Headache for 2 months - getting really afraid now!

[chinadoll19]

Hi, I'm back again. Some background. I have suffered from health anxiety on and off from the age of 16, I am now getting old. I live alone which doesn't help as I seem to be at the mercy of my thoughts with no distraction. I will point out I have been under a great deal of stress for over a year now. My husband died just over a year ago and then we went into lockdown, so I was isolated on my own. I panic every day but if I have health worries the tension and fear is almost unbearable. My beloved cat became very ill a few months ago and then I lost her. I went for my first covid jab four weeks ago and my son who took me for the jab,developed symptoms that night, and tested positive. He is slowly recovering but has been quite ill and still not right. I had to self isolate for 10 days which was terrifying as I thought every day I would show symptoms. Anyway I got through that and beyond and thankfully I am well in that way. So much stress and anxiety though. I had had bowel issues a little while ago and had stool tests and a blood test, all normal apart from borderline calprotectin. I have to do another stool test for that. The dr said it was nothing to worry about but I don't feel sure. All this stress and anxiety has been going on.

About 2 months ago I started to get a headache, I don't usually get them, which was mainly on the top of my head. I have had a headache most days since, some days it is very mild some moderate. Haven't needed to take pain killers. Sometimes its on the top my head, sometimes all over, sometimes at the back of my head. Some days its all day, and others off and on and more off than on. I took heart from the fact that for the last 3 days it was only on briefly but today I woke up with it very bad, particularly at the back. It is stubborn today and won't go, I have to say my neck feels tense and the back of my head. I aware that I am holding myself very tense most days, I can feel the tension from the top my head to my toes, and cannot relax because of the worry over my headaches.

I would like to talk to my dr but I know she will want to see me and I need my son to take me and he can't yet. If it wasn't for the pandemic I would have been before now and also had my eyes looked at as I am due at the hospital for my glaucoma check up but that is after I have my second jab as I am even more terrified after son being so ill and his wife was even in hospital for a few days with it and they are not old.

I know I've rambled on but I am in so much fear over my head, its all I can think about.

Has anyone had headaches like this going on for months?

[Blonde123]

Hi, I had headaches for months. Went to the GP, it was like a tapping on the side of my head. GP basically said he didn’t have a clue. The next day they went away. I’d say you’re under stress and need an eye test. Both likely causes for your headache. Are you taking any analgesics?

[pulisa]

I'd say the pain could well be originating from your neck muscles where there are so many trigger points which refer pain into the head. A physio could certainly sort this out for you.

You've been through so much, chinadoll..I do hope you can get some pain relief very soon.

I've had headaches lasting for 6 months and more..It happens with chronic stress.

[chinadoll19]

Hi, thank you both for your replies. Blonde123 no I am not taking pain killers, it is not bad enough for that, and I tend to bear pain when I can as I don't like taking tablets. If I am told a pain is nothing to worry about I cope, it is the anxiety that really gets to me. Thinking allsorts.

Pulsa, you could be right about the neck as the pain was a bit better for three days, I had it on and off a bit but it didn't last. Then yesterday, I woke up with it really bad at the back of my neck and head (I thought maybe I had been lying in a bad position in bed, well that was my one logical thought). Today I still have it, not so bad, I think I can feel tension at the neck and back of head.

It's funny if you are afraid of some sympton you see or hear bad things about it. Today I was trying to be rational and then someone on television was on about the blood clots and the vaccine. They said the blood clots were not in the leg, which is common, but in the head and a lot of people were dying. Then said their mother had died of one years ago, and all she had was a headache. That really freaked me out. I had my first dose 4 1/2 weeks ago and have had the headache since, but then I feel sure I was getting one before the jab. So now I've got that on my mind as well as a brain tumour etc. It's with it going on for weeks that's fightened me. You said you had headaches for 6 months,, that helps, and I have got chronic stress and anxiety.

Thanks again

[silver_shoes]

Hi, firstly I am very sorry to hear about your husband.

I get headaches fairly regularly . I’m 39 and actually used to get them a lot worse and more frequently than this when I was younger. For me personally, they are linked to my cycle and stress/anxiety.
Do you think there could be an element of tension headache to yours? I say that because you mention that your neck feels sore as well. That is how mine gets sometimes, at the same time as a headache and also sometimes the pain goes down into my shoulders.
Have you ever tried the “4Head” roll on? It’s really good.
I hope you find some relief soon.

[pulisa]

You've had a lot of trauma to deal with over the past year with your husband's death and that of your much loved cat..It must have really taken its toll on you and it's hardly suprising that you are suffering physically now as a result of enduring chronic stress for so long. I'd really recommend getting your neck and shoulders assessed by a physio if you are comfortable with doing this? They know more than GPs about this sort of thing.

[carriewriting]

Oh Chinadoll I'm so sorry you've had to deal with so much loss and trauma. I really hope your headache improves soon. I had something very similar a while back. I thought it would never go away. It really wears you down. I also recommend a physio. Mine talked to me about physical and emotional pain and how it affects your muscles and joints. They can help with both, but if you can't see a physio at the moment, I'd try heat packs, stretching and relaxation videos or podcasts. All the best and I hope your son recovers soon too x

[chinadoll19]

Thank you for taking the time to reply everyone, it makes me feel not so alone. I've had two bad days. Yesterday from the time I woke up my eyes were blurred. That sent me into another panic as I'd only read the day before about the vaccine and the blood clots, it said to look out for headaches and blurred vision. I didn't think it was the vaccine as I had headaches before I had the jab, but I thought it could be a clot or a brain tumour or a least something just as terrible. Now it's not that unusual for me to have blurred vision what with my eye drops and glaucoma and also I have one of the lens they put when I had my cataracts done misting up, so they tell me, easily sorted by lazer. This blurring though seemed much worse, I was stressing about my eyes all day, I also found I couldn't focus properly to read. Funnily enough I had no headache! Now today my eyes are a lot better but my head is very bad, back of my head going up over the top. Really bad pain, I'm thinking all sorts. I do have some pain in my shoulders and neck.

My doctor rang me on Thursday but I missed the call and she left a message asking me to ring her on Friday or next week, she said it was absolutely nothing to worry about, she is good like that, she doesn't want me worrying. I think it was probably about a stool test I should have done but I put off due to my son getting covid and me self isolating. I rang and got the unpleasant receptionist who snapped at me and said the doctor wasn't there and I would have to ring Monday. I am going to do that and tell her about my headaches, but I am feeling very nervous about that because I am so worried about them.

Do you kind people think this could really all be tension, I've mainly had stomach and heart symptoms with my anxiety, so this is new.

[Littlemisswitch]

I'm so sorry you've had to deal with so much these past few years.

For the last few years around this time I also get bad headaches, which I was once really worried about too. That worry made them stick around! Turns out mine were caused by a mix of bad allergies, and TMJ. Do you clench your jaw? I was so stressed out over the headache I was actually tensing all my muscles and ended up making them way worse. I definitely think yours could be tension too!

I also would wake up with the headaches, probably from clenching my jaw in my sleep, and tensing my neck/shoulders throughout the day.

I really hope you start to feel better soon!

[Debbiee]

I know what you mean about worrying about headaches, I had my vaccine on the second of April and I started with headache pain the next day and I’m still suffering, I think I’ve got myself obsessed with the clot situation and feel I have one now.......just can’t stop ready about them etc, rang the Dr and they said take painkillers.....but I’m going back to him tomorrow as I’m so paranoid about the clots ��