Diagnose me - Headaches - almost every day

I suffer from a severe migraine disorder. Seriously, that was the "technical" term that the neurologist and neuro surgeon gave me. Starting last March, I was getting mild to severe migraines everyday that would last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, my longest one lasted for 37 days. I saw my GP, I saw my gyno, I went to the ER several times and finally saw a neurologist. After several MRIs, I found out that 1. the hole where my brain stem connects to my spine is smaller than normal, causing pressure. 2. While I have normal spinal fluid flow in the front of my brain, I have significantly reduced to no spinal fluid flow in the back of my brain ( this was something I was born with, apparently). For me, my migraines can be paralyzing if I don't take my meds everyday. When I do get a migraine anymore, maybe a couple a month, my face, back of my head, neck, and sometimes my arms get a tingling/numb sensation, I've had this since day one. If you have them frequently, I suggest seeing a neurologist. My other doctors put me on several different meds that didn't do anything, but now, I can actually function.

I am reading a book on nutrition, and it could be a lack of nutrients in your diet. I have headaches alot too, and am trying to improve my diet for a variety of health problems. The book im reading says alot of health issues can be curbed and prevented by eating a diet that focuses on veggies, fruits, beans, and nuts, with making meats, grains, and dairy only a small portion of your life. I have not started eating this way, but I am trying juicing to add more micronutrients into my diet, and I am trying to make better nutrient choices. I am not giving you a diagnosis - just something to try out. Check out juicerecipes.com if you want to try out juicing.

Like others have already posted, along with tracking your food, track the onset of your headaches. You might be surprised what you find.

I had headaches with regularity; some included the "floaters" you were talking about. There were many culprits for the various types of headaches I have including:

* missing meals

* change in barometric pressure -- to this day, I can anticipate a weather pattern change 3-days out. I get a certain type of headache, and I know "oh, it's going to rain in 3 days"

* MSG in food

* fake sweeteners, including aspartame

* standing up too fast

* standing stationary for too long -- think washing dishes, hands in hot water, not shifting weight from foot to foot

Try the tracking method and see if anything clicks for you. And of course, seek medical attention if symptoms get worse, change from your 'baseline' of typical-type headaches, or you just know something's up. Your body could be telling you something. Best of luck!

Floaters are actually dark spots that move through your vision. Sparkles & flashes of light should be reported immediately to your eye doctor so he/she can verify you are not having a retinal detatchment. Sparkles, auras, & squiggly lines could also be indicators of optical migraines. Hope this info helps you.

I suspect brain cancer.




Seriously - see a doctor.

I'm not saying that's not an option but there are dozens of people telling me similar headache stories and what they found the cause to be. None of them mentioned cancer. Is there any reason in particular that you suspect cancer?

I think she's joking.

Not a good joke, though.

I would talk to your doctor more, though.

Actually, headaches can often be a sign for having a tumour in the brain/eye area. I highly doubt it would be that, but the point is - it can be anything, so seeing your doctor is your best option.

Here are my suggestions.

See a chiro (a good one, not a quack.. they should not want to see you for more than a few months if they are good at their job, and will also probably give you exercises to do at home to maintain proper alignment).
Check your shoes for uneven wear.
Pay attention to your sitting and sleeping. Do you tuck one foot under you? Do you sit crooked to one side? Do you sleep with a huge pile of pillows under your neck, which is cranking it forward or backwards or to the side?
Humidity levels. These can play a HUGE role in headaches, especially if you have sinus problems you are unaware of.
Many people are allergic to sulfites, especially in wine, which can manifest, even from a half glass, the next day in a wicked headache.

Also, an elimination diet may help. Start with the most common trigger foods, and eliminate them.

Also, environmental factors like the type of light. Some people have serious issues with the frequency emitted by flourescent light bulbs (and they are also in computer displays and flat panel TVs).

Good luck, chronic headaches can really suck, and i've found several of the things above to help dramatically with mine. (Especially the chiro/neck issues)

Diet soda gives me horrible migraines. I have also found the if I have too many pillows at night my neck gets all screwed up and I end up with a headache.

Good luck, I had one for a month last year, oh god it was the worst!

My true story.

I had chronic headaches for years, but they started getting worse and turning into true migraines and more frequent, so I went to my doctor multiple times for help. I was put on all kinds of drugs for it over the years. Some would work for a while , but then the headaches would just come back.

I finally decided to get off all meds, and do something someone recommended for headaches. The Whole30 diet for 30 days. You eliminate lots of foods including dairy, all grains, and more. You basically eat whole fresh veggies, whole fruits, meats without additives/preservatives. (You can find all info online if you google whole30 or whole9). Then, if you want, you can add back one food group at a time and see if you have headaches.

My headaches went away! Even my plantar fasciitis pain went away.

I do believe it was the preservatives/ chemicals in foods that were my culprit.

I continue to eat this way , and feel a million times better.

You really have to want to do this and really want to get rid of your headaches. I am very happy to control my pains with diet, instead of medications. I hate taking medications.

You're welcome to message me if you have any questions.

When was your last eye test? If I don't wear my glasses, I get headaches. Especially when I'm using the computer under fluorescent lights.

So I actually do work in neurology (I'm a PA) and granted I can't diagnose you without actually talking with you, examining you, etc, I can say that daily headaches happen for a huge amount of reasons so it's often really hard to pinpoint what is going on. The most common cause of daily chronic headaches I see in my practice are related to taking too many over-the-counter pain medications - i.e. you have a headache so you pop Tylenol, the headache comes back so you take more, ad nauseum until not taking something causes the headache. Tylenol's the worst (and products with caffeine), but any pain medication can do that. They're called medication rebound headaches. Again, not sure if you're taking anything, but just limit the medication the best you can and taper off of it. Headaches get worse before they get better, but your doctor may be able to give you something to deal with it.