Head rush, please help

[Lissy43]

I am in a bad way tonight. I was just siting down watching tv, first time id sat down all day when i suddenly had a head rush, like s swoosh across my head and it made me feel faint, I went into panic mode as you do and i then went down on the floor shouting scott to come in to help me. He ran to me and picked me up, I fell to the floor myself in panic. I was just sitting down relaxing with a glass of wine when i got a sudden rush to the head, only lasted seconds but the crown of my head feels tense now. I am still panicky, scared its going to happen again and now convinced ive a tumour :weep: I am sat here in tears. I thought today id not felt dizzy so felt much calmer then this happens.

Do you think it sounds like anxiety? ive had a very tense headache all day, back of head is tense and my jaw so i thought it was a tension headache but now im worrying its something far worse and im so anxious.

I have done quite abit of driving today, i drove to the the scan with sister & back then to liverpool and back then to cbt woman and back, maybe im tired and stressed but now im sat here worrying it will happen again, i duno how im going to cope tomorrow. Scared it might happen again and im already worrying ive a brain tumour the last few days and now im even more convinced.

[shoegal]

Hi Cherry3,

Yes it does sound like anxiety. I get funny wooshes in my head where I feel almost faint which last for a couple of seconds too. They used to bring on a panic attack but I have got so used to them now I just ignore them.

Please try not to worry.

Love and hugs from shoegal xxx

[bottleblond]

Hell yeah! ive had those too, it's like one minute you feel fine and the next minute wham, hit's you like a tonne of bricks, dizzy as hell and heart going at 100 miles per hour! Your gonna be fine! please don't be upset, it is a horrible yet normal part of this stinking illness!!

Cosy up beside Scott on the sofa and try to relax, you be fine!!

Take care
Lisa
xx

[Lissy43]

Thank you both for your speedy replies. I am calming down abit but still shaking and frightened it might happen again and give me even more reason to think ive a brain tumour. My hubby says head rushes are not even a sigh but im scared if i black out then ive a tumour. I felt very faint when it happened, kind of like i might faint but then i got up and put my head to the floor. I didn't feel dizzy it was just like a sudden woosh to the head and i felt faint. I wasn't even panicky, i was sitting chilling out.

So scared, ive felt dizzy over the weekend and very tired and so convinced myself ive a tumour and now this happens:-(:-(

[nomorepanic]

Head zaps we call them.

Take a look under the common posts links for other posts to reassure you.

I still get them and I don't suffer panic/anxiety much now so you are not alone.

[Lissy43]

Thank you, glad im not alone.

I feel totally shattered now so I might get off to bed in abit but im incredibly anxious its going to happen again.

I have pmd you.

[ro44]

Hi Cherry3,

Your post sounds just like mine. Did you read mine about the "terrifying episode" I had last Thursday? I simply laid down on the couch on my side to watch t.v. and I had this undescribable "woosh" to my head. It scared me SO BAD!!! The first time I felt one was 12 years ago and I called a neurologist I had been seeing. It takes a lot to make me call a doctor in the evening! The second time, I also called a doctor. I was crying and very upset.

I'm not sure if what I felt was exactly like yours. It lasted on a couple of seconds but it takes me days to get over. Like you, I am in so much fear that it will happen again. Can you try to describe the sensation again, pleasI have been desparately searching for years to find out what causes this and I always think that I am the only one in the world who has felt this. Mine is not a normal head rush. You know when you get up too fast. Although I do have that a lot. This is so much scarier!!!. I really think it might have something to do with my neck and shoulders. Do you have problems with your neck or shoulders? Maybe together we can figure this out. Please tell me more about yourself. I have been so upset since Thursday. Have you ever felt this before and if so what were you doing? Sorry if I'm asking to many questions, I am so curious.

Thanks

Ro

[Lissy43]

Hi,

What did your neurologist say when you called him?

Mine was like a woosh to the head from front to the crown and i felt kind of dizzy like i might faint and i had a huge panic attack then, it was strange, ive not had this before and today my head is banging.

At the moment yes im having a tight neck and shoulders, back of my head and jaw are also tight which i guess is tension.

[lexscott]

I know exactly how you feel. It is almost 3 am here and i cannot sleep thinking I have some terrible neurological thing. I have been having sciatica for 6 weeks now and am going to see a neurologist tomorrow. I have two small children and am so afraid of what may happen to thing if something is wrong with me. Can't sleep, can't eat. This is no way to live.

