Head pressure, Brain fog, odd head sensation, feeling detached
Posted , 724 users are following.
Hi all,
I decided to become a member and make a post here after reading the forums for quite a while, great site by the way.
I am currently suffering with various symptoms and am in a bad way and just don't know where to turn any more so thought I would post here and see if anyone has any similar experiences or advice.
So first of I am male and 26 years old. I have been suffering with the symptoms in the title pretty consistently for about 2 and a half years now. I used to have some relief from the symptoms for a day or 2 here and there or maybe a bit of relief for a few hours in the day but recently the symptoms are pretty much constant and I cannot shake them.
I have an overall mild pressure feeling in the head, its not painful but is just very aggravating and feels really strange. I also have extreme brain fog with this and like a fuzzy head, there is a constant cloud over my brain and I never have any mental clarity or a clear head. My cognitive function is extremely poor now, my short term memory is non existent, its scarily bad. I often feel, detached from reality when the symptoms are bad and suffer from de-realisation, although I think this may be down to some anxiety and depression I experience when the symptoms run me down. I also get random sharp cramping pains in the head, they are quite painful but do not bother me so much as they only usually last a second or 2, it varies on how many I get of these each day but its usually less than 5. It often feels as though my brain is malfunctioning somehow and my cognitive function and senses are all out of whack, its hard to explain. There can sometimes be a build up of these symptoms throughout the day and by the night I can feel like I somehow how the flu without a fever? Like I have the head pressure, completely foggy headed, I feel super unwell, weak, sometimes even start feeling cold. Also have night sweats usually for about 4 or 5 days each month, there doesnt seem to be any sort of pattern to them that I can notice, so not sure if they are relevant. Another thing I have is ringing in ears which is mild but seems to have gotten worse recently if that sounds relevant at all. The main thing that gets me is the odd head pressure/sensation and the utterly life hindering brain fog, my brain feels like it is coated in a dark blanket constantly.
I do suffer from anxiety, I know many of these symptoms can be caused or made worse by these symptoms. I dont doubt that anxiety is a contributing factor and the way I think about they symptoms probably makes them worse but I have come a long long way with my anxiety, I have good control over it, I haven't had a panic attack in a couple of years, I manage to control most of my concious anxiety and stay in a positive mindset. No doubt I still have some subconscious anxiety underlying and I am working on that but I am not convinced this is the route cause of my symptoms. I am in therapy for my anxiety. I do not feel I will ever fully recover while I have these symptoms hanging over me though.
I have been to the doctor about these symptoms, although I do think I struggle to explain them or put them across very well in the doctors office. I have have blood tests which are all normal. I saw a neurologist couple of years back when this started, had a CT scan which was normal, they put the stabbing pains down to icepick headaches and thought the other symptoms were probably made worse by my anx/depression. Since then I went away and have been on anti depressants etc with no improvement of symptoms. I have also had a few ECGs and a 24hr ECG as I have slow heart rate and low bp so thought maybe the symptoms could be down to low bp and lack of blood to the brain, doctors do not think think this is the case and all my results came back normal. I have recently been back to the neurologist who is referring me for an MRI although he said he is sure there is nothing sinister and thinks the symptoms are probably tension type headaches and made worse by and previous drug use, he only put it down to the drug use when i told him about it though so it seemed like a convenient diagnosis. I forgot to mention I used to take drugs on the weekends socially, cocaine, ketamine and ecstasy on different occasions for a couple of years, I have had periods where I have felt ok since taking these drugs and do not really think they are the cause, I was not an addict this was just one or 2 nights a month at the weekends. So I have an MRI coming up but the neuro thinks it will be clear and obviously I hope it is and I am looking for other answers.
What could be causing these symptoms? Other than anxiety which i no can be a factor, but I have periods where my anxiety is pretty much non existent but these symptoms still build up out of nowhere and persist. I was thinking maybe some sort of allergy could be a possibility, I have tried cutting out gluten and lactose, this didn't seem to make much difference although I didn't stick to this for very long. I actually did a juice fast for 2 weeks with eating nothing other than fruit and veg juice put through a juicer to see if that would help but it didn't really give me any relief. Are there any other stomach issues that could cause this? I never have diarrhoea or constipation, my stools always float recently though, to the point of not being able to flush them, also whenever I have seen chance medicine doctors they check me out and say they think i have issues with digestion, i don't feel i have these issues but do wonder if there might be something in it.
Could there be something going on with the blood vessels in my head? Could it be a spine/posture issue? Some sort of epilepsy or electrical activity in my brain? I just have no idea now and am desperate for some relief. If anyone has any ideas or advice I would really appreciate it.
Oh just to add I am reasonably fit, I try go to the gym a few times a week and I do some weight lifting. I am a normal weight. I have been losing some weight recently which is a concern but I am still in a normal weight range for height and age.
Thanks for reading
56 likes, 1496 replies
victoria19633 Recoverandheal
Posted
jpick20 Recoverandheal
Posted
I have the same please stay in touch and let me know what you find out I haven't had any luck but I haven't had the test done like you have.
