Hi all , seems strange asking this after all these years but headaches and does anyone have any natural remindies.
Have been regularly to gp and even asked consultants about headaches but just het told I am already on high pain meds and they dont want to offer anymore.
Sorry just realised you may need more detail. Mine are on the right side and I have been told are due to overworking my brain, I tried not to laugh at this point also, also they are not migranes. I have pathway problems in my brain meaning it takes a little more effort to find correct words or recall memories ( hence being told overworked).
Now I have suffered these for 16 years so you woukd think I would either be used to them or have gound how to manage them. The answer isca big fat NOOOOO.
Had a big headache yesterday but luckily it had cleared today. Been siffering a lot since the begining of year and have had them checked and been told they are JUST my head pains and nothing more serious( easy for them to say).
Sorry to be a bit of a whimp about this but it does sort of get me down and any advice would be veeerrrry welcome. Oh and the pain meds I am on are tramadol ifthat helps. Thanks in advance.
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paxo05
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Hi Paxo. Glad you aren't asking about migraines as the only sure fire way I have found to get rid of those is vomit several times, sleep several hours and wait....!
My 'other' headaches don't generally take me on that journey, thankfully and seem to respond to other approaches. My standard for one that won't be ignored (I find I actually have a headache most of the time most days if I let myself tune into head pain....needless to say I try not to) have a lot to do with my migraine management techniques though and are about blitzing it from all angles.
I will have a strong cup of coffee, caffeinated if I have any in the house, and something sweet, usually chocolate cake or battenburg or something. That is for blood sugar and to give a bit of a poke to any otc meds I might take. If it is persistent I will double up with paracetamol and ibuprofen at the same time. I have a stock of wheat bags which I warm in the microwave and stick around my neck, then I get a clean flannel and put it in ice cold water and put it over my forehead. Don't know why those two opposites should work but they seem to. Then either retire to rest with some lavendar essential oil on the pillow, or else find some nice quiet music and sit and focus on that for a while.
Oh, and my mother taught me as a child to visualise my headache as a big red monster that hated water and I could drip water on him and bit by bit he would shrink and turn blue and die...I still use it occasionally for the really recalcitrant ones.
There may be no reason for any of this working other than that it is a routine which has been with me since my migraines started when I was about 12...after 30 years it has become habitual, and it may well be that the headaches don't go away any faster than if I just sat there quietly for a while. Who knows? But it makes me feel better in the meantime, and it gives me a sense of control. And in day 4 or 5 of a bout of cluster headaches or migraines that is good to have.
Hope you find something to help - it is very much individual and trial and error I think - you have my sympathy. Few people understand the reality of semi- permanent 'mal a la tete'.
First never apologise for feeling low when in painni think it happens to all of us♥
Not sure how much help I can be but my first thoughts are hydration and maybe a change of meds.
I am thinking the meds because you say they are not migraines. I have been told that my headaches could describe like cluster migraines but they are not and the only known med to have any effect is amitrypteline.
You have to laugh. Chemist asked me into an room to review my meds. You are on x,y,z, an amitryp.? Yes I said and was able to tell him what I"d Been told. For me it I not being prescribed either as a muscle relaxant Or antidepressant but as neurological pain relief.he said he had learned something and thanked me.
I am on it for life.
On the overworking issue the imp in me wants to say simple: don't. The sensible boring me wants to say pacing and make sure you get rest when you need it.
Look out for the early signs of the headache and take time out to manage it. Pushing on only makes it worse in my experience and what could have been managed down to a 2 day bad head becomes 2 weeks of hell .
The advice in was given was to learn my limits and live within them. Great but the goalposts and limits are constantly shifting.
Love n hugs(. Talking of hugs as I think you were in another post some sit com reckoned the acceptable duration of a hug is 3 seconds if that help)
Never say you are a whimp when it comes to headaches! They are the most inciduous, dibilitating things going!
Like you the consults keep just poo pooing them and say they're 'tension' headaches then give me anti-migraine meds, pain relief meds and now suggest beta blockers (something I'm reluctant to do as my blood pressure is well controlled at mo and REALLY don't want to upset that!).
