she says.

Thanks again, and I'll keep you posted.

beach_tiglet · 06-14-2004, 05:57 AM

I'm glad you're hanging in there...I have complicated migraines with stroke symptoms...my neurologist has always said that if the dizziness and numbness come first, everything is ok, but if the headache comes first, get to a hospital as it could be a stroke or something serious. In my case, it was just a long drawn out complicated migraine, but it scared even the neurologist. They have never hesitated to run CT scans on me when I have strange headaches like that just to make sure. The insurance has never questioned them. It hasn't happened often, but too often for my liking, it's scary....I hope your doctor will take it seriously or that you will go somewhere soon. Please keep me posted.

beach_tiglet · 06-14-2004, 06:00 AM

How is your walking...are you having trouble walking in a straight line, tripping, etc.? The dizziness and double vision with the pain in the back of the head scare me.