Head pressure, Brain fog, odd head sensation, feeling detached

Oh wow. I took Accutane, too. And I have been experiencing most of these symptoms as well. It has been very frustrating dealing with mainly the dizziness and foggy head lately. I wonder if it's related.

The next couple of days I felt like I could not sleep directly on my head because I felt like it would make the pressure worst. The pressure and fullness was worst on my head and neck at night I'd say. I started getting ringing in my ears and ear pain also felt as if my ears were muffled. Then I would start to wake up and get brain fog.I did not feel myself and I felt as if I would start to forget obvious things. I then started to get nausea along with my dizziness. Since I didn't have acess to a doctor at that time I ended going to another ER and they tested my thyroid, did blood, and gave me a CT scan. The doctor told me there was no abnormalities no tumors. He actually seemed upset that he gave me a CT scan and diagnosed me with disphagia and said anxiety could be causing it and that I need to see a neurologist. I needed up fixing my insurance saw a doctor and I told her my symptoms and without any blood test or anything she just says that all my symptoms are being caused from anxiety that I'm too young to have health problems and I need to get excercise and see s therapist. This made me upset because A you are a doctor and you did not run any tests of your own and you are inferring just from one medical condition and B I am the patient and isn't it your duty to find andactually diagnose   the right thing. So basically she reffer d me to 2 doctors. An ears nose and throat doctor and neurologist. My blood work came out normal except I have a lot of excess white blood cells which could indicate  infection she said. My ent doctor said my ears nose and throat were healthy and my neurologist who is very old and I think spoke with my doctor told me it could be anxiety and I'm going to get an mri on my head and neck area to checkout the nerves I guess.

Lately I'll have one or 2 days out of the week where my symptoms aren't as bad but most of the time it is very hard to deal with. The only time I feel relief is when I'm outside and running. But once I stop I can feel all the pressure In the back of my head. Night time is the worst because I'm actually afraid to go to sleep because my heart races pretty fast and I can feel the discomfort and fullness in my head and the pulsating noise in my ears. The brain fog comes and goes but it's not always a constant..I feel like it's getting worst and my doctor basically gave up she told me she does not know what is wrong with me. My neurologist wants me to get cognitive therapy for my anxiety. But Ive never had symptoms like this in my life and have been dealing with this basically my whole life and it doesn't get in the way. I honestly feel like there is an underlining condition that I can't seem to get diagnosed be it something obvious or not. and I feel like it might be getting worst. I've been eating better and exercising more practicing breathing excercises trying not to stress but the symptoms are still all there.

Back in October was when I started getting the neck fullness and pressure and from then I feel like it's been slowly escalating. In February I lost my sense of taste and smell and it's been off and on since then. Also lately I was getting an over sensitive tongue and numbness in my tongue and severe dry mouth . I went to the dentist and ended up having impacted wisdom teeth so I got those removed and had a localized infection where the wisdom teeth were. But he said he would associate the head pain with that 

I was a student and have been unemployed for awhile.

Im more of a homebody I like to game and I use my computer iPad and phone often but I have always done that and really had no side effects except my eyesight.

I try and excercise everyday, I get outside and do stuff

I am like 60 pounds overweight 

I have no known medical conditions except anxiety that hasn't been clinically diagnosed.

i know that anxiety makes the symptoms worst but it's not solely responsible for this pressure in the back of my head.

i can be laughing and enjoying myself and there it is lingering 

I do whatever I can to take my mind off this but honestly nothing is making this better and it's really bringing me down and my memory seems to be getting worst. I really don't know what else to do. I feel devastated

should I see another specialist or get a certain type of blood work done?

sometimes I feel like this is it and it won't get better from here.

And no doctor I see really knows an answer for this.

i just wish there was a reasonable explanation and treatment

anyways if anybody is still reading this feel free to email me honestly I want to help people experiencing this and vise versa. Lou

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        what i have in mind,is,we can do this on this site or we can do this by a multemedia text on our phones.i think our phone would be the best way,so we can get immediate responses.we can vote on this if you want.the more people the better.i feel we will get more and more people as we go,so we are gonna have to kinda play this by ear or find a way for people to catch up.

           ok,so the,"phontom disease" has to be determined  with certain symptoms.so in the first part of this process,is figuring out if we all have,the PD(phantom disease).so writeout a list of the symptoms first.if we determine that we have the same problem,we will goto phase 2.ill make my list out and wait for your response.make sure to list as many,no matter how embarrasing they might be,cause im tired of this and embarrasment is not an issue.

        what i have in mind,is,we can do this on this site or we can do this by a multemedia text on our phones.i think our phone would be the best way,so we can get immediate responses.we can vote on this if you want.the more people the better.i feel we will get more and more people as we go,so we are gonna have to kinda play this by ear or find a way for people to catch up.

           ok,so the,"phontom disease" has to be determined  with certain symptoms.so in the first part of this process,is figuring out if we all have,the PD(phantom disease).so writeout a list of the symptoms first.if we determine that we have the same problem,we will goto phase 2.ill make my list out and wait for your response.make sure to list as many,no matter how embarrasing they might be,cause im tired of this and embarrasment is not an issue.