I take Tramadol, paracetamol (been told take EVERY 6 hours for best effect) and a triptan called maxalt melt. I use the parecetamol as told by docs and the maxalt when it starts to get too bad and if that don't work hit the tramadol.
My headaches are often focused over the site of the tumour despite being told nothing to do with them. However as they've increased the dosage of the epilepsy control drugs (E caused by tumour) the headache have reduced in frequency (used to be every day) and severity and on self investigation with epilepsy groups dicovered they are common precursers to or mild forms of seizure activity or post seizure. They can be a common side effect of AED's but as headaches started before E diagnosed and improved with meds this is obviously not the case.
I've found that pacing myself and avoiding fatigue over working the brain helps a lot.
Neuropsych has me targetting at last 3 x 15 min breaks every day. Breaks of doing NOTHING, no reading, telly, music or even relaxation excercises. Dambed hard to do I might add but seems to help when I can achieve it (which isn't every day but now up to at least 2 breaks 5 days a week which is a start I guess).
If they're migranouse a dark cool room, maxalt and sleep before it gets severe sometimes knocks it on the head (sorry for the pun).
Thanks all for advice. If I am honest like most I have a mild constant headache that I seem to be able to zone out from.
The headache this time caught me off gaurd and at a low time. Thankfully they only last from a few hours to a day but are just annoying . Once again thanks all
My BI was because of a brain tumour and first symptoms were headaches, sickness and the like.
It can be a worry for me and me folks when I get a headache now, mostly me folks. But I know myself best and the headaches are nowhere near what they were.
The best, natural things for me to do if I get a headache now is to either go outside and take some deep breaths of fresh air, which I think is the better and more useful way or the pressure trick.
I just had a quick look on the net for pressure points for headaches and could not see the one I sometimes do but found other. There are pressure points in your hands and feet!
What I sometimes do is I place my thumbs under the edge of the eye sockets just under hy eye brows and just above the bridge of my nose and press upwards. This sometimes relieves a little pain. Can't explain it very well, need an image really.
I have purchased some white willow bark capsules as well which are most probably more safer to use than store bought asprins and things as these most probably have some sort of dangerous chemical in it, most things do now.
I feel these don't work so well but I guess it was worth I try getting them.
White willow bark is a componant found in paracetamol but like I said, there are other chemicals in them, chemicals you could most probably do without.
I have heard of using willow bark as I know it forms the basis of asperin but wondered how affective it is as asperin doesnt chase away my headaches.
It is something I can live with it was just a real bad one the other day on top of feeling low. It was like having the right side of my head in a vice and it started to affect my right vision which was a little scarey.
A sort of good nights sleep and it seems to have faded. It just one symtom that isirregular and can catch me out.
Think I will hit the herbal shop and be ready to try next time one appears, watch this space. All the best and thanks all
If things have been going on for 16 years in a similar way, it suggests to me you might have formed bad habits or your medicine does not suit you.
Ask for a medicine review / change as Tramadol side effects state " Seizures (convulsions) have occurred in some people taking this medicine. Tramadol may be more likely to cause a seizure if you have a history of seizures or head injury, a metabolic disorder, or if you are taking certain medicines such as antidepressants, muscle relaxers, narcotic, or medicine for nausea and vomiting."
It also encourages shallow breathing - preventing lovely healthy oxygen getting into your blood. Headaches can occur easily with lack of oxygen and hydration as randomphantom mentioned.
Liquids you might think are equal. Coffee (caffeine), alcohol and milk can dehydrate the body. More info:
I drink herbal tea now, adding honey if I need a sugar hit.
Aim for 4 pints or 2 litres of water based drinks per day as a minimum. Water based means tap water, not juice, or squash, or coffee, or coke, or canned fizzy drinks. Anything less and you will have dry skin indicating dehydration. Make the water hot from the kettle on cold UK days and during the summer it can be cold (providing you don't have kidney issues which prefer warm drinks whatever the weather).
