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
PatientTom Recoverandheal
Posted
I keep getting emails and never know who i'm responding to but i'll reply again. I can't believe how much doctors couldn't help me. I drank apple cider vinegar and it worked for me. It makes my body work right which makes my head work right. So many people have taken it wrong. They think they take a table spoon and then drink water. Then that person said its burns their throat and they don't like the taste. That is not how you do it. And that is why so many people get turned off by it. You put 1 spoon of apple cider vinegar in at least 10 ounces of water and then drink it. 3 times a day. Drink 1 when you wake up, 1 late morning and 1 early to mid afternoon. It also gives me energy. Try it and don't give up. It's sold in so many places. Shake the bottle good, put a spoonful in a glass of water at about 6am, 10 am and then 1pm.
MythicalBrian Recoverandheal
Posted
You my friend have described my life to the last detail. I have Helicobacter pylori, a rather nasty disease totally not understood and apparently two thirds of the population have it. It resides in the stomach and is still not known how contracted. I am only 17 but most and probably got it as an infant as they like to put food in their mouths. Long term like yourself can develop certain rare stomach cancers, I had a uncle who died terribly on a farm in El Salvador. The farthest hospital saw nothing wrong with this man, he later passed away. If you haven't looked into it I suggest you do as the full range of effects and the disease are still to be studied.
MythicalBrian Recoverandheal
Posted
You my friend have described my life to the last detail. I have Helicobacter pylori, a rather nasty disease totally not understood and apparently two thirds of the population have it. It resides in the stomach and is still not known how contracted. I am only 17 but most and probably got it as an infant as they like to put food in their mouths. Long term like yourself can develop certain rare stomach cancers, I had a uncle who died terribly on a farm in El Salvador. The farthest hospital saw nothing wrong with this man, he later passed away. If you haven't looked into it I suggest you do as the full range of effects and the disease are still to be studied.
MythicalBrian Recoverandheal
Posted
You my friend have described my life to the last detail. I have Helicobacter pylori, a rather nasty disease totally not understood and apparently two thirds of the population have it. It resides in the stomach and is still not known how contracted. I am only 17 but most and probably got it as an infant as they like to put food in their mouths. Long term like yourself can develop certain rare stomach cancers, I had a uncle who died terribly on a farm in El Salvador. The farthest hospital saw nothing wrong with this man, he later passed away. If you haven't looked into it I suggest you do as the full range of effects and the disease are still to be studied.
Recoverandheal
Edited
Hi everyone, I have not been on this site for many years and actually forgot I had even made this post.
I have lots of messages from people suffering with similar symptoms so I think it's best a post an update here.
4 years on from this post I am doing much better in terms of these symptoms. I am out of the constant foggy, fuzzy head and the gloom has lifted significantly. It is very rare now that I feel anywhere near as bad as I did back when I made this post. I'd actually forgotten how truly awful that period in my life was until reading this as a reminder.
I won't bore you all with the countless things I tried to resolve my issues but I will share what I think caused my symptoms and what helped resolve them.
I believe my symptoms were caused by food intolerances, gut issues and anxiety.
I cut out foods many times for a few weeks here and there with no improvement but it was only when I stopped eating gluten for a number of months my symptoms started the reduce. This as well as reducing my anxiety made a massive difference.
I had the standard doctors text that said I did not have any allergy to gluten/wheat but still when I cut it out my symptoms got better.
Guys please try and elimination diet and go from there. Find out what is going on with the bacteria in your gut.
Next, I started having acupuncture regularly and this made a huge difference to my overall clarity and improved my anxiety significantly.
Another obvious statement but get sunlight in the mornings if you can and get as much sleep as possible during the night and if your symptoms were caused by similar issues to mine then over time you will get better.
nadia0311 Recoverandheal
Posted
Im so glad you finally answer back, I was so worried wondering what might has happen to you.
I have been having this symptoms for almost 3 years now and instead of getting better it gets worst because before, the head issue use to disappear for days even months but lately is there every day, sometimes morning, sometimes evening or just all day long, it makes me feel with no energy at all, THE KIND OF DIZZINESS that accompanies is what makes me feel worst, so when all that starts I start feeling nervous because I KEEP THINKING I will die due to this symptoms that have not an answer...I ALSO starting to notice this weird feeling like something on my chest that doesnt let me get enough air to my lungs.. I HAVE BEEN IN THE ER lots of times , and evrytime i go all they give me is this migraine cocktail that makes my head feels worst.
