anyone else on here suffered with head pain/stiff neck lasting a month 5 weeks continuous….
never had this b4 ? about six weeks ago i had bad flu then sinus probs but for now into my 5th week of continuous head pain.
had tablets from docs antibiotics for sinus, then the doc sent me to hospital cos i had stiff neck head pain and didnt like light.. did various tests no meningitus (good)……. but still head pains at back of head sides of head and forehead…. hospital have no idea whats causing the headaches…im on 30mg codine sulphate….. tried ibuprofen too but thats not helping…. its really getting me down now…they were going to do a head scan in hospital bit you know what its like ech doc has their own ideas then tells you to come back for outpatients appointment in 6-8 weeks time…. tho one doctor did tell me they could do the head scan the very next day whilst i had one nights stay in hospital… that never came to light…
really wierd pain , never had this b4 ?
how long do 'tension headaches' last for ?

Yes, at the beginning of 2009 from mid feb until early June I had a persistant headache, fatigue, generally feeling off. Was diagnosed with sinusitis and given a nasal spray, which did **** all good.

Long story short, what was going on wasn't particularly nice, I think you might have some idea from my username! You really need a brain scan, and with a 5 week history this should be arranged with some degree of urgency. Gp can do, but might be unwilling due to cost etc.

Keep on seeing GP, codine phos is a bloody strong pain killer but headaches can be wierd and some pain killers will cause a rebound headache – I can't take paracetamol, as it will worsen any headache within about 60 minutes, brufen works better for me. Not sure if Codine can cause a rebound, but it can cause dependency & withdrawl symptoms, not nice!!

mfl: codeine is quite a famous cause of paradoxical headache / medication overuse headache (much more well known than paras)

elaineanne: definitely get yourself seen, but consider the possibility that the meds aren't helping & may be contributing. google away at chronic daily headache and medication overuse headache but still suggest talk to your doc also

oh…. the hospital gave me this codine stuff….. i did argue enuff at hospital for 'head scan' but they just said they wouldnt do it straight away ???? so ok i,ll go home and suffer and have a brain tumor then just incase they missed it (great N.H.S )….
oh i had 'co-codamol' a few days b4 i went into hospital but even those didn't touch the pain… ? also panadol didnt work either…
i kept telling hospital that this wasnt ya normal headache type of pain..but they just dont listen,, 👿 and no i havent recently fallen off my bike and banged my head recently… these pains came on with the bad flu i had… my daughter was working as a student/assistant at some other hospital and brought back this horrid flu virus thing and i havent been rite since…. duno what else to do but its sooooo annoying as theres no relief in the pain that does not want to go away…grrrr

how about an alternative… im thinking Acupuncture….
medication from doctors supress pain whilst acupuncture opens up possible stagnant/blocked 'meridian lines'…. it might be worth looking into tho quite expensive….. anyone have good reports on acupuncture.. 😉

I'm a big fan of acupuncture and it can be very effective for the easing of head-aches (I use it on animals though!).

It's certainly no substitute for the proper investigation of a problem though! As others have said, I'd push for more tests if I were you.

i have had the necessary tests according to hospital… had an ECG as soon as i got to hospital…they took blood tests and eveything was normal.. like i said was hoping for that 'head scan' but they fobbed me off to wait for 'outpatients appointment', cos i dont have any 'temperature' and my bloods were fine, so they are not unduly worried.. (but i am)
tis wiered this …. i still have very stiff neck with head pains…

It might be worth getting a chiropractor to check your spine/neck alignment – its helped me when I've had unexplained recuring headaches before.

Have a wider look too whilst you get the scans and the like …
Think about stuff like:

Poor workplace / driving / home / sleeping ergonomics?
'Trapped' nerve in your neck/shoulder?
Talk to a chiropractor?

I get a lot of hire cars through work, and some give me horrible aching / stiffness with associated headaches for days afterwards where I can't get the seating posture right on a long drive. Lots of stretching / yoga /drinking water help to tease all that back out.

The way you sit/stand/walk makes an impact on health, and it's often overlooked in stuff like this.

The other thing to consider is stress …

@snaps – scarily well timed thought convergence there 😉

OK

The vast majority of headaches are not caused by anything serious.
You've had meningitis ruled out.
Headaches from brain tumours don't usually come on this quickly without other lateralizing signs / other symptoms of raised intracranial pressure. The NHS is still ruling this out as a possibility by scanning your head on an approriate timescale (emergency scans are for exactly that; emergencies).
Codeine is well known for causing analgesic induced headaches; if it is not working anyway then there is no harm in stopping it and seeing if it actually makes things better.
Tension type headaches (which are most likely contributing to this) an go on for ages. It can become a bit of a vicious circle… Headaches are worying, for all the reasons you have outlined above, which then lead to increased stress. Throw in a bit of analgesia induced headache from the codeine and you in for a headache that can last ages.

