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
carey76544 Recoverandheal
Posted
aushrah Recoverandheal
Posted
Hi Recoverandheal & others in the forum,
I've found this thread as I was looking for some information to understand my own symptoms better. I can relate to everything that @Recoverandheal wrote here.
My symptoms are also a mild pressure in my head (not painful but annoying), a kind of tinnitus (something what you would feel if you put two seashells on both ears or like the sound of a refrigerator at night). I am also feeling a kind of weakness, however, although fogged, my mental performance seems to be quite well as can still type long texts, analyze and learn new things. The interesting thing is just that my active work hours have to be shorter, as suddenly in the middle of the day I turn very tired.
My symptoms started 10 months ago. First, it was 7 days - I was anxious because I had never experienced that before. I could not sleep for 4 nights (96 hrs without sleep!), after that the tinnitus and pressure disappeared. Then, it came back about 3-4 months later and stayed for 2 weeks. Again it disappeared for a month or so and came back again for much longer time - maybe about a month. During this period I could not sleep well and became super anxious (I had no history of depression or anxiety), especially at night, every little sound would make my heart beat like crazy.
So, I saw a doctor. Blood's good, the heart's good. The doctor was confused, he said that he can't understand what could be wrong with me from the way I described it. He prescribed me some mild tranquilizers which did not really helped me (first, because you need to use them for quite a period to see the effect, second, because I was writing my thesis and did not want to get 'soft', third, because I generally did not want to start using this kind of medicine, as it seemed to me that the problem is rather in my brain). I didn't see any effect of this medicine although I took some pills on some evenings.
The interesting thing is that the symptoms disappear when I travel and don't use my laptop. Another interesting thing is that there was one time, I did not sleep for two nights and the tinnitus disappeared. I read somewhere previously about some doctors prescribing sleep absence for a night or two to help people ease the depression. Has anyone heard of that? So it worked. But I don't know if mine is related to depression.
I have been extremely busy over half a year before the first symptoms. I used to sleep for 4-5 hrs a night and work like crazy. Three years ago I became a vegetarian. I fly by planes a lot. Three years ago I had weird symptoms of something that my doctor thought to be a migraine, but I never had headaches except a kind of aura in my vision and the vision blacking out once in a month. Maybe it was an early sign of some condition that developed into the current one.
When I read in forums that it might be related with anxiety and that worrying about it makes it worse, I stopped thinking too much about it, and started reading a book in the evening before going to bed. I also started having some natural herb remedies. The tinnitus is still here, but no more crazy heartbeats. I still get up at night, but luckily I can fall asleep again after waking up - something that I could not do before. I also have sudden cramping pains in my head one in few days, but they do not bother me. I somewhat believe that the condition is rooted in genetics and lifestyle. Mine, I believe, is related to the stress I experienced over last few years in my life.
I wonder if we could draw some common patterns of teh origin of this conditions:
-stress?
-anxiety?
-long flights?
-neurotic parents?
- sleep deprivation?
- previous migraine history?
and also what help to ease the symptoms mentioned in the forum:
-travelling or being in fresh air?
- less time in front of a screen?
- reading before bed?
- natural remdies?
- conversations with friends and family?
Let me know if you can relate. Feel free to expand the lists above.
Love,
Aushrah
XanthaMae aushrah
Posted
Also there is a rare neurological illness that this reminds me of to include the relief you get when flying.
You may want to visit a Neurologist
aushrah XanthaMae
Posted
Hi XanthaMae,
Thank you very much for your reply and ideas.
I think phosphorus used in building computers could in some way add to the sensations I have been experiencing, however I don't think there is a neurological disease that would connect my condition with flying. Anyway, thanks.
I have changed my lifestyle and attitudes and my symptoms have decreased drastically. I am still experiencing some tinnitus/pulsing and mild fog in my head but that is so much better than before and I am feeling it is going away little by little. I started sleeping well at night and it makes a big difference when coping with this condition.
Diseases that take time to appear in us also need time to get away. The most important thing is to know how to heal them.
Not all, of course, but many people who have posted in this forum are actually victims of severe STRESS. It can be invisible but stress has tremendous effects on our mental, physical and spiritual health.
Sometimes we experience stress and after it we think it went away. It didn't. STRESS stays in your body hibernating waiting for fragile periods of your life and then appears in most unexpected forms - mental disease, stomachache, weakness in limbs, apathy in life goals, death of cells in brain and all over body.
To heal it slowly, one needs, to leave all things that feed stress (depressing job, hurtful relationships, polluted city, complaining community), eat healthy food, exercise, reflect on what makes them sad and what gives them joy (good to have a diary), think that things will get better (that's what will help you sleep), meet real friends or people sharing similar issues...
I am not saying all people here are suffering from stress but many of them should consider it. If doctors don't find anything in your blood vessels and brain, then probably it's stress. Stress makes you sick slowly and therefore to heal it fully you need to give it time and know it will take time, but believe it will get better and understand what things in your life gives you stress.
infinite4evr Recoverandheal
Posted
Exact same symptoms from 9 months now
It started one night when i felt weird on one side of my head ,specially like a bit of pressure on the vein , then i started having problems sleeping , I wasn't able to sleep like earlier and difficulty falling asleep , Episode of Cold for 10 days and started my journey with tinnitus (ringing bell sound) , anxiety , stress , suddenly in June started having floaters in eyes ,Alot problem with bright light and too much floaters and watery eye(the left eye ) , whenever i heat something spicy my left eye starts to water and left nostril gets blocked.
