MILD mysterious headaches

[violet33]

i posted about this on new years eve and i got one response. since july of 2010, i have been getting MILD but kind of persistant headaches. it is in different parts of the head, anywhere from the top to temples, to back to skull base, and the sensations are anything from twinging to pinching to a VERY LIGHT THROB to weird tickling, which i know sounds odd to a MILD VERY SLOW SHOOTING TYPE FEELING that sometimes is vertical, sometimes horizontal, sometimes circular. i thank God that this is all mild. it does NOT REQUIRE PAIN KILLERS. this is odd and mysterious. my drs say this is nothing serious, which i am happy about but cannot tell me anything else. ok, now i am beginning to wonder if this could be sinus related since i do get sinus pressure in face and temples. i wear my hair in a pony tail because my hair is past shoulders and i get too warm if i wear it down. it isnt a tight ponytail but i notice a feeling of release when i take hair out of ponytail. i also notice this when i wake up, and wonder if it is positional which aggravate sinuses. i am suspecting this is all tied into sinuses. i should mention that for last few years i have been getting fits of sneezing, not constant but its there and also my nose gets stuffed a lot especially at night. now sneezing fits and stuffiness preceded these mild headaches by a few years, and i still get that. obviously stuffiness and sneezing are nasal symptoms which could relate to sinus, so i just NEED SOMEONE TO RESPOND AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK. YES I DID GET ONE RESPONSE, BUT I NEED OTHER OPINIONS. THE DOCTORS ARE OF ABSOLUTELY NO USE AND I AM NOT GOING BACK TO THEM, SO PLEASE SOMEONE PLEASE , ANYONE JUST GIVE ME ANY OPINION OR KNOWLEDGE YOU HAVE. CAN A PONYTAIL EFFECT SINUS PRESSURE? ANY INFORMATION AND FEEDBACK WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, SINCE THIS IS MAKING ME VERY ANXIOUS AND I HAVE JUST HAD ENOUGH OF THIS. THANK YOU, SUSAN.

[EmmerLooeez]

Hello Susan,

First of all I want to say that I'm sorry that you're going through this, but I am glad that the pain is only mild. It sounds like it is the persistence of these symptoms that is causing your anxiety.

You mentioned that you thought that your ponytail may be causing the pain, have you tried maybe wearing your hair another way just for a day or two to see how it affects the sensations in your head? You also mentioned that you think it may be related to your positioning, so just try and sleep with a few pillows under your head maybe, just to see if this has any effect at all.

It does sound that this could be sinus related, I've experienced similar symptoms myself, although after my sinusitis cleared my headaches went away. Have you had any treatment for sinus congestion? Anti Biotics or anything perhaps? I know you say that you don't want to go back to your doctors but it might be worth your while to see if you could get any medication.
Failing that, however, there are plenty over the counter medications that you can buy to ease the symptoms - nasal sprays especially.

Have you ever tried using a 'steam bowl'? Fill a bowl with boiling hot water (you could even use your sink if you found it more convenient/comfortable), place your face directly over the bowl and breathe the steam through your nose; it is more effective if you put a towel over your head and the bowl so to keep the steam contained, this is optional as not everyone likes this idea. If you do this for around 10-15 minutes, twice of thrice a day, you will find that it will ease your congestion and help to clear out your sinuses.

I'm sorry I couldn't offer more help, I hope you're okay though.
Try to remain calm and not to over-think it. This certainly doesn't sound like anything more sinister.
Take care,
Emma.xx

[violet33]

hi emma, thank you for replying. according to the doctors i had seen, this is not an infection. they gave me antibiotics which really didnt do anything because there is NO infection. i was told i could have mild chronic sinusitis. i have tried wearing the pony tail very loose which does help. if i wear hair down, i get VERY VERY WARM AND OVERHEATED which is awful especially since i get hot flashes from menopause. i cannot bring myself to cut my hair short because it looks awful on me. i did cut my hair about five inches which helps because my hair is thick making it heavy. my hair is now just below shoulder length so just long enough to get in pony tail to get it OFF MY NECK so i dont roast. ive spoken to my dr and he even agrees there is no point in coming for visit because sinus meds work but only to a point. bear in mind this has all been mild.

---------- Post added at 21:39 ---------- Previous post was at 21:08 ----------

also emma, i just wanted to say that as far as pillows, i have to be really careful that my head isnt too low or too high because when too high it kind of cranes my neck which aggravates this somehow and when too low sinus pressure in face can get worse. yes, and i think you are right, that the persistence of this is causing anxiety more than the condition itself in a way. but my dr did say what i told you before, which is that he believes that this is not an infection but MILD CHRONIC SINUSITIS, which is not infection but a CONDITION WHICH IS CHRONIC. This is just weird. ive never really had anything like this before. my scalp externally is actually pretty sensitive at times. initially i was freaking out about brain tumors because its the head, but my doctor assured me its nothing like that and i have NO neurological symptoms AT ALL. Thank God for that!