Virus? help please!

[Chrissie21]

Hello and thank you for reading... I am going out of my mind, literally. last week had funny 'headache' on one side of my head that was simular to a migraine.. but not one.. and I kept sleeping really heavy all week.. then on Saturday morning just gone I woke up with the worst headache of my life..all over my head bursting and throbbing front back, eyes really scared. took ibruprofen and paracetamol didnt help at all. headache moved to the back of myhead and just pounded. finally subsided a little at about 1am the following day...still ached badly ended up at A&E where the doc checked vital signs and then said that he didnt know what it was and sent me home, but didnt think it was life threatening...since then headache has continued sometimes really strong and sometimes not so strong. all i want to do is stay in bed..been crying all day sick of this headache. it is also painful in my nose and face..i know this is not a migraine..but the doctors dont know what it is because even though i think it is a virus, the doc says i should have a fever...have now been given antibiotics as it could be sinusitis....anyone ever had anything simular..WHAT is causing this terrible headache that seems to be lasting forever?

[macc noodle]

Hi Chrissie 21

Hope you feeling a bit better this morning?

There does seem to be an awful lot of nasty viruses around at the moment - but you do not need to have a fever to have a virus so am not sure what the doc meant by that unless, of course, he was checking for swine flu which does generally entail a fever.

If it is sinusitis, then it is can be extremely painful and unpleasant and hopefully the antibiotics will help. You could try some steam inhalation to see if that helps?

I have had a virus all over Christmas and one of the features of it was a really bad headache and very painful face, ears etc but I also had the runniest nose ever!!

If you are still worried, contact the doctor and make a new appointment or phone NHS Direct for advice.

Take care

[Chrissie21]

hi, thank you for writing back to me. I am feeling a little better this morning, but I cannot relax as I am suspicious of another relapse like I had last week! crazy I know but headaches are a real worry for me.

Thank you for your reassurance about the fever thing as well, I find that doctors are so flippant with their comments sometimes. I also thought it was possible to have a virus without a fever.

X

[AllInMyHead]

Hi Chrissie21,

I've had sinusitis on and off for years. It hasn't ever caused *really* bad headaches like the ones you are describing, but apart from that a lot of the symptoms you are describing sound very familiar to me. I've had lots of feelings of pressure in all different parts of my head, face, eyes, ears, jaw. It moves around, so one day I'll have a throbbing headache in my forehead, the next day my right eye feels like it's going to burst. I first got it when I was about 14, and spent several weeks convinced I had a brain tumour, before finally going to the doctor.

I've found that antibiotics and nasal sprays don't do much to shift it, so don't panic if they don't seem to do much good, that doesn't mean it isn't sinusitis. I find the best thing for mine is regular heavy exercise - I have in my mind that it clears out all those pipes in my head (disgusting), but maybe it's just the endorphins that make me feel better. Anyway, if you're that way inclined and feeling well enough it's an easy thing to try.

And as for the fever thing, I went to see my GP about another potentially fatal condition recently, he looked up my nose, and said I looked like I had infected sinuses. I said 'but I've had no fever or even being feeling ill like that'. He told me that you don't necessarily have to have fever to be infected.

I should also point out that my sinusitis is really pretty mild, and when I do have it now it doesn't really bother me (unless I've decided it's actually another fatal condition and my anxiety makes it ten times worse).

Glad you are feeling a bit better today, hope you are properly better soon.

[Mazzmate]

Chrissie 21, hi. You have described in every detail the symptoms I went to my GP with this morning and she has prescribed me antibiotics for sinusitis. I had a rotten cold and cough for about four weeks in the run up to Christmas, and haven't really got over it. Of course my HA has gone in to overdrive and I didn't know whether it was really something physically wrong or I was having a blip. Anyway she has decided to treat me for sinusitis and she told me that loads of people have been going in with the same problems since they have had a virus. So it sounds as if that may be the problem. Hope you are better soon.