Medical prescription drugs are concentrated. They hit the bloodstream in concentrated forms thus dehydrating the body more. If you take lots of drugs each day, it is likely you suffer from dehydration headaches where the body doesn't have enough fluid to process them. This means drinking more water than above mentioned. This means accepting that regular toilet visits are normal when taking lots of drugs to flush unwanted from body.
A brain injury to heal itself requires a healthy detoxification system to remove unwanted items from the brain area. The brain injury because of its location in the body doesn't use the normal daytime lymph removal system.
Normal daytime body detoxification works on gentle up and down movement as we go about our daily routines. A small bounce up and down keeping feet touching on a trampoline is the best way to activate whole body lymph to help it remove unwanted lymph into bladder. So it doesn't need a lot but we do need to keep moving throughout the day if we want it to work alongside plenty of water.
Thoracic duct is the largest lymph vessel in the body and sits in the upper chest. Be tarzan with both fists in a hot shower in the morning to stimulate your lymph first thing after you wake up. Just until skin is rosey pink. Have a pint of water first before the shower! Place a picture of tarzan in the shower to remind you each morning!
So the brain is an enclosed different system in the body filled with cerebral fluid and doesn't use the daily lymph system. Recently scientists agreed that brain detoxification occurs at night time and they call the brain detox system the glymphatic system.
A paper was published in October 2013 edition of Science, entitled “Sleep Drives Metabolite Clearance from the Adult Brain.” Paper notes: At night the size of the brain cells shrink to aid removal of rubbish. Painkillers which remove inflammation such as Ibuprofen are the best kind for brain injury to facilitate brain detox.
In Feb 2015, brain detoxification was recognised in a prize. More info:
To heal a BI, your primary full time day job is to
1. Get oxygen into the blood cells with movement
2. Hydrate your cells with the right fluids
3. Eat nutritional foods which are non-inflammatory and ensure regular stools
4. Get quality sleep for brain to detox
Medicines can interrupt all 4 points above so minimising the intake of long term medicines facilitates healing of brain injury.
Some will disbelieve that headaches can be reduced or ended by such a simple approach. Simple, but hard to achieve. Some NHS doctors prescribe meds for specific ailments without understanding BI, it might stack up to a lot of meds and the meds might be working against each other. Also get meds reviewed by a second doctor to ensure you are taking the right thing for you and your medical history.
Sorry may have been a bit unclear. My bi was 16years ago and moat symtoms have been dealt with. These types of headache are intermitant. Have nit always been on tramadol and I am constatly under review with my meds.
Have changed diet to a less fat more fibre. More veg and fruits. Try and keep up on excercise and keep well hydrated. I dont drink any alcohol....mainly because I can no longer tolerate alcohol , I get very drunk very very quickly then pass out. So find it better not to drink.
I am epileptic although I never had seizures only abscencses. I have been monitered before and whilst taking tramadol as to side effects.
The upshot being that theses headaches have been put down to mental fatigue. This I find hard to adjust to although most of the time I seem to get the balance right when I dont these headaches completely catch me out . Thanks for the advice and will look into it.
I am glad to read headaches haven't been constant for 16 years.
To reiterate my point, experts in the field of brains presented a prize on brain detoxification just 3 months ago. Doctor's training will not have included this information as it is so recent. I challenge any reader to ask their doctor what the glymphatic system is and watch them ask you to spell it as they type it into the internet!
Mental fatigue headaches they may be. In your first post, you didn't sound like you agreed with their verdict because for you, they are serious. I generally trust my gut feeling, however confused the thinking.
You wrote "I have pathway problems in my brain meaning it takes a little more effort to find correct words or recall memories ( hence being told overworked)." Did you try working on whole body coordination? Walking with rhythm? Following a work out video on Youtube at the same speed, start with a gentle yoga class. Just by learning to copy exactly what you see, at the same pace, you teach the brain by repetition, how to connect. It is frustrating at first but full body coordination was the base upon which my next level of healing progressed.
