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Headaches What does yours head feel like?


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I was wondering about headaches, when, what they feel like, how often, and how long has it been since SAH? I do not know if I am allow to ask what you do about them. No specifics just massage or medication etc.

It has been about 4 1/2 months for me since SAH, I get daily headaches still. I wake up almost every morning with a sinus like headache which sometimes leaves after about a hour. I also get shooting pains to my temples and sides of my head mid day. I need to lay down at least 2-3 times a day and when I do my skull feels bruised or something- it is tender and I have a hard time finding a spot to lay it down when it does not add more pressure. I know I am improving because I am able to do little more each week. But I just wonder what others feel like with their headaches? I do not take pain medication very often, some OTC pain once in awhile. It all tears my stomach up too much. I also stopped the migraine/seizure medication after 2 weeks because I was a mental mess with it.

Thanks for your help. This site keeps me sane and has helped me more than words can express.

MaryB

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I am most fortunate. My headaches are not a daily occurrence. They are not sharp pains. Normally when they occur they are dull. They are often in the temples and spread over the crown. They seem to be a sure indicator that I need to rest. I can usually control them with rest and I also take OTC pain killers to dummy them up. I have never had a massage. I am sure that would help.

I do tend to rub my temples and head far more than I ever did. This could be an indication the headache is stress related.

I know I have the same stresses I had prior to SAH but I think I am more aware of them now.

That may also be the case of the headaches. I tended not to care about pesky things like a headache before I got the DOOZY.

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Hi Mary myheadaches are pretty much daily. a bit like your iwake up feeling like i have a cold most days. also i get the pain in my head like someone is squzing my head with the pain running down the back of my neck.

I take medication but try not to too much as it spaces me out. also tried the mirgraine meds but they didnt work. Im 20 months now.

hope this helps anymore questions just ask

take care donna

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Hi Mary,

I don't get headaches very often any more, I read on BTG that lots of water really helps and so I started drinking 2 litres every day without fail. Since then, I rarely get a headache but when I do, it runs from where I had the pressure valve fitted just above my fringe down the front of my forehead to my eye in a straight line. If I have a worse headache than this, right around my head for example, it's a sure sign I've been overdoing it. Mind you, I wee for England now!

Dawn x

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I am lucky in that my head is relatively pain free although with everything I have good & bad days. When I get a bad head it is usually sinus related or feels like a metal band tight around my fore head. I did have some very unusual pains on my left side the other week & they did scare me because I'd not had them beore, I also found the back of my head & my neck felt tender but that soon passed & I've not had it again. I have some pressure feeling today along the area of my scar which feels like wearing a hat or the crash helmet feel others have mentioned. The foggy feeling seems to have got a bit better since I started taking vits & iron but not sure if its related. I def find if I rest my head isn't bad but if I sleep badly my head is always worse. My Gp prescribed amytriptaline which helps me sleep & seems to have helped with the headaches too (its a muscle relaxant as well as an anti depressant in higer doses).

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Hi Mary,

I'm nearly 7 years post SAH. I still get headaches, but I can categorise them now ... 1) Normal/tension headache which is kind of all over the head and not specific to any area. 2) Headache related to the aneurysm (I still have an untreated neck left on my mine) it's right sided and will also give me pain in the right eye which was affected by a third nerve palsy. 3) Migraine with aura, which is less frequent post SAH. (I'm on a daily beta blocker to help prevent the frequency of the migraines)

We can't recommend pain meds on this site as we're not medically qualified to do so, but we can tell what we take as an individual. I have tried quite a few combinations of pain relief and to be honest, the best one that I've found without side effects, is your bog standard Paracetamol. If the head is very persistent, then I will take one Paracetamol and one Ibuprofen. For throbbing localised pain, then I will combine these with either an ice pack/packet of frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel or a very cold damp face cloth/flannel and apply to the forehead or wherever the pain is. Dark sunglasses can also help to cut down any glare..I was known to walk around the house/supermarket even in the winter time with these on.

I also used to wake up with a pressure headache every morning .... I found that raising my head/body up in bed helped and purchased a V shaped pillow for support, it seemed to help reduce the pressure. Everything is trial and error really, but it does get much better for most of us and I don't experience this any more. xx

Oh, forgot to say, that I've completely cut out caffeine in my diet too .... this helped, but I initially had withdrawal headaches, but they do go and haven't really touched the stuff since.

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Hi All,

I get stressed then head hurts...I try not to stress....but I cannot help it lol

Hubby and daughter worry about me....I have told them to leave me alone and I will call them when and if I need them.

but they worry (oh to go a toilet in peace) lol.....but it shows they care .....