Sleepyalix Recoverandheal
Posted
Umm... Ditto? Besides that, though... I've had one experience that might be illuminating (it certainly was to me) First though, I apologize if I end up repeating what someone else has said, after suffering with this for so long I imagine that everyone here has been up and down Suggestion Street a few times and by now at least half of us are waiting for news on some imported tropical disease that doesn't kill you but makers you feel like a dying hypochondriac nonetheless... Or, okay... Maybe that's just how I see myself on bar days. Anxiety sucks, and I've got nothing for it but conscious detachment. HOWEVER-this pressurized groggy brain thing has been dealt with a couple times very successfully. A little background info... (I apologize too for jumping around, but please bare with me cuz I have a point if not the focus to get there right away) besides being plagued with consistently bizarre bad luck, I have had severe asthma since before I took my first grade photo and life threatening allergies to every creature on the planet that doesn't walk on two legs... That being said, you might imagine I have a tendency to be a little extra sensitive to some other things, like everything, but not what you'd expect. I've never had any bad reaction to a lotion or cream and peanut butter is one of my favorite foods, thanks for letting me share that
Still, I can't breathe cold air-literally, my lungs won't have it and without a scarf in winter it feels like I'm drowning. Also, I have an obsessively detail oriented memory so my God blessed subconscious shortens my breath of I so much as look at a picture of a dog... (Yoga and focusing on college helped THAT) Then there's this... I dunno.. fatigue? I don't like calling it that because of what it's associated with by people who don't KNOW this like we do. I was finally put on Adderall when I half fell asleep/passed out at a stop light and rolled out into one of the busiest intersections in town. It's just a bandaid, however, and the search for the root cause continues... (One theory is the corticosteroids for the asthma) Anywho-I mention all this because I know that we all like to believe we are created equal like off an assembly line but some of us were just made on a Friday ten minutes before closing time, victims of that uncertified, juvenile delinquent stork who cared less about our equality than going to get high with his old cellmates.. Point being, some people have strengths where some have weaknesses. We digest foods differently, we cry over different movie scenes and done of us run benefit marathons while others prefer the kind you find on Discovery during Shark Week. It's not all in the genres, but the way we react to influences is for the most part, out of our control at the time it happens, even though there isn't any micro bug from Peru pulling strings. Bummer right? That would be easier to deal with. I've"solved this issue a few times, but I'll try to shorten the rest of this to what I imagine MIGHT have been overlooked.
K so... It took years, but only recently did I put this together...Here goes...
Dehydration. -really. I got so sick with this crap last fall I thought it was the end (thank you anxiety) but I got fed up and five doctors later (seriously) I found myself being sent to Emergency care to get pumped full of fluids. I learned that day that no matter how disgusting Gatorade may be, you CANNOT stay hydrated if you're drinking water by the gallon and not balancing it properly. I was bouncing back and forth between dehydrated and over hydrated, or rather -if flushed out all my salts and sugars. See, I'm 28, feel like I'm fifty, but this is something I didn't see coming, especially because the loopy-ness didn't feel different from any other time, but I just couldn't bring myself out of it until that doctor had a stroke of elementary brilliance.
Another occasion, it started getting worse again about two months after that... This time though, with the hot water in the tub/shower(I do both)-it's like my brain swelled to exploding point and I couldn't stand up anymore. I collapsed just as I dragged my naked butt out to the memory foam bathmat. Again-thought Holy crap-I'm not gonna make it through this. I wanted to call 911 but my phone was in the other room. My ten year old was home though and I had a moment of clarity when he burst into the bathroom after I didn't respond for a minute and suddenly my focus was all on not scaring him with Mom's glow in the dark tushy. K.. So mini investigation initiated and the survey said-it was vitamin b12 deficiency. If you don't know about b12, it's cuz you shouldn't ever have to-it's in EVERYTHING that"used to have a face" but not goes good in stew with toast, grilled and garnised. (And chewed thoroughly when your grill frequently leads a propane rebellion and rejects such limitations as those normally set by a gauge of sorts. Being deficient usually means anorexia or tapeworm-I suffer from neither. My b12 is consistently on the"low end of normal but still normal". Weird, Right? I'm not a vegetarian so there's just no excuse for that much fuss, but it was brought back under control when I started having eggs for breakfast again, something I hadn't had time for between homeschooling my son and attending the college..until I realized I need consistent feeding of dead creatures or else face a kind of hell worse than post-delivery morning sickness.
K... I'm sorry for the long stories-> other solutions have included sleep deprivation when a medication change put me in a trance similar to sleepwalking, but I never left my bed and I didn't get sleep. O.o
"Forgetting" to go pee (holding it too long when I was the only female in a construction crew working a12 hr shift precisely nowhere near a restroom. ) I'd ignore it until my bladder pretty much went numb.