Finding correct words, I would chat out loud in practice while making a cup of tea. Any words I couldn't 'find' I would look up synonyms on computer until I found the one I wanted. Those are easy. Names and places are harder and can be got at by remembering smells, laughter, emotions, tastes and sounds.
I wonder what you are doing to boost your general immune system? Give brain the right nutrients and it can function properly. Are you supporting with extra Vit B for nerves and fish oil to build the myelin sheath in the nerve pathways around the dendrites? You may need up to three times more supplements during this phase until your word recall reaches the next level of just a few occasions per month that you struggle with. Ask a BI specialist.
Mental fatigue headaches occur as feedback to tell us something. Is your body asking for more nutrient support? The way you write "I tried not to laugh", it doesn't sound like what they said was right for you, it didn't fit. Try upping your nutrient support for say 3 weeks and focus daily on whole body coordination, 20 min walks of full rhythm, every step is a beat on a drum, hear the music in your head, create a mantra, mine was "feel the pain, love the pain". over and over. Walk with pace, swinging arms. Notice when the rhythm breaks due to loss of concentration. Start again. Does your body do what it is told? Mine didn't but it does now. Repetition, repetition, repetition. How do you know you have got there? You have pumped your lungs for 20 minutes full of lovely fresh air while keeping a focused brain without losing concentration and a body awareness on coordination which did everything you wanted it to. Be very surprised if this causes you headaches! I did this when I had my headaches and often it reduced or removed them.
I dont take many seperate vitamins suppliments and it will be interesting next review will have to ask about new discoveries.
As for pathway problems, I think I did something simular to following yoga techniques. I had to watch a dvd while copying movements with my left arm to regain full function. Well I can tell you it was a very borrrrrriing time of my life but sooooo worth it as apart from two of my fingers on my left hand I have full function in my left arm and hand. Simular with my left leg apart from the nerve damage which have bern told is irreversable, its like walking on sponge but strangely I have got used to it over the years. Although I have accepted my condition I still try and push to gain any more recovery and I think thats what I am doing here. Thanks again.
Re useless arm - I thought my nerve damage was irreversible .... until the nerves grew back - has to be up there with one of THE most excruciatingly painful experiences - it was while I was high dosing the vitamins and supplements as per doc - hated taking so many pills - even if they were supposed to be supportive. I remember yelling out loud a lot as the nerves literally regrew after having a break through headache, neck adjustment and arm pain. For about 3 weeks, my hand would fly out to the right with massive clicks and cracks and the ice-cream aches were just something else referring to the back, front and neck. However, I am now the proud owner of a jar-opening wrist again. I would do it again if I had to.
If you regrew your arm, you can do it for your leg!
I'm guessing you still don't have little finger and index finger? Am I close?
Meant to write little finger - (heart meridian) and finger next to it (the triple heater) which is related to hypothalamus at back of brain.
Had a client who couldn't smell and had a numb little finger, just came for a pre-marathon massage. Gave him a 2 hour full body thai massage. At the end he mentioned he had not been able to feel his little finger for approx. 10 years (hadn't told me) and now he could! He phoned later that week to tell me his smell had returned too! Body is amazing healer - give it the right mix while not trying to fix it, and it will grow all by itself, that is its nature.
Have heard nerve regrowth is VERY painfull. Had a little of this on the left side of scalp, right side still desensitised. I am still hopefull I will get more feeling in two of the fingers on my left hand, never say never.
My left leg unfortunatley is a vombination of damaged nerves in my spinal chord at lower back as well as recpter in my brain apparently. Been told little to no chance of any more improvement but you never know.
I am soooo gratefull that the spinal nerve damage is so slight as it only really affects skin sensatation. Just to even more confuse me my at my last scan I was told that the nerve is also damaged as it passes through my left hip. End result is the same so not to overly concerned.
Been toldany further recovery after 16 years is unlikely. Then again they did say if I managed to walk I would be back in a wheelchair by the time I was 50. Well they got that wrong.
oh and yes it is mainly little finger worse and index not as bad. Both they think were trapped at one point in the accident as they sweelled considerably.
will look into your advice and thanks again for your help.
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