[Lissy43]

I know its terrible isn't it.

I started with a bad back at the weekend so thats panicking me aswell.

Hope you get reassurance. I am going to see my GP today, I need to talk to someone about how worried I am. I am under so much stress at the moment with my family im sure thats what is triggering it.

[mandie]

Hi Cherry3

I suffer with these to. I used to get very scared, but i know they are part of my anxiety now and iv kind of got used to them

love mandie x

[Lissy43]

Thanks Mandie, I have had them if in panic but i wasnt actually having a panic attack so it scared me alot.

[Lissy43]

Thanks for last night, I went to the dr today.

He did listen to me but he was abit 'oh not you again' written across his face, grrrr. He then said 'right lets do some checks to rule out anything sinister' to which I thought 'ekkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk' :winks:

He then did my bp & pulse said 'wel they are both normal' and then said he was gona check my eyes which again he said were fine & he couldn't see any pressure onthe nerves in the eyes but then he said its like looking through a keyhole, he advised I see an optician who can do a wider range of tests to which I asked why & was he concerned, he said 'no im not concerned but for your peace of mind & also floaters are usually harmless but you should get an optician to double check your vision' he said he was happy with the examination but im still concerned what an optician might find.

He asked about stress and i said yes i was very stressed, when i had the panic last night i was getting texts from my sis about the dad not wanting to know and how upset she was etc.... then i had that rush to the head, possibly it was panic although i didnt feel panicky if u know what i mean. He thinks i must of been stressed and has tld me to take a step back with anything that I dont need to be involved with, he advises i look at my life and dont take so much on, again i thought he was hinting at my midwifery plans, grrrr.

I suppose I should be reassured but im very scared about the optician now and what they might find but the dr was sure i was ok and that an optician might just see more of whats going on.

I feel worn out today, had my bloods taken aswell so dreading those results. Arghhhhh when will this all end. On a good note i start cbt in about 8-10 weeks.

[ro44]

Cherry3,

Mine is rather a long story. All started over 12 years ago. Started hearing my pulse in my head. Sometimes when turning my head certain ways, straining (sorry, tmi) just hearing it a lot, kind of like a huh, huh sound that fades in and out. Anyway, I went to a clinic to have it checked out thinking it was just water in ear or something. Dr. said probably temporal arteritis. That was a wrong diagnosis. Went to my regular doctor who didn't really know but wanted me to have a mri to rule out an anerusym. Well that was when my anxiety really started. Mri came back fine. During this time was when I started having the "head zaps". I figured they had to do with the pulsing sound. I still don't know for sure. It could have just been anxiety.

I continued to have the sound and occasional zaps. I then went to a neurologist. He did another MRI on brain and a few years later because I was still having symptoms he did a MRI on neck and also MRA on brain and neck to check arteries. All was ok. I also had an ultrasound on carotid arteries in neck, which was fine.

It seems everytime I get a big head zap I would have more tests. Also had an EEG in the beginning. Neurologist doesn't really know what causes the sound or zaps.

I can sometimes control the soft huh huh huh sound when I move my neck in different positions, but not always. That's why I have thought it might be a mechanical problem and I have been going to various chiropractors for years. My xray shows a reverse cervical curve. My last chiro said it could be fixed with all this therapy, at home and in his office, but I recently decided to quit it. It was just stressing me out too much.

Anyway, I get the zap thing maybe once a month or less. Sometimes several months go by without one. But when I have one it is so scary! I've been to orthopedist about neck and he doesn't seem too concerned. I've been to rhuematologist about my neck, shoulder and back stiffness and he just said it was probably fibromyalgia.

Anyway, I'm sorry to give you my life story. I do know that I think my symptoms have a lot to do with my tight muscles. I have had the rushing sound and zaps at night and when I get up out of bed I notice I am so stiff in neck and shoulders. I can actually hear the sound when I do stretching. I will get up and do gentle stretching and then usually go back to bed and not have anymore zaps. I have gotten so tired of trying to figure this all out. I have had it for so long now I just need to realize that I'm still here and I'm okay.

Don't let my post scare you. Anxiety can cause really weird symptoms. If you need reassurance, going to the doctor might help. I think you just had a head rush and unless it keeps happening I woudn't worry. But you have to listen to your own body. I have a hard time relaxing, breatheing normally, etc. I think that is part of my problem.

