sinus trouble

studyin

Here's what David Buchholz MD has to say (from John Hopkins University School of Medicine) about it in "Heal Your Headache":

(This is a summary - not quoted from the book)

This falls under the "Myth" of sinus headache -

- the mucosu membranes that line your nose and sinuses are loaded with blood vessels.

- when migraine causes blood vessels of the head to become swollen, its favourite target is the nose and sinuses.

- the swelling and inflammation of blood vessels there produces congestion, pressure, stuffiness, postnasal drip, and pain.

- you and your doc don't realise this is migraine and, instead, think it is allergy, infection or a structural abnormality afflicting your sinuses

- migraine is behind this most of the time.

You might have this going on C&R. Migraine seems to occur - and possibly be at the root - in many of us long-term dizzy sufferers.

Scott

comeandrelax

see i would think that but i don't have sensitivity to light and my condition has gotten better over time.

i mean it could very well just be sinus from the weather changing and the time of year. plus my eng showed a weakness in my right inner ear and the goggle test showed it too.

comeandrelax

im not really familiar with mav although that would explain the sinus pressure and dull pains above my eyes and pressure beind the nose and stuff. that stuff has been going on since the start of this.

i never had the true spinning and my mom has a history of bad headaches. i wouldn't say that my headaches are bad just feels like sinus headaches.

what is MAV is it treatable?

adamw

there is no such thing as a sinus headache.

this has been shown many times - millions of people diagnose themselves with sinus headaches, the doctor goes along with it and/or the patient uses sinus medications to very little effect. they invariably respond to migraine treatment and the "sinus" stuff stops.

comeandrelax

well basically what i meant was just like pressure in the sinus area...behind the nose and above the eyes on the forehead

adamw

Yep but that is simply the location of the headache - and migraine headaches can affect anywhere on the head and even down the neck.

I have friends who think they have recurrent sinus headache. Trying to teach them otherwise is like banging my head against the wall

"Headache is rarely a symptom of sinusitis and a "sinus headache" is often a misdiagnosis of a migraine. Acute sinusitis can cause pressure within the sinus cavities of the head, but this always has associated pain to palpation of the sinus area and purulent greenish discharge from the nose. The use of the term sinus headache therefore is often misleading and results in underdiagnosis of migraine. Recent studies indicate that the majority of "sinus headaches" are migraine headache.[6] This confusion occurs in part because migraine involves activation of the trigeminal nerve in the brain which sends signals to the sinus region through three different nerves - so patients will often feel their migraines in their "sinuses." Since the trigeminal nerve controls the sinus and nose region of the head, a migraine can also cause mucus build up and a "runny nose", which further confuses diagnoses."

comeandrelax

where do you get your info from?? i don't find anything on migraines being in the sinus area. and how does a migraine cause mucus build ups and runny noses?

gloria2936

Hi CR

[QUOTE how does a migraine cause mucus build ups and runny noses][/QUOTE]

I believe that the inflammation in the blood vessels causes restriction in normal mucus flow from your sinuses down through your e-tubes where they drain in the back of your throat. When this is restricted, your sinuses will back up and you will feel the congestion/post nasal drip.


My recent visit with the headache specialist (he teaches all over the Pittsburgh area and started up two headache clinics at two of the largest hospital networks here too so he is good) I brought up this issue. I never had sensativity to light either. (I don't have migraine, I have post tramatic headaches.) Anyway, he said that wouldn't matter because not all migraineurs have the same symptoms. He has many typically migraine patients (those with clear-cut migraines) that have no sensativity to light.

Hope that helps......MAV is well worth looking into in my opinion. That Heal Your Headache book is great. I really recommend following a strict migraine diet as there are many food triggers that not only provoke migraine but stimulated the nervous system and can wreck havoc in people with other contions like VN or in my case damage to my CNS. The diet really needs to be followed strictly and for at least four months before knowing if it helps to restrict certain triggers.

Gloria