Hello - I have bad chronic headaches that come and go with no noticable pattern. I have tried several drs and just can't seem to get answers or pointed in the right direction. Below is a list of what is going on:
some of the basics:
-i have stabbing headaches across my forehead and the left-top and top side of my head. These headaches seem to come and go without reason. They last from 4 to 24 hours and average about 2/3rds of the day.
-also of note, for about 2 years before this started, I would get a stabbing warm pain in the top-right of my head. I rarely get that anymore and it is accompanied by everything else if I do.
-the headaches can start in the morning or late morning or afternoon, rarely do they start at night
-i have started recently to become slightly dizzy, flushed, slightly disoriented, and foggy headed when the headaches are worst.
-i have chronic (sinus?) pressure, some in my face but mostly in my forehead.
-i can barely move air through my nose and would suffocate if forced to
-i never have any nasal drainage
-i never have itchy/water eyes
-a few times that I have cried hard (unrelated to the pain) my sinuses instantly totally block up and seem to fill with mucous and the ensuing pressure is herrendous
-if I go 5 feet under water a sharp stabbing pain in my ears starts which is immediately excruciating
what I have tried:
-oxymetalazine (afrin), I used it on and off for 2 months several weeks at a time. It worked wonders - I could breathe clearer than I ever realized I even should and had no pressure and only minor headache. I have not used it in 6 mos.
-every antihistamine, no effect
-rounds of several antibiotics, no change
-small trials of cortical steroids (oral, nasal, and shots), minimal if any effect!
-pseudophredrine, it used to help, but then stopping it for awhile and trying it again has little effect
-ibuprofen used to work, but even not taking it for many months has no effect now
-acetaminophen (loath to take it) sometimes has a good effect and sometimes a bad effect
-aspirin seems to have a little effect on the headache but causes a different kind of pain discomfort
-imitrex in small doses seems to help a little with the pain but the side effects are not tolerable
-acupuncture, no help
-chiropractice, no help, but didn't give it enough tries maybe?
Medical discoveries:
-nasopharyngoscopy reveals massive inflamation of the sinuses and throat with no discernable infection
-ct w/o contast shows only polypoidal mucosal thickening
-i have a deviated septum (although a mirrow shows there are openings on both side of my nose)
-standard blood and urinalysis workups reveal everything is normal.
Some history:
-i quit smoking recently for 4 mos and quit caffeine at the same time for 5 mos with no beneficial effect
-34 mos ago stopped using cocaine after 2 mos heavy use
-18 mos ago had 3 top front root canals for badly damaged teeth and 5 crowns placed all in a row
-15 mos ago had worst headache of my life for several days after staying up 50 hours for work. The headaches seem to have began sometime around here
-14 mos ago had a really bad sore throat for about 3 weeks. Thesinus congestion seemed to begin or increase around this time
i know this is a lot of information. But I am just at a loss as what to try or do next. I have to be very careful financially how many specialists I go to, plus what tests get run and rerun. I can't take this any longer. It is eroding my sanity and life as I am more debilitated at work and my mood plummets.
Any ideas or suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Matthew