Easy for me to say, but try not to worry about what it 'could' be, it's probably nowt and you are having/have had investigations to rule out serious stuff. Try things that will help you relax/destress – massage; acupuncture; whatever else you fancy.

Hope you are feeling better soon.

Steve

'tens' machine im going to try b4 the acupuncture …. 19.99 from Argos i will try anything !

I would recommend going out and getting really hammmered! It will relax you, you'll stop worrying and the morning-after headache you can explain away by comming from the hangover and nothing worse than that! Sometimes the more things you try to use to cure a stress related thing (if this is the likely cause) the more stressed you get!

How's your hydration? I get nasty headaches when I don't drink enough (water 🙂 ).

Also too much coffee does it for me too.

Tension headaches (if that's what you have) suck and can last weeks and weeks.

I suffered with them on/off for a few years, but touch wood, not had any for quite some time. I think a mixture of things brings them on – bad posture, staring at a screen all day at work, stress. Mine were just like an annoying band around my head, making me want to pull my hair out. No sharp pains though.

Massage seemed to help a bit, but I think a life-style change (for me) did the trick (cycling to/fro work). Everything is far more zen now, and not so stressful 🙂

i have a very on off pain in my head, generally only caused when pressure is put onto my skull, no matter how light, just resting my head on my hand in that particular place can cause sevre pain.

vision has been affected abit more blurry on the outer peripherals and i have been feeling tired on the days it happens

Have you tried an ice pack to the back of your head to see if this relieves symptoms? Also at night try a wheat bag warmed up as this can help too.
Headaches – are strange things – no one understands what they actually are – they just try and manage the discomfort level.
I would also ask your doc to rule out primary headaches – such as hemicrania continua – i suffer from this and you really don't want this.
Then there is also things like trigeminal neuralgia – very uncommon. Both the above have very distinct diagnosis.
Finally analgesic pain killers are fine short term – long term ask them to try amytriptyline – anti depressant – but used in the treatment of headaches. If this doesn't work there are heavy duty tablets like gabapentin used for epilepsy – again used for headache control.
Plenty of options out there – but you may need to prod your gp in the right direction.

If it was me I'd personally ask if I could be referred for a scan or further tests.

I don't give a rats-ass about people who say meh meh don't waste the NHS's money meh meh.

Great saying post-worsecase 'ah so it was something serious after all'.

I'm careful- I suffer from migraines (no not headaches) and one of my Uncles died from a brain aneurysm.

ive had Ampitriptyline in the past treating something else and that totally disagreed with me ( i was in a 'tremendous daze' and couldnt function properly….soon came off that…
the light outside has affected quite alot these past few weeks so ive been wearing dark sunglasses…
got a tens machine for my stiff neck today ..rather funny electronic pulses running through you… i believe the stiff neck and headaches are related somehow..
i just got the feeling after my tests that the doctors lost interest cos i didnt have any temperature and my ecg was good….they just said "we dont know whats happening"…. so they couldnt really treat me if they didnt know ? its just annoying that one doctor said 'yes we can do the head scan in the morning', then the neurologist came to see me and straight away said no – come back as an 'outpatient' ( we dont have the bed space to keep you in for a few days ).. 😥 ooohhhh..so now i have the worry whilst i wait for outpatients appointment…..
hope i dont have brain aneurysm. 😕
on top of this im getting depressed cos my bike is just sitting here looking lonely

You shouldn't use a tens machine on the neck or skull really. You might cause some unwanted effects spasms etc.
There are alternatives to amitryptyline – not every drug agrees with everyone – got to find the one that works for you – unfortunately it takes time.

I had really severe headaches for two years before they were diagnosed

Kept giving the doctors all the symptoms and mainly got treated for severe sinus problems although migraine was ruled out due to what did or didn't affect me
Then suggested I had my eyes tested and then mentioned it could also possibly be teeth problems
Painkillers of any strength didn't work no matter how many I took, the headaches were completely ruining my life.

Purely by chance on one of my regular visits I saw a locum GP who straight away suggested it could be cluster headache
Saw a neurologist and it was confirmed, had an MRI just to make sure all was well in the bonce

Still suffering from what is termed "chronic cluster headache" but perseverence has paid off and now at least have meds that help (self administered Sumitriptan Injections)
Tried a few preventative drugs, but not had much success apart from feeling out of it 95% of the time, seems most of the treatments are primarily for other illnesses ranging from epillepsy to manic depression

Not sure if it would help you, but when I get a really bad attack of constant headaches I find that a short course of steroids (60mg of Prednisone a day for five days)breaks it up

Don't stop trying to find out the cause, I got lucky in the end and no point having such a poor quality of life if you don't have to

wel bit of good news the hospital phomed me this morning and theres a slot open for an MRI scan this wednesday so thats good !
'cubed' : as for the Tens machine, 'dont worry' im not placing it on the skull or neck directly,,, im placing it just below the shoulder blades -(theres a diagram showing where to place the pads and a particular setting for the neck complaints… 😉

