Headaches that won't go away

[Teysa]

I've been fighting this headache for several weeks now. And no, I'm not exaggerating. Right now it's just mildly annoying but it has a tendency to spike into migraine levels of pain. I probably should go to the doctor's, but that takes insurance which I don't have or money which I also don't have. I'm mostly just whining anyways.

[telecom_goddess]

I've been fighting this headache for several weeks now. And no, I'm not exaggerating.

And this doesn't worry you? Surely there is a free clinic somewhere?

[kamn]

Drink, check your blood pressure, but most of all, get to a doctor!

My father had something similar, though harsher. Got admitted and had an emergency operation for ruptured blood vessels in the brain. Doc said another hour or two would've killed him...

[Teysa]

I've had this problem with the persistent headaches before. They never could figure out what was wrong. Last time I went they told me it was all in my head. Of course it's all in my head. That's what hurts.

[crashhelmet]

Where in your head does it hurt?

Back/base of the head? It might be tension and all you need is a good massage.
Sinuses / Frontal lobe? Allergy meds (Tis the season for that)

But I agree that if it does persist and is painful, a doctor visit is highly recommended.

[ngc_7331]

I can feel ya there. I've had migraines that lasted a week and meds only took the edge off the pain enough so I could sorta kinda function. It sucks in ways that the word "suck" cannot describe.

[blas87]

I hate to keep being the "me too" bird around here, but a few weeks back at work, I had to go home just two hours into my shift because I had a headache that I'd been fighting since that previous weekend, I had popped several ibuprofen and Excedrine and everything else you can think of and nothing even touched it. It was right between my eyebrows and the pressure was pushing in by my ears.

I went home and slept, it went away for a day or two, and it just keeps coming back occasionally, every few days, nothing I take touches it.

My doc blames my headaches on soda pop, despite the fact I drink more than 3 bottles of water a day, and only one soda a day, so she's no help.

[Andara Bledin]

Your doc is an idiot. It's not the soda, it's the caffeine, and not all sodas are made equal, and I don't think any of them have as much as a single cup of coffee.

However, it is possible that if you've recently cut down on your caffeine intake, that your headache is a withdrawal symptom. Most of America has at least a mild level of addiction and for a good chunk of the populace, it's more than mild. However, one soda per day without any other caffeine source would be under the amount typically necessary to be enough for dependency.

My headaches are right between the eyes, for the most part, and are purely sinus related, with perhaps a bit of stress thrown in. My system over-reacts to pretty much anything, so I have a constant case of chronic sinusitis. If I ever had a headache that wasn't sinus-related that lasted more than a couple of days, however, I'd see a doctor; while it's not convenient or cheap, it's a whole lot less inconvenient and expensive than, say, letting something serious go without treatment.

^-.-^

[bara]

I've had this problem with the persistent headaches before. They never could figure out what was wrong. Last time I went they told me it was all in my head. Of course it's all in my head. That's what hurts.

Thats what a doc told my dad about his back problems... never mind the fact that at the time the doctor was telling him he was looking at an xray of my dads back that clearly showed the SIX fused discs.

[Boozy]

I have constant headaches this time of year due to allergies. No sinus problems, it's not a sinus headache. The headache itself is the allergic symptom.

Took me years to figure this out. Now I know to take an antihistamine when the headaches get rough.

[blas87]

I have horrid allergies from weather patterns shifting, this I already knew (for instance, what has happened between the super mild March we had and now the wetter, colder April but with a few random warm days in there too).

I guess the best word for my headaches are "tension" headaches.

[bex1218]

I have been learning a lot about my body in the past few years. People have told me to go to a doctor. For what? I have no money. I have no insurance. If my migraines lasted more than a few days, I will go to the ER. My body is allergic to any artificial sugar and some naturally occuring 0 calorie sweetners. I and also sensitive to caffiene, allergic to Monosodium Glutamate, and nitrates found in beef jerkey and most hot dogs. And lets not forget my hormones that come around monthly. And thats stuff I can predict or prevent as much as possible from happening.

[blas87]

I used to drink a lot more (regular) soda, it's just been the past 6 months or so I've done diet during the week and regular on the weekend (but again, very moderated, not with every meal). And like I said, I guzzle water, and usually, the more water I drink, the better I feel, but it also depends on how much sleep I get or if I get upset a lot or feel anxious.

I've just had this little bastard of a headache that keeps coming and going on and off for the longest time. OTC pain relievers aren't touching it, but then again, I haven't tried the specific "tension headache" kind. It may be worth a shot.

I feel for you on the doctor thing, too. I have insurance, but crappy nonetheless, and I avoid the doc like the plague, so I'd be just building on my deductible as always.

[ngc_7331]

I have been learning a lot about my body in the past few years. People have told me to go to a doctor. For what? I have no money. I have no insurance. If my migraines lasted more than a few days, I will go to the ER. My body is allergic to any artificial sugar and some naturally occuring 0 calorie sweetners. I and also sensitive to caffiene, allergic to Monosodium Glutamate, and nitrates found in beef jerkey and most hot dogs. And lets not forget my hormones that come around monthly. And thats stuff I can predict or prevent as much as possible from happening.

Yeah, MSG is a killer. I can't touch the stuff around the hormonal time of the month or I'll end up staying in a dark room for two days asking someone to shoot me and put me out of my misery. I've never had a problem with hot dogs myself but my mom has had migraines triggered by bananas. I've had them triggered by too little caffeine, which is probably withdrawal buy I'd rather slug a can or two of soda a day than deal with a migraine for a week.

[kamn]

blas, during these migranes, does it help if you press on your temples? Specificly on the arteries on the temples?

The few times I do have headaches, its right behind my eyes and squeezing my temples together helps...