I don't know what would cause it when I was younger (probably much of the same) but the older I've gotten, the worse my symptoms have become. Except.... It's not like a disease that's winning, it's just me getting more sensitive to these imbalances and not having parents feeding me healthy, protein rich foods and keeping me on a tight sleeping schedule. Yeah... I was spoiled, and I absolutely took it all for granted. We're getting older, we were warned that not everything is puppies and rainbows after turning sixteen but stubborn denial is ageless.
To sum it all up...The reason there may be no certain answer yet is that... Straight as can be... those people on here fighting this unnamed entity that makes us feel so crappy are so convinced there has to be an answer other than -it's just the card some of us are dealt- that they've overlooked ANYTHING that could suggest that simple, but permanent, lifestyle changes which are ALWAYS inconvenient, could be all that's needed. We don't like to admit weaknesses, and certainly don't like always giving up that extra twenty minutes of sleep in the AM because eggs and bacon (or microwave burritos-oh yeahhhh) make all the difference in your already deprived body when you head out to conquer the world every day. But, After fifteen years of repeating all kinds of tests blood draws, sleep studies, MRIs, etc... and getting "still normal" results, I've accepted the only logical conclusions offered-8 hours of sleep is eight hours without sustenance. My body doesn't have the patience to wait until noon and whether or not I Used to get away with it, my body's keeping score now. Also, switching prescription medication can have unforseen effects and should never be ruled out just because the symptoms are The same. Apparently, this glasswork model prissy pants Sacco of blood and bones is picky and when it doesn't like something-my head swells (not literally-just feels like it) while my sub conscious is screaming at me to fix it instead of look for some phantom cause that explains every time this happened. It's just the way I am. Not easy to accept-but I'm finally getting it under control. Healthier living. Who'da thUnless?
If this post speaks to anyone on here, my last bit of arsenide is to keep a journal... Or at least a few basic daily trackers (Hydration/meals/sleep/and how you feeeeeeel) and hopefully you will soon see connections that didn't stand out before.
rodamo Sleepyalix
Posted
theresa07885 Recoverandheal
Posted
hello....you might want to try a few things...first,after your appt, schedule an appt for a chiropractor to manipulate you. a really good one will offer a freebie. once your body's kinks are removed, go outdoors. bike, hike, trails, walk thru a park. just spend the day outdoors. i have noticed when im on the computer doing too much genealogy work, i can get headaches, neck aches and brain fog and lots of yawns. but once i go outside and putter with the garden or take the laundry over to the laundromat(apt complex has a community laundromat) it makes all the difference in the world. its good you have several things checked out. take some aleve. hang outside for hours, go camping one night on the wkend, doing it regular. you will find your body responds well to this. i am 62, with 6 grown kids, many experiences with migraines, fogginess and have been taking anti seizure meds since i was 6 and let me tell you, after all these years, those barbituates really fog my brain. no seizures for 20 yrs now, but still prescribed cuz the drs dont want to mess up a good thing. good luck to you. meditation and prayers works wonders.....
shane47284 theresa07885
Posted
Someone has a real medical condition and you tell them to go outside and that will fix everything...What great advice! You're a joke
snowfeather Recoverandheal
Posted
Hello everyone,
Just another person suffering all the above mentioned symtoms. Diagnosis fibromyalgia and Meniere's, but I have noticed that my symtoms flare when around wifi, microwaves and neon lighting and subside to a large extent when in nature. Has anyone been checked for radiation sickness?
snowfeather
Posted
I am wondering if these symptoms may be the price we are paying for our extended use of technology and devices? I notice all those around me that are HSP (highly sensitive people) are struggling in the same way.....even my grandchildren complain of "a full head and tiredness". Does anyone else notice the effects of this?
steven713 snowfeather
Posted
I'm starting to think you might be on to something, I've noticed that a lot of people here(myself included) spend a lot if time with electronics which would mean bad posture weather sitting in a chair or constantly straining neck muscles by staring down at our phones fir long periods of time... I would be curious to know how many people have lung conditions that are going thru this or how many do not walk fir 20 minutes a day
heidi21536 Recoverandheal
Posted
violetb Recoverandheal
Posted
Hi. I don't have any help to offer, but will just say that I have experienced similar symptoms. Especically the pressure in the head. Ugh. I also feel like I have the flu even though I know I don't have the flu. This has been going on for 7 years. Initially I would have a bout that would last about 10-12 weeks and then would be fine for a year when it would happen again. Now my bouts are happening several times a year and still lasting 8-10 weeks. All doctors have been completely unhelpful. No drugs of any kind have ever been helpful to me in terms of reducing my pain/discomfort or giving me a sense of clarity...less fogginess, better memory.
Of course I am anxious and depressed. Who wouldn't be?
I think it's an ear thing, but not an infection. But the last ENT I saw made me feel like I was mental, so....
t's hard to live like this.!!!!
steven713 Recoverandheal
Posted
snowfeather steven713
Posted
martha52046 Recoverandheal
Posted
I had all of these symptoms while I was taking Prednisone for allergies. They stopped once I stopped taking it. Do you take any allergens?
steven713 martha52046
Posted