40 y.o male in generally good health....Around the first part of this year I started to sense pressure on the top/foward part of my head. Much like someone sat a brick up there and then would take it off. Now it seems to be more pronounced in the foward part or forehead area but when it gets bad, spreading to the top middle. My GP sent me in for a CT scan of the sinuses and they showed all OK. He did say visually, my sinuses looked "boggy" and I have a deviated septum(who doesn't right?) I take prophen-forte and a nasal spray which do nothing. My BP was good everytime I went to the Dr. The only event that seemed to go along with the symptom of pressure was I had a root canal done about a month before this started on a front tooth. Ever since about a month after that, the tooth seems to be real sensitive and sometimes it feels a bit swollen right around the gum where the tooth is but not much. Seems like I can pull straight down on the tooth and the pressure subsides also. My Dr told me this could not be the case or the cause....oh well. The one constant thing about the pressure is at night, laying down in bed, it almost always goes away. It may stay gone the next day untill an hour or 2 after i get up before i even begin to notice it. Its usually worse in the afternoon. Some days I may not have it at all and yes, it seems my sinuses are "boggy" when the pressure is pronounced or is the pressure causing the sinus problem or could it be the root canal gone bad. Sometimes i hear ringing in my ears a bit but not alot. Mostly just the pressure is an annoying feeling like if someone would put a tap in the top of my head or in my forehead and let the "whatever it is" out, i would go....Ahhhhh!!!!
I get those types of headaches as well, and it's almost always due to either sinuses or stress.
Have you ever had a stress headache? I know that sometimes when I get them it feels like someone is squeezing my head in a vice.
Not sure about the stress headache. Should i got to the bahamas for a few weeks and see if it lets up???? wish i could! Mine feels more like there is too much brain inside my head so either i need to make more room in there or just become dumber and not think so much. I really want to know why but of course the whole "brain tumor" "brain cancer" thing keeps popping into my mind and i get scared as hell!! Maybe some more peeps will chime in here and comment... Hello to all the peeps!!!
Hi, I seem to go back and forth in the Inner Ear forum and the Headache forum. I am a 44yr old female. I have the same thing as you describe - I get a pressure feeling - as if someone placed a brick on the top left of my head. It is not a "tension" headache but more of a feeling. Hard to describe. I also get extreme pressure in my ears and in my sinuses around my nose. It feels like my nose it going to blow out from the inside. I even get some facial numbness (like novocaine feeling). Well, it took a yr of many drs and many tests but the neuro I go to feels it is caused from my vestibular (inner ear disorder). It is called vestibular migraine. I had an extremely bad episode this past weekend. For three days I had to take Axert to abort the migraine...it helped but then it would come back. The neuro put me Methylopredinsonol - 6 days to try to break the cycle. I sure hopes this helps!
Does your pressure seem to go away at night or laying down for a bit? Mine does. Seems to also be better if I move or keep busy. Seems to be the worst pressure feeling is driving or just sitting idle at the computer. Maybe the eyes have something to do with it? When mine is at its worst, it seems to me if my forehead/upper nose/ area were to explode off my head, i'd feel much better. Its just a disturbing feeling and i'd trade it for a plain old headache anyday. The pressure is un-nerving...
You sound exactly like me - finally someone that can understand.... sorry you feel the same unnerving pressure. It is such a strange feeling. I keep trying to explain that it is not a tension headache just a wierd pressure that seems to move around. It comes for a coulple of minutes in one area and then moves to another. Usually, though it starts on the top and then moves to the back of my head and around my right eye. I find that when I lie down it seems to get worse. Moving around makes me feel better or sitting up. And yes, driving and sitting at the computer totally sets it off. Being on the prednisone I thought it would help but today the same pressure and my ears feels like they are going to explode. I know that Vestibular is definitely related to eye movement. Actually, there is therapy for eye movement.
Thanks for writing back!
Thank you, I am not alone. I have had a right-sided headache for about a month. I would describe it exactly like you described. Starts in the back of my head, moves around makes my ear feel numb/hot. It goes behind my eye and in my sinus. Always comes back in the morning, although I sleep fine. Some days it is better than others. Computing is a nightmare. My CT came out good. MRI/MRA next week. Pain meds do nothing. What has helped yours? Did you say it was on the left side? Your description of head pressure versus a headache is exactly it. The fact that it moves around all the time is weird. I get a feeling of dizziness at times as well. Thanks for posting. I put an eye patch on today on my right eye to see if it would help, I had some relief. I hope you figure it out, if I hear anyhting of value from my neuro, I will relay. Hope to hear from you.