Take care, I'm always hear to listen and can probably relate on a lot of your symptoms.

Ro

[emile]

I had a couple of those rushes. It scared the life of me and I just held my head in my hands. I have noticed that they happened when I was very anxious and stressed out. But I am always afraid that they will happen again. My doctor said it could be a result of neck and shoulder problems which I have.

[ro44]

Hi!

Very interesting that your doctor said it could be because of your neck and shoulder problems. What kind of problems are they? Please tell me more as I think my neck and shoulders are linked with this too.

Ro

[Lissy43]

Thank you both, I do suffer with alot of tension in my head & neck at the moment.

The dr wasn't concerned today and has just told me to see an optician for more reassurance. He said I had no symptoms of anything serious (phew) and said head rushes are not a worry as my vision was not affected and I didn't black out. My bp is also normal.

I am sure he would of refered me if concerned.

[JITTERBUG1]

I have had this happen to me on several occations during the last four years. It always sends me into a panic. My doctor just thinks that it is caused by stress. Especially since it has only happened once when I was not at work. I also have extremely tight neck and shoulder muscles. I was also diagnosed with a reversed curve in my neck. My chiro had me coming to see him three times a week until I suffered a panic attack in the waiting room and have avoided going back. I am convinced that it has to do with my neck. I believe that the added stress and tension from work on top of my already tight muscles caused something to get pinched.

Tiff

[ro44]

Jitterbug1,

Did you chiropractor think he could help your neck? What was his methods? Did he think that something could be getting pinched? That's what I have always wondered? Do you have any arm fatique? I have for years. Just folding laundry is hard. This morning I felt something new. When I was wiping off the counters and stretching my right arm out, I would get an almost "electrical type shock" in my right hand. That is worrying me. I did have a EMG test done a few years ago to check nerve function and it came out alright.

[JITTERBUG1]

My chiro felt confident that he could help my neck and anxiety. He thought that through regular adjustments, some exercises to retrain my posture, and correcting my reversed curve he could solve my pain and anxiety. He felt that my head sensations were vascular and that my neck tension along with my top two vetebre being out of place that my blood flow was compromised.
He also felt that spinal subluxations can affect the simpathetic nervous system, causing our signals to cross and cause fight or flight responses when there was no danger. To correct my reversed curve, he has me lie with my head at the edge of my bed with a round pillow under my neck. I am also suppost to start attaching a special strap on my head with a 3 pound weight, while doing this. This is suppost to gradually correct the curve. My husband had no curve at all and was corrected this way.

[ro44]

Jitterbug1,

So does the 3 lb. weight just hang off the bed? That's neat that your husband had his curve fixed. I just wonder if my neck could ever have a "normal curve" again. My chiro had me doing the Pettibon system. He had me doing a traction device that hooks over the back of a door. It has a strap that goes behind my neck and then I pull this bar under my chin. I then do a squat and let my weight work as traction pulling on the back of my neck. Last time I went in he told me that he also wanted me to do the "posture pump" you lay on it and strap your head in and then pump air into it and it bends your head way back. You then have to lay there for 10 minutes or so. To be honest, all the procedures kind of scare me. I don't know if they are really safe. Like you, I quit going. I always seem to feel anxious when I go. But now with these hand sensations I am beginning to think that most of this is from my neck. I just don't know what to do now. Let me know how you get along with your neck situation. My chiro says that with my "crazy neck" that I am going to get arthritis in it in the future if we don't get the curve back the way it should be. I wish I knew what to do. I told the orthopedist who looked at my xray about what the chiro told me about the posture pump. The ortho just looked at me and said " oh, he's gonna fix it, huh?" kind of like he thought that was stupid and impossible. Who do you believe?

Sorry to go on and on, I felt relieved to stop going to the chiro but now with these head zaps and hand zaps I'm beginning to have second thoughts.

Ro

[fed up with it]

Hi did you get your blood done as you said before about being low in ferritin was this normal as this can make you dizzy, as we discussed, i am dizzy and i get this as mine is low.

[Lissy43]

Hi,

I had my full blood count back today, all normal and my ferritin was 25.5 so its rising now. It was 18-19 last summer and it was 21.6 in Feb.

I guess I should be reassured that my full blood count is totally normal.