Is this a tension headache?

[Lissy43]

I feel really low today:blush:

This afternoon i started with a tension/achy feeling in my left cheek, over left side of forehead, behind left ear and mainly in my jaw, it feels all heavy and throbing.

Is this tension? I am worried as i had a headache on my crown area about 3 weeks ago and iw as freting it was migraine.

I have been very upset since my cat attacked my foot last night (silly hey), emotional today, and anxious, not sure why. So I am worrying about my head tonight, hubby says its tension as my jaw throbs alot.

Can anyone reassure me? I worry im getting migraines you see but hubby says id be so ill with them.

[micheal88]

i have these they come and go

[Lissy43]

Do you think it's tension?

[anxious]

Sounds like your clenching your teeth? I get a lot of tension in my face, teeth and jaw area.

xx anx xx

[Lissy43]

Does it ache behind your ear too?

[anxious]

Yes it does, its all connected

xx anx xx

[Lissy43]

So probably is tension then. xxx

[Lissy43]

Does it hurt when you get up to walk though? It throbs when sitting, but if i walk it kind of pulses in my head abit:-(((just down back of head and forehead on left side.

[heather xx]

i get tension headaches some times and yes if im walking up the stairs or bending down or even go to sit down it seems to throb worse :) x

[Roadtorecovery]

I have tension headaches which on occasions can last up to a week, just treat your body well , keep hydrated, avoid long stretcs on computers etc, it all helps, you could look at gettin your eyes tested to check your not straining them, give it time, it might not go away over night, but you shouldn't have it last too much longer

take care

[Going home]

The headache I get, and have been getting fairly regularly for the last 8 years is always on the left side and there's always a pattern. It starts at the top of my head on the left side, radiates down to the temple, then comes down behind my eye and then my ear. It lasts around 2-3 days then disappears again til the next time....maybe in 3 weeks, or 6 weeks or 8 weeks...I never know. Ive been told its migraine but whatever it is its so familiar to me now and isnt life-threatening albeit very painful. Unfortunately I cannot tolerate strong painkillers, they really knock me about and make me feel very spaced out and not in control of my body which i hate, so the strongest thing for me is paracetamol or ibuprofen....which is probably why it takes a few days for it to clear.

The answer is, who knows what type of headache it is? it could be migraine, tension or cluster headaches...perhaps your doctor would be able to work it out. The best thing is for you to find the painkiller that works for you and try not to worry about it too much, i'm sure the headaches are nothing more sinister.

Anna xxx

[Lissy43]

Thank you all very much.

Well after only 4 hrs sleep it seems to have gone? Hubby says migraines wouldnt go that quivk, is he right? But he says tension would?

Im just anxious about them coz thats 2 headaches in 3 weeks now:( They are the kind of headache ive always had, just not this frequent. My guess is though it would be daily if if was from being on the pill. Ive been on a low dose pill for my heavy periods for 3 months now.

[blueangel]

The pill can certainly make headaches worse, particularly round the time of your period. What you're describing though sounds like a tension headache rather than migraine.

Migraine headaches in general are much more intense; they're often described as a hot, throbbing pain that takes a while to build up. The other thing with migraine is that you often get a lot of other symptoms with them, as they not "just a headache". Many sufferers get gut symptoms or visual disturbances with them, which usually ( but not always) appear before an attack. This is called an aura, but a proportion of migraine sufferers don't get them at all, which the medical profession doesn't seem to entirely understand yet.

[Lissy43]

Thank you.

It was like a tight throb? All on left side of face and left side at back, behind ear and jaw.

My period isnt due for 2 more weeks on the pill.

[Lissy43]

I just went to gp, been in tears all morning:( he said it didnt sound typical of migraine, but if get more im to stop pill, esp if i get aura:((( do u get aura just before?

He said it sounded more like tension or sinus., but didnt reassure me what a migraine was like and he was saying if it is migraines i will hav to come off pill, so im confused. I will continue to worry now that they are migraines when i get them:((( i hoped he would reassire me it was tension, then id not worry about them.

Bp was 110/75.

[Going home]

I think migraines can be different for different people, some people don't get any warning or flashing lights or auras, they can just come on quite quickly and disappear quickly too, then you can feel a bit 'delicate' and tender for a day or so after the headache has gone. Some people are laid up in a dark room with them and others can have alot of nausea so the pattern is slightly different in everyone. Hormones can make headaches worse in women and those prone to all kinds of headaches can get them just before a period or in the first few days of one. Mine were bad when I was younger then seemed to disappear but came back with a vengeance when I hit the menopause and now I get them every few months. I wouldn't worry too much, if the pill is to blame for yours, the doc might try another one, or maybe a patch or something instead. Its not easy trying to work out which type of headache we get, the main thing is to try and find a way of dealing with the pain. Hope you feel better.

Anna xxx

[Lissy43]

Thank you.

Im just really worried, but gp said he didnt think it was migraine. He said as it got better quickly after 4hr sleep it seemed more like tension, and i feel fine today. It also got liads better when i relaxed with my mum last night, but got bad again when she left. He said that did sound like tension?