temporal arteritis or something else ongoing problems

Posted , 9 users are following.

Hi everyone, i have posted a few months ago, and am still having the frustration of being in continuous pain and feeling ill..my background is that i have been having joint pains and squeezing type pains,then feeling ok one minute, and the next feeling like i am going to get a really bad cold and am feeling really tired and generally unwell, and have a temperature. this was (after 25 years of been told i was just picking viruses up) diagnosed as fibromyalgia.  i got the diagnosis and then just carried on as before, managing the daily pain with nortriptaline.  i then had incidental finding of 'high signal foci in white matter' after i had a ct scan to try and find out why i was going deaf in one ear.  no conclusion was found and i was offered a hearing aid.

fast forward 18 months to February 17, when i had severe stabbing pain on the top left of my head above the temple which lasted most of the night (i have suffered with typical migraines about 6 times a year) so i took a couple of sumatriptan.  nothing seemed to shift it,.  the day after i started getting a throbbing type pain above my left temple, which then led to a numb/bruised/pulsing feeling, when i lie on my left side it feels bruised and like there is something in it,i was quickly referred to a neurologist, who organised and mri scan, he said there was no change from the ct scan regards the findings. i asked him what the high signal foci in white matter, meant,  he just said anyone over 50 would have these findings of changes. and said i had a prolonged migraine, this is nearly a year ago, i have a been tried on about 5 different medications, nothing took it off. it is there 24 7, i only have to gently touch my face and it is tender.  as i go above the temple it hurts even more,and will start throbbing more.  this is then occasionally followed by a tingling from front to back, my left ear has pain inside it, the same throbbing feeling has now been happening for about two months on the right side.  i am sat here now, with the throbbing above the left and right temple.  the neurologist now wants me to go to pain management as he is still saying it is a prolonged migraine.  i am so upset and frustrated.  the tingling in my head is happening more, and more and more i am feeling tired and 'ill' with the same squeezing pains i have always had, but a wierd severe squeezing has been happening in my arm pit for a couple of months.  i have contacted a group of doctors who can help with diagnosis, but obviously a lot of people contact them. so it isnt guaranteed they will look at my case.  i am going back to gp to ask for a second opinion and am hoping they will send me to either a different neurologist or a rheumatologist, i have been in so much pain over christmas.  i felt so ill the other night i went to the out of hours gp who said after hearing all my symptoms, that i had a virus, iam in tears with frustration, and have pain in the left and right side of my head.  

i have been to a and e a couple of times over the last eight months, one doctor mentioned temporal arteritis straight away, but as my bloods were ok he said luckily it isnt that and sent me home.

i am so frustrated.  could you have temporal arteritis for nearly a year and not be diagnosed.

happy new year to everyone that has to come onto a discussion.  sadly i dont have the money to go private.  X

1 like, 20 replies

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  • Posted

    it is necessary to conduct a biopsy to find if you have temporal Arteritis and this is not necessary definitive.  One thing you could do is to go to your optician and have an eye tests.  Opticians can tell you a lot if what is going on there.  They can tell you if you have any damage to the optic nerve.  I really would do that.  Mine was very very helpful.
  • Posted

    Sharon I hope you have been helped by now. I have Temporal Arteritis and have followed your story quickly. Your symptoms are almost exactly mine from 3 years ago.

    Run, dont walk to the emergency and get someone with some experience.

    A large dose of prednisone or prednisolone will tell you if you have Temporal Arteritis.

    My experience was 60mg Pred. and 5 hours later the pains had gone.

    Please dont hang around.

    • Posted

      Unfortunately while a large dose of pred might relieve the pain it would not prove or disprove GCA - other things that could cause similar symptoms could also respond to high dose pred.

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