Diagnose me - Headaches - almost every day

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  • taahine01
    taahine01 Posts: 120 Member
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    I also have bad headaches and migraines and although none of us on here can diagnose you, I agree w/ what everyone said above....

    Another thing to consider is your breathing......believe it or not, shallow breathing or quick breaths can cause headaches as well.....
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
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    Migraines run in my mother's side of the family. We've recently discovered that it is caused by food allergies/intolerances. I had what was essentially a year-long migraine until I had a blood test done for food intolerances. I've since cut out the foods that popped up on the test and I haven't had a migraine (or other very nasty symptoms) since, unless i ate some of those foods again.

    You may want to look into getting a blood test done yourself.

    That is actually very helpful. What kind of doctor would do that type of testing? My GP does not believe in doing anything other than handing out pills.
    Then you need to find a new one!
  • ashielauren
    ashielauren Posts: 17
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    Do you chew gum? When I chewed sugar-free gum on a regular basis, it would often give me headaches. Possibly from the chewing motion, or the bad stuff in sugar-free gum. Now I chew a more natural sugar-free gum less often, and I don't have as many headaches.
  • ajaxe432
    ajaxe432 Posts: 608 Member
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    None of us can diagnose you...
  • smelius22
    smelius22 Posts: 334 Member
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    I have had daily headaches since I was about 14 (I'm 25 now), and was also having around 6 migraines per year. Nothing helped! I was at the doctor every few months complaining and again they would tell me it was hormones or birth control or my neck being too tense and causing tension headaches.. i was prescribed muscle relaxers and tons of other meds and it still persisted.

    I FINALLY took someone's advice and visited a chiropractor. He told me I was on the verge of being diagnosed with seizures, my migraines were so bad and escalating so quickly (I was up to 4+ migraines per MONTH at this time). He told me the culprit was carbs and the way my body broke them down and sent them through to my head and neck. Basically it breaks it down into sugars that are then being processed by my body in a negative way and causing me migraines/mini seizures.

    He suggested I get off of carbs and try the Paleo diet, that was back in August 2013.. I'm not 100% Paleo, I do an edited version that suits my needs and tastes, but I have felt AMAZING ever since and have had zero migraines and less than 3 headache days per month!!

    You might give chiropractic a try :)
  • cathdrew2
    cathdrew2 Posts: 136 Member
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    Ask around for a referral to an acupuncturist. (there are a lot of marginal ones out there) Take your food log and all the other information they will ask you for. I have had amazing relief of pain. GP wanted to send me for MRIs or give me drugs. Acupuncturist had me fixed in 30 days and it's never returned.
  • californiabella
    californiabella Posts: 152
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    How long have you been having headaches? Any significance in the time of the day when you experience these headaches? More so in the morning or in the evening? Do you suffer from hypertension?

    If you doctor hasn't paid close attention to your blood pressure and neither have you, then I suggest you do so. Many times, we think it's something more, when really our vitals can tell most of the story. A lot of doctors seem to overlook hypertension when dealing with the headache/migraine complaints from younger patients.
  • lowfatveg
    lowfatveg Posts: 19 Member
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    When my daughter 1st started on her diet she chose low cal foods and started suffering daily from head aches , it turned out to be the sweetners in yogurts , drinks and other things , once she stopped using things wit sweetness in the headaches stopped
  • plkbplkb
    plkbplkb Posts: 12
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    I stopped all artificial sweeteners and my daily headaches disappeared.
  • minimalistmom
    minimalistmom Posts: 137
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    Before I was pregnant I would get headaches, and chances are 1 of these 3 were the cause.

    1.) I ate too much salt (especially if it was Chinese).
    2.) Temperature change. Going from the cold outside into a warm building or vice versa.
    3.) I was having sinus issues. Dry air was the main cause.
  • AnnaChanges
    AnnaChanges Posts: 109 Member
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    Did you check out your eyes? I had this problem a year ago...my head hurts so much...so times i can't sometimes finish a task from my headache and couldn't find out what it is until i realized that my headache gets better when i wake up (in the morning or after a nap) and so i discovered it is from my eyes...i had them checked and it turned out that i need glasses. My headache disappeared after 4 days of wearing glasses
  • tladyrose
    tladyrose Posts: 5 Member
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    "Migraines" are caused by a lot of things, including foods, smells, light, really anything you can think of. There are a lot of books out now that can help you diagnose your triggers (your local library will have them I bet!)

