Headaches...really worried

[LF87]

Hi,
I banged my head last Sunday, it was quite a painful bang and it was sore to touch for a few days. Although the area is no longer sore, I have been getting headaches. I'm terrified I have an internal bleed or something awful like that. I just cant stop thinking about it and its been making me very upset.
I saw the doctor on Wednesday, and she said it would be very unlikely for anything like that to happen, but to keep an eye on the headaches. This, as I'm sure most of you will be able to relate to, is no reassurance at all really. It's made me even more heightened and on alert for any head pains.
I'm just hoping you guys could help reassure me, or know anything about this stuff. I know I have another thread about this but I'm just so scared. My boyfriend has totally ditched me to go out with his friends (as usual), so I'm alone and very scared.
Any help would be great. Thanks x

[jayware33]

Hi there,

The fact that you've already been seen by the doctor should be enough. This happened almost a week ago, and you're still here and able to type this so, I think you'll be fine :).

I agree with you, the fact you're now aware of headaches and waiting for them is not doing you any favors.

Go stick on a movie and get out some ice-cream or something lol.

[.Poppy.]

My guess is that you bruised your head and it is the reason you've been getting headaches. Think about if you hit your leg really hard on something and develop a bruise - it's painful to the touch, and sometimes movement can move the bruise in a weird way and cause pain as well. The difference is that you have hair on your head (I assume) and therefore cannot see the bruise - but it's still there. The skin on our head is very, very thin (not a lot of fat or muscle up there) so it's really easy to hurt it and when you do, it can cause pain. The pain can transfer across the head or even continually hurt because again, you are sore. And the stress you're now experiencing is just making things worse.

I know it's hard to not stress about something (we've all been there) but take a deep breath. You've seen a doctor, and they are not concerned. If you were bleeding in the brain you'd have a whole host of other symptoms that the doc would have quickly picked up on and been very concerned about. Try putting an ice pack on your head when you get a headache - and sometimes putting a warm cloth on your neck helps as well - and just lie down and watch a movie or a favorite TV show and try to relax. You'll be better in a few days. :smile:

[LF87]

Thanks guys, both replies are really helpful.
I've tried getting back in the swing of things today, as I basically moped all last week. No gym no housework, nothing. I've done some tidying today and just settled to watch some game of thrones :) Still got some twingey headaches but trying not to freak out!
Thanks again x

[RaverNeko]

Poppy's response hit the nail right on the head. Her second paragraph especially. If you saw a doctor and they're not concerned, then let that soothe you a bit. Doctors come across a plethora of patients and usually have a really good intuition if something is seriously wrong. If you had something as serious as internal brain bleeding, you'd probably have a plethora of other symptoms that doctors would immediately notice and would respond accordingly. Anyways, if you get injured kinda hard, it's gonna hurt there for a while. Think about when you tripped and fell as a kid and scraped your knee. Remember how long it took for that dang 'ol scab to go away completely? Hopefully that helps, ^_^

[LF87]

Thanks RaverNeko:) Just saw your reply.
I got too panicked and made another appointment, which is tomorrow morning. I'm really scared incase I get referred for a scan now :/ What a stupid cycle this is.
I looked back over my old posts and realised every fear I've had I have been very good at creating pain in that area. How is that even possible? Could this be what I'm doing now?

[.Poppy.]

You'd be surprised at how powerful your mind is, even subconsciously (or rather, especially subconsciously).

If you sit and think about your foot hurting, consciously, your foot is going to start to hurt. If you're worried about a broken bone in your foot, your subconscious mind is going to take that and run with it and your foot is going to constantly hurt, making you feel like your fears are justified.

It's awful and it happens to everyone. We just get hit harder with it because we've already got anxiety. I think your next appointment will go just fine and if you get a scan, that will be fine too -but it may help you put your mind at ease.