Left side head pressure, tender spot, neck issues
Posted , 85 users are following.
Hello, I am new here but I am a little concerned. I am a healthy 35yr old male however I have been dealing with left side head pressure for the last 5 weeks. I don't get a real bad headache but its mostly just pressure and its pretty much with me 24/7. I have noticed when I lay down or go to the gym with my headphones on it is not as bad but always there, I seem to feel it more when standing but again its always there even when sitting at my desk at work. I will list a few of my symptoms below in a moment but I did want to mention the last 2 years have been rough after going through a tough separation with my fiancée and only seeing my son a couple days a week instead of daily so my stress and anxiety was really bad for a while however I am dealing with that better now so I have a hard time believing this is stress related. I am a very anxious person and do not do well at the doctors, my blood pressure and heart rate go through the roof even just at a check up.
The last few months I have not felt like myself, I have had a bad stomach my whole life but it got worse around November 2015 and I was having chest pains and tightness, long story short I saw my doctor multiple times and was diagnosed with GERD and I also had an EKG and Stress Test Echo on my heart which all came out fine thank god. Now a couple months later I was finally feeling a little better, chest issues and stomach still kind of there but no where near as bad and then randomly get hit with this head pressure one Sunday night after just laying on my couch. I went to the doctor after 2 weeks of the head pressure and he tried 2 weeks of muscle relaxers thinking it was my neck, my neck is super tight especially left side where the head pressure is and he told me to stop going to the chiropractor. I was going to the chiropractor for just a couple months before all this happened because my neck and left shoulder always hurt (I work out in the gym and think part of it is from that, I used to lift very heavy but I don't as much anymore). The funny thing is a week before this head pressure started my chiropractor did his usual neck crack on both sides and I remember it almost hurting, feeling different then normal and sent pain through my head. I honestly wonder if he did something to me and if this is from my neck however almost 6 weeks and still feel the same? Advil doesn't do much, muscle relaxers didn't work. I am doing neck stretches and just bought a hand held massager this past week for my neck and head. My doctor did not think brain tumor at my visit based of my symptoms and said my reflexes were good. Sorry for the long post but hoping for some help, my doctor is now referring me to a neurologist but I am trying to hard to push it off a little more hoping it gets better, I have enough medical bills and I am trying to tell myself this has to be from my neck or something that will heal eventually. I know brain tumors are pretty rare but of course I am having anxiety over that.
Symptoms:
-left side head pressure 24/7.
-some pressure in left eye and ear but not terrible.
-neck issues, especially left side, recently got a massage and the massage therapist said my upper back and neck were extremely tight. Chiropractor although I haven't been in a few weeks doctors orders said my C-1 or 2 joint cant remember which one was out of place. I have been doing neck stretches and using a tennis ball.
-some lightheadedness and fatigue, nothing crazy and could be stress since I think about this and worry all day.
-just noticed this week I have a tender spot on the bone top left back side of head.
-no weight loss, no fever, appetite ok for the most part, stomach ache some days but no vomiting.
I do get a little bit of facial tingles in the left side of my cheek and especially my chin, it is not constant and comes and goes. This did start a couple months before this and I went to the dentist because I still have 3 of my wisdom teeth. He did say they could come out and my bottom right one was coming in a little crooked and could be causing some pressure. He did I could hold off for a bit and it wasnt an emergency and that could be causing some of my chin numbness and tingles. Also I am constantly popping my ears because they feel a little blocked and my nose feels a little congested but this has been going on for a while and is not something new, maybe allergies
Hopefully some suggestions and feedback will help, I will see neurologist if this doesn't improve but again I am trying to wait just a little longer on that.