-Pulsating noise/sensation in every night

-Mild ear pain, comes and goes

-Pressure and discomfort in the upper back middle of head

-Pressure and discomfort in the lower back middle of head

- Pressure and discomfort in upper back middle of neck

(Pressure as if something is pushing up against my head and neck, also sometimes it feels like a type of inflation of pressure if that makes sense)

- Feeling of being detached comes randomly

-Brain fog and forgetfulness comes randomly

-Diziness

-elevated heart rate

- chills at night

-Nausea every now and again

-Numbness in back of head upon waking up

-Head tends to feel heavy

I take no medications except for migraine ibuprofen which sometimes helps with the pressure sensation

rapid heartbeat

pressure in eyes and ears

feels like something is moving around in my head,ears,face

feels like its moving around in my body

spasms in my face,eyes,ears ,whole body

not very painful,but causes headaches

makes me itch

blurred vision

brainfog

do you take any meds?

how long have you had the symptoms?

               im keeping a spreadsheet on this,if you want you can too,this way we may be able to pinpoint why we have this

when did you first have these symptoms?

do you take any meds,including over the counter?

do you have any dental problems?

have you taken any antibiotics since youve had these symptoms?

any infections?

exposed to any chemicals?

any conditions,like high blood pressure or heart disease?

when did you first have these symptoms?

do you take any meds,including over the counter?

do you have any dental problems?

have you taken any antibiotics since youve had these symptoms?

any infections?

exposed to any chemicals?

​any conditions,like high blood pressure or heart disease?

I've had the pulsating in my ears for like 5 months

I take vitamin b complex every other day and St John wart vitamin for stress (recently stopped taking them)

I take ibuprofen pretty much every day now

I try and keep the dose low.

I recently had all 4 of my wisdom teeth out and the bottom to were infected. Dentist said I had a localized infection where the teeth were called pericoronitis and he said that will go away now. I don't know how long I had that infection but Dentist it would bring about the pressure I feel in my head and neck.

I have a cat who tends to scratch me alot and my cuts don't heal as fast as they use too.

I'm not as active with these symptoms lately but I'm going out every day and going for a light run or walk.

Not working either. I tend to be on my laptop phone or iPad alot.

Got tested for diabetes and pre diabetes, I'm fine and blood pressure is normal

I'm also 24 years old and female 60 pounds give or take overweight but not obese

And I'm am prone to migraines and headaches but since I've been getting this head pressure I haven't had any headaches or migraines that I usually get.

How long have you been having these symptoms for?

Lou and Joey, you guys have similar symptoms as me, some identical ones, and some very interseting and different ones. I'm thinking perhaps best to organize all the symptoms is detailing them in order of biggest issue to smallest issue. Maybe like a numbering system. That way we start by tackling the biggest most problamatic symptoms first. 

These are my biggest issues in order: 

1) Brain Fog (constant) 

2) Vision Dysfunction (trouble focusing up-close, environments and objects appear vibrating ever so slightly, pressure in the eyes, can't concentrate well, hyper-focused vision like I can't focus on sounds or other senses well)

3) Detached feeling from body (feeling very unaware and unattached from my body, my facial expression, bodily sensations)

4) Sensistivy to light. 

Lou, I hear you on your Doc thinking it's all in your head and all. Forget that. These symptoms are real. And if they are in our head, all you can do for that is treat it as anxiety related, which simply means living a more healthy life. I assume we have all tried that and it didn't work, that's why we are on this forum looking for further answers. So I have completely lost confidence in the Drs and their hunches about things. If they can't seem to help or give you relief, then you must look elsewhere for solutions. We'll get through this if we work at it. I believe it. 