Back to headaches, I have drill holes in either side of head between drill holes, ie the middle parting hurts sometimes..does that make sense ??? also temples hurt....but not too often so I try and remain calm..hard going !!!! Louise yes my shunt feels awkward sometimes also

Oh well I know what I mean lol..night All xxxxxx

Love to all and keep well

WinB143 xx

Edited by Winb143
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Hello,

Hi Mary, thanks for starting this because I've been meaning to ask you/all this. I am 6 months SAH and have headaches every day. They have started to get better but for the first 4-5 months they were intolerable and i needed to take pain meds. Mine start at the bottom of my head (just like SAH) and then move all the way throughout my head. I have to lay down every day after work and this helps. After my SAH I was in bed basically for 2 months with an 8 out of 10 headache. Now its down to a 4ish.

Donna- you're scaring me that 20 months post SAH you have daily headaches. I thought they might be gone by then but every situation is different.

BTW- My neurosurgeon told me they would go away in 1-2 months. NOT!

David

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Like everyone else my head is getting better over time. I'm at 14 months now. If I've overdone it all the symptoms begin to come back and they get stronger if I don't listen and rest.

When I say 'my head is squeezing in on me' it feels like an elastic band is being wound tightly around my head. I still get sinus pain but not daily. I used to have it from my front teeth all the way up to the top of my head all the time.

For about 6 months after my head blew up I had no headaches. What a nice reprieve! But then the pain came in on the upper left side of my head, above my eye and it was intense. I take anti-migraine meds daily and I don't get that pain anymore.

I've been describing my brain as feeling like an overused muscle lately, by the end of the day it's swollen and needs a rest.

I get weekly craniosacral therapy from a chiropractor and that eases both the sinus pain and elastic band feeling.

Sandi K.

Edited by Sandi K
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Hey there

I suffered from headaches for months after the SAH -I drank more water and cut out all sweeteners that were Aspartame or asculfame - the heads went within weeks. Drinking plenty of water is vital - some headaches can be due to dehydration. I grade mine as "skimmed", "semi-skimmed" and "full fat" as in different types of milk. I can honestly say that I haven't had a full fat headache for years - other than a hangover.

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I haven't had a proper headache since my SAH/Crainiotomy but I have suffered with constant head pain ever since. For the first couple of years it was put down to the operation and healing process but eventually my Neurosurgeon said it is probably caused by a trapped nerve and I should learn to live with the pain.

On a good day its just a feeling of fuzziness but at its worse it the whole left side of my head and my left eye. I do occasionally have a clear head day but not very often and it feels really strange when it does happen and is often followed by a really bad head. I take a low dose of anti depressant which helps to control nerve pain and paracetomol as needed.

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Hello Mary ,

Hows things with you today?

As others have said the headaches, pains, creaking, cracking etc does all ease off a bit after time as the brain is healing and things are going back into place.

I had many bad migraines before my SAH but haven't had any since.

I do however have permanent what I call head pains. I still get a lot of temple pressure too. I can never sleep comfortably and will always wake up with bad head pains. I also use a V pillow like Karen said about.

I'm very limited on what I can take, just have paracetamol.

I'm learning to live with the pains most of the time, it's a part of me now.

However, I know now easily know when I've done too much, my brain will go into shut down mode and I'll have no choice than to lay down and sleep.

Its all about 'spoons', using them wisely. Very wisely.

I hope your change in meds helps. Let us know.

Take care and keep smiling,

SarahLou Xx

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  • 2 weeks later...
I was wondering about headaches, when, what they feel like, how often, and how long has it been since SAH? I do not know if I am allow to ask what you do about them. No specifics just massage or medication etc.

It has been about 4 1/2 months for me since SAH, I get daily headaches still. I wake up almost every morning with a sinus like headache which sometimes leaves after about a hour. I also get shooting pains to my temples and sides of my head mid day. I need to lay down at least 2-3 times a day and when I do my skull feels bruised or something- it is tender and I have a hard time finding a spot to lay it down when it does not add more pressure. I know I am improving because I am able to do little more each week. But I just wonder what others feel like with their headaches? I do not take pain medication very often, some OTC pain once in awhile. It all tears my stomach up too much. I also stopped the migraine/seizure medication after 2 weeks because I was a mental mess with it.

Thanks for your help. This site keeps me sane and has helped me more than words can express.

MaryB

Hi Mary x

the dreaded headaches, i panick each time i get one and believe or not i have had 10 headaches in the last 14 months since my SAH. For me 10 in 14 months has been a doddle i used to suffer many more than that in any given month before the SAH

Facial pain, vomiting, sinus pain. earache. a throbing pulsating pain in my right temple would always render me practicaly unconcous. but with all this and other symptons pain in my kneck and in my spine i was told i was only depressed and at one time sent to rheumatolgy were i was diagnosed with FIBROMYALGIA.(how wrong they were)

I too have stopped taking my anti-seizure drugs they were making me aggressive my GP decided it was for the best.

Still suffereing with simple partical and abscence seizure but im coping ok at moment.

