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Q: Headaches, nausea and dizziness issues.
asked by: Duchessljb on March 14th, 2008
Experienced User
For months, now, I’ve been getting little headaches (sometimes little pings that are so sharp they fuzz my vision and then go away, sometimes so bad they could be migraines, sometimes little aches in the neck or temples... you name it), nausea (before meals, after meals, in between, etc) and spells where it feels like my head isn’t quite attached to my body and is bobbing along the ceiling (not dizziness, exactly, just kind of lightheaded and airy; surreal feeling, almost, even dreamlike).

I’ve also been dealing with some nausea. Before meals, after meals, in between, you name it. Nothing in particular seems to bring it on; I just start to feel nauseous. If it’s after meals, I feel like throwing up; if it’s before, I don’t feel like eating. If it’s in between, it’s just a general nausea that makes me not want to move very much.

Finally, I haven’t been sleeping well. Not only do I have a hard time getting to sleep (I’ve always taken a long time getting to sleep, but lately it’s been hours, rather than 20 minutes like it usually is) and I’m waking up in the middle of the night (again, fairly normal), but unable to go right back to sleep (not normal for me).

Last night I had a horrible headache (starting from the neck area and shooting up into the head and temple) and today my shoulders and neck are horribly sore; the area just below the head in the neck area really hurts and there seems to be no position that I can sit in that relieves the ‘can’t hold my head up’ feeling I’ve got. It’s not pain in the traditional headache sense, really just soreness, like sore muscles feel. I also have that very ’disconnected’ feel in the head; not quite dizziness, but that slightly lightheaded feeling, again. I fell asleep alright, last night, but woke up several times during the night and was unable to fall right back to sleep like I usually am (I wasn’t in pain or hot or cold or needing to go to the bathroom or anything... I had no reason for still being awake, that I could tell). I just took a couple of ibuprofen, hoping that’ll help a little and I have a massage scheduled for this evening, so we’ll see if that helps. It was also suggested that I maybe see a chiropractor. Hm.

Has anyone else had symptoms like these? I’d like to go to my doctor, but it all seems so random that there won’t be enough of a connection to diagnose.

I’m hoping someone here will have some insight or be able to suggest something that reminds me of other symptoms that I might not even be aware are related…

Thanks in advance for any assistance!
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Duchessljb
replied on March 20th, 2008
Experienced User
Well, I'm sorry that I didn't get any replies from others with the same symptoms, but I'm glad no one else had them...

I went to the doctor, yesterday, and she said that the dizziness, nausea and head pressure were from a massive ear infection that I am already almost over, so she didn't give me anything for it. She said it was very surprising that I wasn't in any pain.

My headaches and muscle issues are due to extreme muscle tension. I was given a shot of something to help them calm and also put on prednisone for 5 days (20 mg. x 2 once a day). I started that, yesterday, and have had some issues with high blood pressure as a side effect (heart pounding and headaches) but other than that, the muscles do feel better.
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yogahoneybunny
replied on March 24th, 2008
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I was wondering ---- are you going through some particular time of stress right now? Sometimes the body reacts with multiple symptoms as a way to tell us to give it some attention!
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Duchessljb
replied on March 24th, 2008
Experienced User
Probably more than most normal folks deal with on a daily basis, but nothing out of the ordinary (for me) for the last few years, no. If it is just stress, then I have no idea what to do about it aside from drug up and hope it gets better. There isn't a way for me to reduce any of the current stressors, unfortunately.

The multiple symptoms have actually gone away and left nothing but the shoulder pain in its wake. At the moment, the pain is only in the right side shoulder and it's severe enough that it's aching all the way down my arm, making it difficult to type and write. I was advised by the doctor to try to stretch it out as much as possible, but each time I do, the pain gets worse, to the point that I can barely handle it without my eyes tearing up.

There doesn't seem to be a comfortable position for me to sit/stand/lie in. Stretching it doesn't relieve anything, scrunching it up doesn't relieve anything, somewhere in the middle doesn't relieve anything. It's just consistently tight and painful. It almost feels swollen, if that makes sense, and the swollen feeling extends down into the pectoral muscle in the front of that side (but not so far down that it reaches the chest).

It's gotten pretty bad since last night (I ended up having to take a vicodin leftover from my wisdom tooth extraction in order to sleep and, even then, it took me over an hour to get to sleep) and today I ended up calling my doctor, again. I'm still waiting to hear from them.
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yogahoneybunny
replied on March 27th, 2008
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Wow. I'm sorry to hear what a rough time it seems to be! I understand that you cannot remove the stress triggers but you CAN control how you react to them. It might sound silly, but yoga really helps me. I mean REALLY. I get shoulder and neck pain if I stop practicing yoga for a few days...so I speak from experience. Let me know if you want to try it out. It can help get you back in synch w/your body.
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Duchessljb
replied on March 31st, 2008
Experienced User
Thanks, I appreciate the thought, but I have tried yoga and don't enjoy it, at all, not to mention that it upsets my sciatica terribly (even the 'alternate' positions that the instructors recommended for the condition). I had been doing some stretches at my doctor's suggestion but the stretching made it worse, long term, so I was told not to do it, anymore.

At this time, I've been on flexeril (10 mg. x 3 per day) since last week. It helps, but I still notice the tightness in the shoulder/arm area, even when I'm not noticing the pain so much. My doctor perscribed it until I could get an appointment with the orthopedic specialist she wants me to see (my appointment is Wednesday morning).

Hopefully, he'll have some insight about all this...
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Duchessljb
replied on April 3rd, 2008
Experienced User
Well, it wasn't just tension. Apparently, I either tore or severely pulled my shoulder rotator cuff.

I had an MRI, today, that will tell us if it's just pulled (which would require only physical therapy) or actually torn (which would require surgery).

I have NO idea how I did it... Confused
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singlemamma
replied on April 3rd, 2008
Experienced User
I used to work in a PT office, it happens alot without anyone knowing you'd be amazed.

I'll hope it is just pulled and some PT will do the trick for ya.
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kacijo
replied on May 5th, 2009
New User
maybe i can help
I have been feeling the same way i am trying to figure out if what it is i have been to doctors but they dont know what it is. Most people either assume i am pregnant or they think i am depressed but i am normally a very happy person. I dont know what is going on with me i am getting blood tests done today i will tell you my results.
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