The doctors diagnoses for all my symptoms are.
migraine, stress, reflux, gastritis,anemia , vitamin D deficiency ..all my scans come normal and blood test as well,
WHAT im doing to try to help my self since IM NOT taking any medication is, to follow this Dr. name FRANK SUAREZ... he has very good informational videos on google , some books as well .. Im not sure if he has english version of it.
I go outside with out shoes and walk on grass or sand and take the sun for couple minutes every morning or any time I CAN.
IM trying to change eating habits too, trying to stop using, wheat, corn products and sugars.
for the thing on my chest that doesnd let me breat I TAKE linden tea and add a spoon full of something call esencia coronada , that seems to help me a lot.. VALERIAN root tea is also good but the smell and taste isnt that good.
Thanks for answering back at least I know you still out there.
k08610 Recoverandheal
Posted
Are you better, going through similar crisis for 3 months. Short term memory is bad, anxiety is unreal and a started with pressure in head. I feel detached and have no emotions.
d73551 Recoverandheal
Posted
Hi there,
i'm so glad i found tour post as i have been the exact same symptoms for the past year or so.
Did you ever get a diagnosis or solution to your symptoms.
appreciate any help you can give.
Thanks,
Dom
brandon68612 Recoverandheal
Posted
hey dom I also have had the same symptoms over the past 16 months. I still have no answers. please let me know if you find anything out.
cate79974 Recoverandheal
Posted
Have you had you blood glucose levels checked?
cate79974 Recoverandheal
Posted
Also, your symptoms aren't all necessarily related.
You might eat "whole fruits and vegetables" rather than juice. It's just healthier.
You might check for degeneration of the neck -though you are a bit young.
I would certainly check you BG levels, even get a meter from the drug store. You would check you resting B levels when you wake up in the mornings for a while.
This we be to check for pre-diabetes.
The3Goodies Recoverandheal
Posted
I suffered from severe anxiety between late March 2002 to late May 2002. On June 1st 2002, at about 11:20 pm, i suffered from extreme distorted thinking! That lasted for about two weeks! Then in late June 2002, all hell broke loose! A strange, poisonous, toxic form of tiredness came upon me and never left me 24/7! Frankly, head feels like a rotting apple 🍎! I am taking Pregabilin and Fluoxetine capsules, but it doesn't work at all regarding my affliction! Every medic changes the subject matter whenever I tell them about my rotting apple 🍎 head syndrome! Have they got something to hide? It's an evil world isn't it?
nima87 Recoverandheal
Posted
hello guys, i had the same symptoms and i got cured by doing wet cupping. you can google about the benefits of wet cupping. did wet cupping on my head and my body. you can find a therapist in your area. i felt major improvement after 6 sessions. cheers 😃
KCfromBK Recoverandheal
Posted
After reading this post, I cant help but think theres something out there making everyone sick with the same symptoms that's yet to be discovered. A parasite maybe?
For the passed 14 years I've suffered with this brain fog. This detachment from reality. I've learned to accept it since there seems to be no cure.
I pray every day that I come out of this fog coma.
I've researched and found videos on depersonalization and derealization.
All the symptoms fit.
Just when I've had the anxiety under control, I was diagnosed with hypertension.
I've been on three different types of blood pressure medication that my body has had outrageous allergic reactions to.
The newest symptoms have been a lump in my throat feeling, especially when I try to lay down and sleep and the very latest, this head pressure everybody here seems to have.
It feels like the pressure in my head is almost a headache but there is no pain.
My sight blurs for split seconds.
My head feels congested without a stuffy nose or cold symtoms.
I've had two MRIs in the last year as well as a visit to the neurologist, cardiologist, ENT and PCP.
All tell me its panic disorder and a reaction to acid reflux ( the lump in the throat.
MRIs came back clear.
Congested head is a new symptom today.
it almost feels like I'm on the verge of an anurism or siezure.
in the last few months I too have had that shooting pain in my gland right under the left side of my jaw, straight to the back of the neck and up to the top left side of my head ( this has happened twice in a few seconds, never longer)
The head congestion is currently scaring me.
I'm kinda happy I've come here and see I'm not the only one but at the same time am wracked with questions of what the hell this could all be!
brandon68612 KCfromBK
Posted
hey , it's going on a year and a half for me and you have described my symptoms the best so far. I cant imagine 14 years! have you learned anything at all. I know it's not just anxiety because it creates anxiety. I had some of these symptoms as a child, did u? it never lasted long. also I had migraines as a child. I have the lump feeling too lately except it's more in my chest. i get tingling sensations sometimes in differant parts of my body too but it's never severe. I'd like to hear more about your story. thanks
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KCfromBK brandon68612
Posted
When I was kid, I would get the lump in the throat feeling when I was in school but I didn't pay much mind to it.