Steve
Hi Steve, Unfortunately I have not found anything to help keep this pressure away. I get some feelings of it every day - just thankfully the "bad" kind comes only once a week. I started to take Migralieve (Magnesium, Riboflavin and Feverfew) which seems to be helping. I also live on Tylenol and caffeine when necessary. I was taking Axert to help abort the pressure but my cardiologist was not to keen on it since I have PVC's (skipped beats)....if it isn't one thing it is another...lol. Somedays I want to sit and cry and I am becoming nervous to even drive a mile from my home. Driving, certain stores and the computer seem to set it off. Please let me know if your neuro has any words of wisdom or if any drugs help you. It is totally frustrating...I cannot live my life lying in bed with an ice pack on the back of my neck...
I tried putting a patch on my right eye all morning this morning. It helped. THis morning when I woke up I did not have a headache, so I decided to try not opening my right eye at all. I went and bandaged it up right away and did not have a headache. 10 minutes ago I took the patch off and the stabbing pain on the back-top of my head is coming back. I am wondering if it is accular related, Maybe I need new glasses? I will definately tell my neurologist next week. I thought I was getting headaches when I stood-up, but I think it is when my right eye is put to use. Thought you might want to know this and possibly try something like that yourself.
Good luck
Steve
Well i'm going to my family doc on wed to let him know that every decongestant either by pill or by nose under the sun has not taken away my head-pressure. sat was pain free for some reason and the past 3 days its been back big time, except for laying down or sleeping, all good there. I may ask him just to go on and send me for a MRI so if there is actually anything in my head, we can do something about it.... let you guys know what happens...
I have similar symptoms...pressure, and feeling like my head has a fever w/o the fever! slight feeling of dizziness, but no spinning. lasts most of day, worse in the afternoon. mild headache sometimes. never severe. This is a pain.
but seems like everyone on these boards hasn't resolved the issue. There's another post called worsening headache wierd feeling/brain fog that sounds like these symptoms too. Glad all the MRI's come back negative!
Hiya, just saw your post. I get the head pressure a lot, more so when I am tired or stressed. it sometimes feels that bad that I feel faint and dizzy, though i also put this down to panicking and anxiety. I find that when I blow my nose or make my ears pop, the feeling lessons which makes me wonder if like nancy, my problem could be due to the ear also? I have a lot of ear infections and am often feeling 'sinusy'....what kind of treatment are you guys takign for this 'head pressure'.
Hi,,, well my pressure isn't relieved by blowing nose... but glad that helps for you. I'm currently awaiting an MRI appointment, which I'm sure will show nothing,,, but must rule that out!
My MRI Friday showed nothing unusual in my brain. A small cyst was detected in one of my sinuses but nothing to cause the head pressure i feel (according to the dr). He is going to try another type of anti-inflammatory on me to see if we can control the pressure. Everything points to sinus irritation and inflammation but its crazy that it goes away as soon as i lay down. Will post if we resolve the pressure, hopefully something will click soon!!!
Sounds just like what I went through for many years. My ear-nose-throat specialist had me flush my sinuses with saline and it clears up my headaches, especially in the morning. I still get them, just not as severe and by flowing saline through my nose it goes away in minutes.
The relief is amazing from something that seems so simple. Read more about sinus's and the problems they can cause at this ENT's website: http://www.ent-consult.com/sinus_head.html .
I learned a lot that helped me there, a very simple way to pump warm saline gently in instead of trying to squirt in COLD saline with a squirt bottle like my local ENT was having me do, UGH.
Takes about as long as it does to brush my teeth, and about as uncomfy. The pain relief is priceless. Goodluck with your headaches!
Hi
I'm new to this so I hope I'm doing this right. I'm so glad i came across your post and the healthboards. I'm sorry to hear about your suffering. I been going thru this just like you for about 5 months. I've been to many different doctors with many diagnosis and treatments. Heartburn, nerves, stress, anxiety, depression etc. Still I have the pressure in my head and neck. It usually starts a few hours are waking and continues all day. Sometimes my neck feel like it's going to burst. I wish that something could just relieve all that pressure. When I lie down or sleep I almost never feel this pressure. Bending over makes it worst. so does exercising. When the pressure comes on, my nose feels clogged and under pressure also. Although some days it just mysteriously disappears. I recenlty got the flu and noticed that my symptoms worsened which clued me in that there may be some sort of inner ear/nose/throat connection. I've gotten very depressed and stressed over this. And doctors telling me it's all in my head (Yes, it is all in my head and neck!). I can no longer function normally. I can't concentrate and it's affecting job and my relationship with my family, terribly. How have you been coping? I hope you have a diagnosis and treatment. I need any imput anyone can offer.
THANKS
Re: Head Pressure...not exactly a headache 