7 likes, 265 replies
kg81
Posted
No positive updates for me, I've tried a nerve block in neck, mess, physical therapy, stretching, massages, nothing helps. My neuro keeps saying he thinks it's in my neck and still hasn't demanded I have a cat scan but did say I can do it for peace of mind which I might need to do at some point cause I keep thinking this has to be something more serious since I am not getting better but everyone seems to think neck and muscular
terrie27149 kg81
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Lnodes terrie27149
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It really is amazing that other people are feeling the same symptoms i am yet there is no definitive diagnosis. It's a straight up mystery to me and the medical world apparently. After several mri's, emergency room visits, neuros, chiros, acupuncturists still havent been able to figure it out. wake up with it, go to sleep with it. not so much pain, more like a tight sensation right above and around my right ear to the back of head (almost feels like a tight line). Doctors all say it's anxiety which i'm sure we can all agree is not the case. I can say this strange sensation has caused me to feel a great deal of anxiety but the anxiety most certainly did not come first. Believe it or not the anxiety has died down for the most part since its been more than a year now. Ive accepted that this is something i have to live with and completely gave up on finding a diagnosis or a cure. I just hope that it doesn't get worse to the point where i can't function. Most other forums I came across kind of just died down after a few responses but this one seems very much alive still so i decided to join and follow. Wish everyone the best of luck and look forward to reading your entries.
terrie27149 Lnodes
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Lnodes terrie27149
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interesting as i have also developed severe acid reflux for no apparent reason since nothing in my diet or lifestyle has changed much, tinnitus i had at the start of all this. im noticing some very common symptoms here.
take some prilosec for the acid reflux. I thought it was unrelated but every new or suspicious symptom i have i monitor like a hawk. Can't ignore anything anymore. I will post of a detailed list of symptoms (some of which have resolved ) and maybe we can all compare.
Lnodes
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I really hope we can monitor each other's progress and share any advice through this forum. I'm listing my symptoms in chronological order. Not sure exactly when these symptoms started but it bothered me enough to see a neuro almost exactly 1 year ago. I'm an asian male in my early 30s.
1) Intense pressure in my forehead area, tight sensation around my ear going to the back of my head (occipital area maybe?) , at the peak of all this i lost vision in my left eye for a few minutes but it did recover shortly after (similar to what queensgirl mentioned)
-pressure has subsided and resolved mostly
tight sensation still there
2) Tinnitus and sensitive hearing (hyperacusis) - a little better now but still there
3) Painful/swollen lymph nodes - the weirdest symptoms of all
-the pain would move around - first my neck then armpit then groin, then navel/belly button area
-lymph nodes felt tiny and hard and i had my gp palpate them as well. i was concerned it may be lymphoma but it was ruled out because of the small size and no biopsy was done. eventually these symptoms resolved on their own but to this day still scares the hell out of me and hope it never comes back.
4) a tight sensation under my left rib cage -- completely resolved by acupuncture (like magic) . didnt believe in acupuncture until this experience to be honest and I am still getting treatments for my head symptoms (no noticeable improvement yet though..
5) newest symptoms include severe acid reflux with pain in my upperback (no apparent reason), lower back i can understand but why upper back? who knows..
Meds I have tried include - medrol pack, prednisone, gabapentin, lexapro, sudafed, xanax once. cant say that any of these helped much.
terrie27149 Lnodes
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terrie27149
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claudiacl Lnodes
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Your symptoms are mine nearly to a T. Scary how similar, and you're one of the first with the lymph node swelling that I've experienced. I am currently seeing an ENT (sinus specialist) who has ordered a CT for my sinuses in a few weeks. I'm losing hope with all of this. The symptoms are debilitating sometimes and I will have bouts of dizziness. The swelling in my neck is concerning bevause it causes very severe occipital headaches and neuralgia.
amanda48965 claudiacl
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terrie27149 kg81
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terrie27149
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Wanted to mention what helps mine is lemon balm essential oil. Massage it in. It really does help. Hope it will yours as well..
hamza_khan64626 kg81
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terrie27149 hamza_khan64626
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Still feeling the same..Guess it's swollen lymph nodes..according to catscan
meredith16984 kg81
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I find that a cold walk (without distractions) or a cold shower helps relax (a very good stress relieving technique as it stimulates the vagus nerve or rest and digest response). Also, stop taking NSAID (ibuprofen, aspirin, naproxen) and see if that helps.