The fogginess didnt start until 2006. It started off intermittent. I'd be returning home from a night out at the bar with my best friend and I was confused as to why I felt so out of it even though I didnt drink too much. I'd return home get a good nights rest and by morning it would be gone.
Then one night I sat up out of sleep panicked. My heart was racing, the room was spinning and I remember pacing back and forth fighting off crazy chills throughout my body. I felt like I was gonna just pass out. the worst part of it was I was under the notion that was was going to swallow my own tongue. it was the weirdest feeling. I remember I kept having to make sure my tongue was there as it pressed to the room of my mouth from the tension.
I woke my parents and my mom sat me down, put a cold compress on my neck and gave me orange juice.
I went to my primary that morning and he diagnosed me with anxiety and put me on Clonazepam.
My sister had a history of panic attacks and at the time they'd happen I'd try my best to calm her down, tell her to breath....so on and so forth, not realizing what they ever felt like.
Yet here I was, panicking....
I took Clonazepam for 8 straight years. it helped me sleep but it never took away this foggy out of worry feeling.
There were times itd be overwhelming and it kinda helped then too.
Then on my eighth year taking the damn pill, I had to quit cold Turkey. Turns out my GP couldn't refill my prescription without an appointment which at the time was $200 that I didnt have because I wasn't covered with any medical.
After a huge fight and being forced to quit cold turkey even tho he was the idiot that put me on them to begin with, I quit Clonazepam and never looked back.
Since then I contralto the anxiety with concentration. I learned from an ENT once as I was panicking. To count back from 100 to 1 in 3. Forcing my brain to do something other than panic. It actually works.
So here I sit, in a fog, burdened by other recent ailments ( hypertension, migraines and this wierd ache in my chest, ip the back of my neck and around my head every time I inhale deeply ( the last one has only been the last 12 hours, its new)
I feel like one day I'm going to feel normal again out of nowhere and have this huge hangover for the longest buzz ever.
So that's pretty much my life story symtoms with this nightmare that doesn't have a name.
Panic disorder if you're a doctor.
Personally I feel calling it Panic Disorder is a way of saying they have no clue what's wrong with me.
Perhaps I got it from all the abuse I took as a kid, the bullying, having an incredibly strict father, failing at life and not being where I want to be right now. Maybe I was destined to be living a better life since 2006 and I'm in a fog because it's not supposed to be this way.
I cope. I try to live my life like a normal person yet an burdened by this husk that has formed around me. I've been told therapy could fix me but who has the money for a really good psychiatrist?? And once you can afford one, who's to say they wont just shove pills down your throat and make you feel worse?
I still think it's more than psychological.
That first night in the 14 years, I felt like my body was injected with something alien...a parasite? Yeah, it all sounds crazy but hows feeling this way on a daily basis not crazy?
brandon68612 KCfromBK
Posted
I agree, it is crazy. your story is so close to mine it's kinda scary. but I have good days and bad ones. I have no choice but to deal with it, I just had my first child I have a very physical job. i now have hypertension. they tried giving me zoloft and I had an extreme panic attack from it. i dont know what to do. I felt that I may have breathed in a parasite, or a mold that caused it so what your saying isn't crazy. the fact that they cant figure it out is crazy!
KCfromBK brandon68612
Posted
Yeah, coming back from my new primary ( shes awesome) concerned about my bp which read 137/98 so shes putting me on a water pill. She seems to think a lot of the fogginess is due to the high blood pressure. I'm not sure what o think anymore. The neck and chest pain is muscular. and being in air conditioning. Plus my posture at the computer hasn't been the best working at the computer tirelessly the last few days. Hopefully she can find out the night picture. if she does I'll be sure to let you know.
KCfromBK
Posted
big picture....not night picture...
brandon68612 KCfromBK
Posted
I also have a new primary which is also awesome. but he keeps going back to anxiety. I have had a swollen lymph node in my neck for about 5 years and he wants to biopsy that. maybe that's causing it. I've had a CT scan on it twice and they both said it's not cancer but still.... seeing all these posts makes me feel better in a sense but also worse, because somethings going on. makes me feel better that you've had it for 14 years though. because maybe it's not a life threatening thing. I've done nothing but doom myself in my head since it started
thewench brandon68612
Posted
No, I never was an anxious child and I didn't have migraines until 16 or so, women's problems. My meltdown or the old term "nervous breakdown" began at the age of 34 when too many stressful situations happened in a short amount of time over about a month or so. I feet overwhelmed and something in my head and body just felt wierd. My head felt swollen, I had ringing in the ears and tingling under my skin and couldnt stop pacing and shaking my hands. I felt like I was losing control of myself.