2) sometimes i get blurred vision

3)feel like something is moving throughout my whole body

4) rapid heartbeat

Hi-Not sure if you will check this but figured I'd give it a shot. I've been going through these forums all over the internet for 1.5 years now trying to find an answer, compiling lists of things to try, tests, etc. I have had tons of bloodwork done, MRI, EEG, sleep study, seen neurologists, nothing comes back abnormal. I have been put on 4 different anti-depressants/anxiety meds-no help. My symptoms are exactly as yours-they came on light a lightbulb one day last January (2015) and never went away. It is constant. "Brain fog", feeling spaced out, like I'm in a dream, "derealization". As well as the others you mentioned. Have you found any relief or anything since this post? Would like to communicate outside this forum if that would be easier. Thanks.

I like you have had this about a year and a half. I'm pretty sure I've found the answer. Although my head scans have been normal I decided to buy them and look for myself. I have a blockage on my left sphenoid sinus cavity. Look up the symptoms for sphenoid sinusitus and let me know if they match how you feel.

What type of test do I need to review this? I've had a brain MRI with and without contrast. Will that suffice?

Hi Joey99129

I am suffering from the same symptoms for 2 and a half years now and I'm 100% with you to try figure this out ourselves ,cause as you said I'm sick of doctors looking at me like I'm crazy .let's do this

I understand lou .I'm the exact same

Hello all,

joey99129 I am having the same symptoms as you for the past 2 months. I have had a CT, biopsy of the brain and MRI of the brain. All test were normal, but with no relief. I am awaiting to see a Neurologist, but I don't think they will be able to help based off of what I have read on here. If you have had any luck please update. Thanks

1.)    Head fog that causes me to lose concentration, and makes my memory worse. It also causes me to feel my emotions less.

2.)    Ears that pop every 15 seconds, mainly focuses in my left ear.

3.)    Head pressure that feels like I am wearing a tight head band. Also, focusing on my left side

4.)    Shoulder pain that causes my left shoulder to click and droop down lower than my right.

5.)    Neck pain that shoots up the left side of the back of my neck.

6.)    I’m developing a slight case of scoliosis that causes my back to never relax. I feel tense all the time.

7.)    Sensitivity to light and sound has gotten significantly worse.

8.)    The left side of my face twitches and feels strained all the time.

9.)    My vision blurs every once in a while, especially things up close.

I have never had depression or anxiety problems, but I have started to experience some. Whether it’s anxiety talking to friends because I can’t hold a conversation, or forgetting simple words. When I get those shivers that you get when you read something inspirational or hear a good song, I feel them for less time and they almost hurt. Music was my passion and since this started I have enjoyed it less and less because I don’t really “feel the music” anymore. Also, I get waves of depression because I’m worried that this is going to be permanent. I’ve had an MRI on my brain and neck, and nothing seems to be wrong. I went to a chiropractor for 6 months straight and nothing it helped with the back problems but made the sensitivity to light and sound worse. I have also been to a neurologist and he can’t figure out what is wrong. I have gotten x-rays and am definitely developing scoliosis and the base of my shoulder blades and have a slight twist in the neck, but my doctors say that it wouldn’t have these effects. I will do anything to try and fix this problem. It makes me feel better that there are more people going through the same thing. 

Did you find out what it was? Same thing here. Email me ... or snap me ... I got horners syndrome from this head problem, one pupil got bigger than the other once I had a bad migraine and never became the same again

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Hi Lou,

I too feel the same way from last 2 years, tried different medication but none works, sometime i feel like to suicide. I lost my job, my friend, everything from this disease. Consulted number of doctors but none of them have reason for this, have you find any answer for this?

Dear Lou7792, 

I feel your frustration. I had a very similar experience, but I am lucky enough to have relatives who are doctors and they were able to arrange for my visits to several specialists and I want to let you know what ensued. 

I had exactly the same symptoms, only I couldn't  describe them as well as you have. The first time I had them they were part of a flu I was having, so I didn't think much of them. The cold went away and the symptoms subsided, but then in about two or three-week's time they came back and it was terrible. 

I was traveling at the time and was in England. I went to see a doctor and asked if this could be a Lyme disease or some other infection that was affecting my brain. The doctor pretty much dismissed all of this, but did order a blood test. Turned out the test was not for Lyme but for reumatic disease. I still have no idea why. Anyway it came back negative. The symptoms persisted and in a couple more weeks I went to see another doctor. This time they checked for Lymes which came back negative. I was referred to an ENT, who said I don't seem to have issues in the outer or middle ear, but might have problems in the inner ear and that I need to further investigate once I get home. 

I ended up se?ing several specialists thanks to my connections through relatives. Namely: two different neurologists, an ENT doctor, an ophthalmologist, an orthodontist and two endocrinologists. 

I first had an MRI of the brain which was normal. 

