Headaches

[sandy40]

Hi,its me again,for 3 weeks now ive had the most awful headaches,they are mostly at the back of my head and behind my left ear but they can be around the forehead too and also down my jawline,anyway ive been to my drs a few times and hes been checking me over and seems ok with me anyway on Monday they were really bad and i went to AE,they decided to do a CT scan,they said it was fine and sent me home telling me to stop the Tramadol painkillers my gp had given me as they werent working so whats the point of taking them...i saw my GP yesterday and hes now given me just paracetamol..my headaches are still there and im worried whats causing them...my gp says stress and anxiety but surely they wouldnt be there all day everyday,im really worried.Would the CT scan have picked up anything sinister?.

[Markmark]

Hi
Painkillers often end up giving you headaches. Bad headaches! You take more pain killers but they give you more headaches. Trust me i went through the same as you. I stopped taking every form of pain relief for two weeks. The headaches lasted for two or three days. I drank water and tried to sleep alot.
I ached at night and went through a couple of days of hell but there was light at the end of the tunnel and now if i get the odd headache a couple of paracetimol do the trick. I will never take strong pain killers again, they are addictive and do more damage than good. Pleeese try. It will change your life!

[sandy40]

Thanks Mark,ive not took Tramadol since monday,im now just taking paracetamol,i was up until the headaches begain,swallowing co-codamol and co-dydramol (spelt wrong) like sweets for my bad back,well my backaches got better and then these awful headaches started,bloody everyday all day,i keep telling myself to not think about them but its constant..im staying off the strong ones and i hope it works for me as it did you,thanks for your reply.x

[emmi]

hi luv it could be that you are dehydrated try drinking plenty water and constant anxiety and stress can cause headaches aswell hope you feel better soon x

[sandy40]

HI,yip im drinking lots but its not helping,i feel ive no where to go as my gp is sick of me znd i cant keep going to AE,they are sick of me too but im worried.

[crystal17]

Hi Sandy, I get headaches quite often too plus weird head sensations but unlike you im not brave enough to go and get a CT scan done as im scared of what they will find!

The fact that you've had one and it was clear is a really good sign - they are amazing at showing anything out of the ordinary or worrying.
Maybe you could just ask a different GP to see you and ask them to do some blood tests? Then that could pick up anything which may be causing the headaches ie thyroid/other hormone deficiencies.

Try not to worry, the worst is out of the way with the CT scan.

[sarah_85]

Hi,
I have had a headache for 8 days now. Health anxiety is cruel because if we could function normally we'd think "ok, so a headache is the most common ailment in the world, it's probably nothing sinister" but instead if ur like me, u automatically assume ur a gonner. I am convinced i have a brain tumour. have been to my GP who tells me it's stress and anxiety causing this headache. and the more i worry about it the worse it will get. but it's so hard not to worry.
but, i would say to you if u have had a CT scan, then you dont need to worry at all. it would have picked up anything in your head if it was causing the headaches. it is most likely tension cause when ur anxious u clench ur jaw, hunch ur shoulders and neck and maybe even grind ur teeth without noticing. this can all cause a really painful head.
im currently having CBT and trying to learn to replace the thoughts of "im dying" or " i have a brain tumour" with more rational ones like "if i had a brain tumour i wouldnt be able to sit and type on the computer, i'd be in too much pain" or "if i had a brain tumour i'd have other symptoms as well as a headache". also, i am saying this because this is my worst trait, STAY OFF GOOGLE. do not google ur symptoms, i do it, constantly and it only ever winds me up to the point when i have back to back panic attacks. maybe you dont do this, and if you dont then good for you. but i have to use all my strength to stop myself from doing this, and it really is the kindest thing i can do for myself cause it never reassures me, only upsets and worries me.
hope you're feeling better soon. xxxxx

[morganbird]

Hi
I suffered with these kind of headaches back last year. They got so bad I was refereed to a neurologist who sent me for an mri scan. everything came back normal and he suggested I take 2 aspirin and an anti sickness tablet
So off I went and done what he asked and honestly it really helped me. When I get a migraine I take co codemols bu only 2 then I go to 3 aspirin and it sure helps.
Ur headaches sound like tension headaches and stree headaches.
I bought a book on headaches from the chemist and it really helped me to understand the way my head felt
Maybe have a look
Hope this helped xx

[sandy40]

Thank you for your replies,i find it hard ot believe they are anxiety/stress related but to be honest im very low just now and crying alot,mostly because of the headaches and the fear of whats causing them,my cpn is on holiday and i feel ive no-one to talk to,ive a crisis team but they are finished with me as i have a cpn,sorry for the self pity but im really low.x

[sarah_85]

don't apologise hun, that's what we are all here for. i can really sympathise with u, we have so much common ground. i was like this at the beginning of the week, just total and utter dispair because of the worry about the headaches. i could barely speak without bursting into tears.
however, when i took a step back and realise i could barely speak without bursting into tears it made me realise that if i was stressed enough to keep crying, i was definitely stressed enough to cause a headache.
i still have mine, in fact it's more like my head just feels really pressurised and it feels like im constantly straining my eyes to see. and it's horrible. it's all i can think about. but just trust that it is anxiety. if the GP/hospital are not concerned, you shouldnt be. doctors are highly trained, they know what they are looking for and if they say they aren't worried, it's the truth.
i honestly know how wretched u must be feeling, but it will get better. xxx

[sandy40]

Thanks Sarah,yes i guess if im crying alot i must be stressed,i never thought of it like that before.My headache moves its right at the base of my neck just now on the left side..ive never really had headaches before and now imhaving them all day every day.oh i hope your right and it gets better.xx