And now from October i feel something has gone wrong with my head ,having all the symptoms you mentioned
1.Feeling detached ( Feels like i live in my own head)
2.Feels like a bit of pain and a sensation on left side (back) of my skull
3.Tinnitus
4.Bad digestion (Very bad )
5.Insomnia
6. Terrible Short term memory ( Names and i have to make a to-do list)
7. Difficulty concentrating
8.Floaters
9. Left eye lid dropping a bit (Started since JAN)
10.Watery left eye
11.Mild headache all the time (Specially if i shake it )
12.Brain Fog
13. I don't remember any of dreams i get ( They are scary most of times )
14.A lot of anal itch after Bowel moment (half hour)
?PLS HELP
(
allise47209 infinite4evr
Posted
chatty80600 allise47209
Posted
Hello allise47209, I have not seen a neurologist yet, but I am to see one in three weeks. Thank you for sharing your diagnosis. I'll keep this in mind.
nadia0311 allise47209
Posted
allise47209 nadia0311
Posted
Have you had a brain MRI? Mine showed fluid on my brain and swelling of the optic nerves, so they did a lumbar puncture to take the fluid off. All reports came back normal other than wbc was elevated in fluid which they thought I had meningitis, great to know seeing as all these doctors brushed me off for the 3 months prior to that and I was working and out in public. Since it turned out not to be meningitis, no one seems to be able to tell me why my wbc was elevated or still is. The doctors just want to call it pseudotumor cerebri, medicate, and be done with it. If that's what it is fine, but I just can't understand how mid May I was healthy, normal, and able to function and now it takes all I can lift my head up in the morning or go all day without a headache. It just doesn't make sense to me....
chatty80600 allise47209
Posted
chatty80600 allise47209
Posted
nadia0311 allise47209
Posted
chatty80600 nadia0311
Posted
it's worth exploring ear canal (not the outer ear, but the Eustachian tubes). Also do check the optic nerve - swollen optic nerve indicates increased intracranial pressure also called pseudotumor cerebri. It is not a tumor. It is not a brain cancer. It's relatively benign but it gives these unpleasant symptoms. And it needs to be treated to make sure your vision is safe.
allise47209 chatty80600
Posted
Haven't had any infections, been to the doctor's right before all this started and had lab routine lab tests ran, everything was normal, didn't anything wrong. When all this started I went back to the doctor's and to the ER ran more tests (everything lab test wise) and nothing until I went to the eye doctor where she contacted my PCP and ordered a MRI . I'm 38 so it's a possibility it could hormonal, but that still doesn't explain the elevated wbc in csf.
allise47209
Posted
Also weightloss is not the answer either. I've been losing weight ( exercising and whiching what I eat) for over a year and a half. Which I weighed 190 and now down to 150. I have only seen the neurologist twice, once before spinal then six weeks after which by then I was down 10 lbs. He never asked before about my weight loss or if I was trying to lose weight and he stated that if I lose weight I may not have this issue. Kind of frustrated to the point I haven't gone back b/c all he wants to do is spinal which I'm not too fond of getting.
chatty80600 allise47209
Posted
I hear you, allise47209, it is very frustrating when doctors seem to dismiss what the patient feels may be important, and when the doctor "is stuck" on one issue, especially when this issue is weight. I by the way am of normal weight, but I suspect I have the intracranial pressure (pseudotumor cerebri) anyway. I am 5'3" and weight 127 pounds.
BTW, I too went to see a doc right before it started and all labs were totally normal. I do remember catching something that felt like a flew. I didn't think much of it, but than a couple of weeks after I "recovered"from that flew, all this started.
It's indeed interesting that your white cells are elevated in the spinal fluid. This could mean so many different things. There is always a possibility (however slight) that the sample was contaminated. Once they recheck it may not even be there. Acute infections come and go quickly and they may leave some nasty problem behind.
I don't see a problem with the repeated spinal tap though, since it may a) relieve your symptoms, b) provide more info
allise47209 chatty80600
Posted
chatty80600 allise47209
Posted
Best of luck to you! (and to me
- I have my first MRI December 3rd - yes Sunday it's weird, but .... oh well..., my eye doctor visit is December 4th and my neuro visit is December 5th). Keep us posted on what is happening.
allise47209 chatty80600
Posted
tegan56154 infinite4evr
Posted
anonymous21116 allise47209
Posted
I was also to the point where I was experiencing some weight loss. It was difficult for me to eat for a week. I looked myself into the mirror and saw myself and asked "Do I really want this crap to happen to me." When I looked at myself I saw a skinnier than usual me and afraid of everything. The possibilities of the amount of sicknesses I could have, were always in my head. I was mentally weak and that was affecting me physically. You can't allow this, expel all the negative thoughts and replace them with positive thoughts. You are okay, but you will not be okay if you don't believe it yourself. Good luck and stay strong, I believe in you.
Anxiety Disorder/ Depersonalization/ Derealization.