I found that some of my headaches recently are due to being dehydrated so i'm trying to drink more and i think it's working x Thinking of you x

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  • 6 months later...

Back to this headache thing. Mine were constant for 6 months went away for 2 months and now I get a nice assortment. I am so sure the neurologist will roll his eyes at me.The are so different with different areas of my head hurting. I certainly get an over do it exercise splitting headache that last awhile.

Shooting pains all over my head,

Temple with shooting into my right eye pain

All over tenderness back to using my softest pillow as it hurts to lay my head down pain.

Back of my skull headache

Tension headache

Left eye twitching with right eye floaters is also more popular now.

I also have a new thing where I can't call it dizzyness but it is like if something is moving around me, like spinning, I cannot look at it. At work they move a giant food display out of waiting room and I felt like I wanted to almost fall it was so weird. It was a large piece of furniture out of small space but i felt like I need to put my arms out.

Anyone had anything similar? I am coming up on my 1 year anniversary and I am suppose to be like brand new in a few weeks. :)

:lol:

Thanks for any respond in advance. maryb

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Hi Mary I still get dizzy like feelings 10yrs on but seriously you do get used to it, I notice it but it doesn't really affect me that much anymore if you know what I mean. I Still get headaches to sometimes daily sometimes weekly all depends. Hope your feeling better soon. Jess.xxx

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Hiya Mary,

I totally get what you are saying about the movement around you thing. What I find really dreadful are the adverts down the sides of many websites. If they are the type that move about, it makes me feel sick and I can't read or focus on what I was looking up.Another thing that really gets me is when I'm watching a film where two people are talking and the camera pans around and around them - that makes me feel ill. I find this really frustrating as it's just not necessary (in my view!). It's not quite dizzyness and not quite nausea. I can't describe it really, is this similar to what you are experiencing?

Dawn x

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Thanks Jess~

Yes Dawn,

That is what I am talking about - it is the movement. You really cannot call it dizzyness but it is something weird. I do not recall having this earlier on, maybe my mind and body were so slow reacting I did not notice it.

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Dawn and Mary I get that weird sensation too, everyday. As Jess says about her dizziness though, I'm getting used to it. It's not a dizzy feeling (I get that too sometimes) but a feeling like the object, room, planet are moving. Sometimes it's just an object like a piece of furniture out of place, sometimes I feel like the whole room moved. I fell down once when feeling like the room moved.

It's very difficult to explain so I usually just say I'm dizzy as that's what most people understand. It's embarrassing when I go to put something on the table or counter and I misjudge where the surface is and either slam the plate down or let go too soon (did the table move?)! It happens more often if there is a pattern on the table top.

Sandi K.

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I have always had the problem of looking looking through a microscope and not being able to focus my eyes as everything on the slide is moving in circles. Or a strobe light would send me over the edge as would video games, snowing or rain coming at me while driving. But now I stand and feel the room spin as well, it was so freaky to just have that piece of large furniture remove to make me want to fall down. I am glad I am not alone with that one. Thanks, I was a bit freaked out ove rthat. It sounds so weird.

maryb:-D

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I get that "weird" feeling too. I'm not really dizzy, just kind of off balance where things don't feel right. I find this happens most when I'm tired or have had tooo much activity - like yesterday!!! I must have looked like a drunk as I was walking down the pier, gong to the left and right. At one point my daughter made me get in front of her as she didn't like the fact that when she turned around, I was off to the side somewhere!

I also get sharp shooting pains in my head at different times throughout the day. I've gotten used to them - don't like them though.

Strobe lights, crowds, any video games, fast moving films (with 3D effects) are tricky for me. Have to hold on to something. Just too much stimulation at once, still, for my brain to take in I guess. My niece turned on the radio yesterday (in the car) after our long day of walking in San Diego. "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" - it was blasting. I looked at her, opened my mouth to speak, and she said, "I'm sorry, I forgot" and promptly turned it way down!!! Thank God she did, my head might have exploded in her car and that would have been quite a mess to clean up!!! :lol:

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  • 2 weeks later...

That weird feeling is called Vertigo. When it's severe the room feel like it's spinning around in some strange direction that you can't quite pin-point. Dizziness is when You feel unsteady and might fall down. They've gone hand in hand with me. Then there is lightheadedness-the feeling when you get up too fast and have low blood pressure.

Anyway, that is an aside. I have found that I only get a headache when I've overdone it. Sometimes, I don't want to admit that fact to myself, because it might be a simple as I was at the computer for an hour...but that's the real reason for me. I meditate and that helps a lot. It's calming and contrary to our doing doing doing society...at least here in the USA.

First, I began to notice (and document!) when I had a headache...not why.

Then when I examined the data...it was always after a hard situation, day, or night without sleep.

Then I'd use the meditation to relax my head. Sometimes it takes 45min, but it works for me.

~Kris

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