    My neighbor and brothers GF have sensitivity to processed chocolate, and since avoiding have been headache free. My mother had chronic migraines for many years (before I was born) and regular visits to the chiropractor for a year or two fixed that.

    Think about what foods you eat on a daily basis, and if there are days where it's worse than usual retraced your steps. Were you wearing a particular perfume, eat something different? Did you wake up feeling sluggish, have itchy/puffy eyes or have a particularly bad night of sleep?

    Also, go to a Chiropracter. Even if you don't think you have back pain, headaches can often be caused by muscles in the neck just being unhappy. Go and talk to a chiropracter and let the know you've been having headaches.
  • fit4lifeUcan2
    fit4lifeUcan2 Posts: 1,458 Member
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    Scurvy? I know it's more a pirate type ailment but maybe you're the exception to that.

    I believe scurvy is a vitamin C deficiency. I live in the sunshine state and eat lots of citrus :-)

    Citrus could be the problem. Citrus triggers headaches for me. Look into foods that cause or trigger headaches and see if you're eating any of them. I went to a neurologist for my headaches and he gave me a print out of foods that cause headaches. Most of them I didn't eat but the big ones for me were grapefruits, oranges and lemons. I used to put a lemon wedge in my water every day and ate at least one orange a day as well as a grapefruit for breakfast. It took a few days once I quite the citrus but I haven't had any problems since. Give it a try. Of course keep your appointment with the neurologist. Its always worth having a neuro look into this sort of thing.
  • kamalelwa
    kamalelwa Posts: 44 Member
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    For some people it is related to a food allergy--have you tried keeping a log of how often the headaches occur and what you are eating that may trigger them? it is just a thought? I know if I eat to much sugar my head feels like it is going to blow off!!! I am a migraine sufferer and have noticed that stress does play a huge role in how often they appear!!! Good luck-I hope you get some relief!!!!
  • Athena98501
    Athena98501 Posts: 716 Member
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    I stopped all artificial sweeteners and my daily headaches disappeared.

    Actually, stopping using artificial sweeteners can cause daily headaches too. I learned this when I cut out splenda. They lasted about a month, and I'm someone who rarely got headaches prior to that.
  • luckydays27
    luckydays27 Posts: 552 Member
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    My sister has suffered with migranes every day for the past 20 years. At the age of 41 was diagnosed with macular degeneration in her right eye. Very uncommon in someone her age. Its an old persons disease.

    She no longer has central vision in this eye. He doctor figured that the onset of this disease started with the migranes for all these years and because the eyes were not thoroughly examined, the MD just got worse. She is not to far away from losing complete vision in her eye.

    Get your eyes checked again from an ophthalmologist, not an optometrist.
  • TanithW92
    TanithW92 Posts: 6
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    Hey I'm a medical student and about 80% of chronic headaches have no treatable cause and are just there, I'm very sorry to say!

    Sometimes over-taking analgesics such as paracetamol and codeine actually causes the headache, so if you are taking a lot cut back or take a different pain killer.
    Other non-pathological causes of headaches can be involved in a poor diet, tension headaches from stress, and the classic causes such as coffee, chocolate and cheese.

    Otherwise head to the doctor.
  • tshear123
    tshear123 Posts: 5
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    I had the same issues. went to eye doctor and okay. went to neurologist and he did all the tests. told me probably migranes brought on by lack of sleep. mentioned to my doctor and also that my wife noticed snoring. he sent me for a sleep study. they diagnosed sleep apnea. now i use a cpap machine and the headaches are gone.
  • rhoucheille
    rhoucheille Posts: 61
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    Hi I have migraine since I was like 8 y/o, I used to take medications but just stopped taking those for some health and personal reasons. But my doctor advised me to try logging whatever triggers my migraine. These may or may not be applicable to you but you may wanna consider.

    1. Sodium - Since I am logging my food now, I'm more aware how much sodium I've taken.
    2. Brightness - This happens mostly when I drive, so I have to make sure I wear sunglasses even if there's just a little bit of sun.
    3. Too much sleep (I know a lot of people will say WHAAATTT??? but I shouldn't be oversleeping, 6-8hrs is enough for me)
    4. Milk and chocolates - Dairy foods I guess so I try to limit myself.
  • Oscarinmiami
    Oscarinmiami Posts: 326 Member
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    smoke some pot the headache will go away....lol
    You should go get your eyes checked, did you stop drinking soda,alcohol, or smoking cigarettes?Withdrawel causes headaches

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