Ophthalmologist did an ultrasound and said I have periorbital fluid collections, which may be due to thyroid dysfunction. This was ruled out after thyroid tests came back normal. 

ENT ran several tests and found bilateral hydrops of labyrinth - basically again fluid collections in the inner ear, but otherwise ear structures all intact and without much obstruction.

One neurologist (who was the one asking for thorough ENT examination) said that most probably what I am suffering from is tension headache, but instead of pain I feel the symptoms you describe. He explained that when muscle fiber contracts it holds fluid, and maybe the fluid retention I have is related to the contracted muscles around my scull. 

The other neurologist said again everything is normal inside the brain, but that the muscles around my scull are super tense (this neurologist did not have any contact with the other one and I saw them on the same day, so for sure they couldn't have discussed my case among each other). This second neurologist palpated my head and pushed certain points which was super painful. She said this is painful because the muscles are so contracted, especially on one side. She further noted that I have an abnormal bite and asked if I had any dental work done in the past and I said, yes, I have dental implants on one side and crowns on the other side. She said that all of the problems I have point to the temporal-mandibular-joint which has been overworked due to misalignment of the bite and that I need to have an MRI of the TMJ and possibly see an orthodontist. 

Indeed MRI of TMJ showed the joint not properly closing and now deformed somewhat. The neurologist talked to the orthodontist and decided not to treat me with a botox injection, which she hoped would relieve the muscle tension. She said that botox injection is not an appropriate option at this juncture and that I need to "fix" the bite, so as to release the stress on the TMJ to finally heal and rid of the symptoms. 

The orthodontist did panoramic x-rays and some tests to check the bite. She said one tooth in the back upper jaw has to be removed, since it doesn't "meet a tooth on the bottom (so doesn't participate in chewing anyway), but pushes my lower jaw not allowing it to close properly. She shaved off some of the tooth to help while I wait for the removal. 

I am currently taking a medication that helps drain excess fluid from my scull and areas around my eyes and years. I am also taking a muscle relaxant to help with the feeling of fullness and pressure on the scull.

The plan is for me to get the back tooth out, to get night guard (because apparently I clench my jaw without even realizing I do it while I sleep) to try and see if I can fix the bite. 

In my experience I am very happy for several reasons: first of all I now know what is wrong and even though this problem is not easy to fix, at least I am not scared for having a tumor or demyelinating disease or anything this terrible. Secondly I have a plan to hopefully get my life back. 

I am not saying that you have what I have, but I wanted to share my story with you, so you might look into the TMJ and see if this is contributing or even causing your issues. Also I wanted to let you know that tension headaches may manifest differently and besides actual pain and migraine this weird constellation of symptoms may also be the tension-related thing. 

Best of luck to you!

Thank you! Great place to go from here! I started taking alavert the last 2 days and I've had a ton of relief for first time In months. So your theory backs that up!

I know it has been a very long time, but would you perhaps be keeping up with symptoms still? Mine really started about 6 months ago, but when I think back on incidences in my life, I feel like I can contribute it to this “phantom disease”... When I was very young (3-6) I was sick all of the time... Constantly throwing up, the doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong... There are just so many times I look back and know that whatever this is caused episodes in my life... But it is literally to the point of debilitating now, and I can't get anyone to understand... I’m so lonely and so tired of feeling this way! My spine and neck have recently started hurting, but the pressure in my head is almost too much to handle now... I’ve also developed Raynaud’s phenomenon seemingly from nowhere, yet the doctors aren’t even attempting to help me find a cause... They think I’m crazy... I just told my friend that if I’m crazy, please check me into a mental ward because I want this fixed... The brain fog is terrible and I’m so depressed because I can no longer enjoy anything that I used to love... My gums and fingernails are also discolored (gums are almost white some days, fingernails are purple or white, never pink anymore)... My left side usually feels heavier than the right, but the neck pain I have is in the right side, yet the spine pain is usually on the left... I’m so afraid of what is happening to me... Blurry vision, random feelings of a hot rash on my body, extreme fatigue... And something else I’ve noticed... A low body temp with very foul smelling breath? My teeth and gums also always feel like there’s pressure on them... Hope everything is getting better... Lots of love and positive vibes 💚??

Have you been checked for chiari malformation? I had headaches for years brain fog wtc. Head would really hurt when coughed sneezed or bared down but all dr looked at me like I was crazy u bvb til MRI showed it...tonsils of brain pushing down into spinal column.. wouldn't hurt to check...

Was your Chiari malformation 1, 2, 3, or 4?