Hiya.
The referral for outpatients is standard practice. I got locked in a cycle of 3-4 'migraines' a day, horrid nausea, balance screwed, vertigo, auras, all usual crap for months and months. Still took GP months to refer to a neurologist, the 1st of whom dismissed as stress and told me to lose weight & get more exercise. Changed docs, got referral to different neurologist, 3 MRI's later we established it definitely wasn't stress or lack of exercise but it wasn't neurological either though brain appears to be broken in other ways. I'm not fixed but er…getting there.
Anyway, what I'm saying is, headaches/migraines can be cause by any number of bodily system mess ups from central nervous system breaks to misfires from synapses to endocrine & hormonal issues. Don't panic. Wait for the appointment, if anything changes go straight back to the GP & tell them. Tell the neurologist you're worried when you see him, ask if you can have an MRI just to put your and their minds at rest. I suspect they'll send you for one anyway, it seems to be the first line of 'better safe than sorry' these days. In then mean time, maybe try those wheat bags in the microwave jobs on the back of your neck, sore stiff mucles seem to like heat. But not too hot. And lots of chilling out – worrying will not do any good even if not the cause.

Please excuse the following tome 😉 – apart from the light sensitivity, sounds not unlike a problem I had some years ago (which returns from time to time with varying degrees of shittiness – typically like having a dull hangover).
On one road bike commute, too tense in shoulders/neck (and head up) – a real throbbing headache came on in seconds. Dulled down a little afterwards, but then had it for 3-4 weeks before physio – manipulating the topmost vertebrae that could be reached, and applying some traction to the neck – seemed to start to relieve it. Appeared to be that the neck muscles had gone into spasm, resulting in the tension headache, and kinda stayed that way.
Since then (10 yrs ago?) normally happens for no more than a day until last summer – great timing, had it on holiday too 🙁 Had a month of it before I found out it was lower down the neck, nearer the shoulders, that needed some manipulating (done lying down with no tension in the neck – trying to massage it when the muscles are supporting the neck does nothing for it.)

Some things that help in my case when I feel it starting – letting the head drop forward (chin on chest) stretches out the back of the neck – even helping the pull with the arms.
Very hot flannel on the back of the neck helps to relax the muscles. Lying in bed facing the ceiling, pull the shoulderblades together (while keeping them flat to your back – kinda like pushing your shoulders into the mattress). Same position – can do it at the same time as the shoulders thing – facing ceiling, push back head into mattress using the neck muscles (chin approaches chest a little, but your head is still parallel to the ceiling IYSWIM) – again, stretches out the back of the neck (can also push your tongue against the roof of your mouth – supposed to help engage the neck muscles). Lying on mattress so its edge is slightly higher then the bottom of the skull – ie high enough to support head/head so head is still facing the ceiling, not dropping over the edge. Hands under chin with slight pressure (eg effect of gravity on arms) – shouldn't compress the neck, but should give a stretch felt in upper back between shoulderblades.

Things I avoid doing – riding a road bike or anything too low (in fact the only cycling I've done in the last year or two has been on a recumbent); leaning forward looking ahead – eg leaning on a pub table 😉 – or anything that might tense the back of the neck for more than a short amount of time.

YMMV of course – some of the above is from physios, some from searching the web, some by trial and error.

How do they test for Menigitis these days?

I had viral Menigitis 27 years ago, along with all the symptoms you describe.

To my recollection, the only test was a Lumbar Puncture – not nice!

However, if you did have Meningitis, you would almost certainly have been too ill and hospitalised by now.

My sister used to get migraines. It turned out to be an intolerance of caffeine.

I'm sure you have been round and round in circles and are feeling anxious for some answers.

I would recommend going to a nice pampering spa for the day and have some relaxation treatments. This might just help, but if it doesn't, at least you will have had a nice day out.

Good luck with the scan and I hope you get better very soon!

soooo, went baks to docs today ( i had 2 days where i felt well then suddenly the pain became intense agin, so ow im on 'Celebrex' and anti inflamatory tablet twice a day…
its defo a neck problem as i still have stiffness there all the time…facit joints in the neck.. also after the age of 30 we all degenerate and neck muscles disc become thinner, so i shall try these new tablets anyone been on these b4 and do they work ?

well great news : (had been suffering greatly) but hospital got in tough with me today and told me my MRI was clear ! so thankfully thats great news but on the down side im still getting these headpains (infact it was horrific last nite….. i just dont get it…what could it be ????
do x-rays show up trapped nerves in the neck (does anyone know)…or 'neck facit joint' problems…..
i cant think of anything else that wud give me alot of pain apart from maybe a wisdom tooth (tho they dont hurt) i wonder if wisdom teeth can cause head pain if theres a problem…. mite be worth having an x-ray at the dentist (if i can seriously drag myself there…(In sh-t scared of dentists ! lol

Seriously, DO NOT GO TO SEE A CHIROPRACTOR. They're a bunch of quacks. It's up there with crystals and homeopathy in my book.

Get a physio – if it is a trapped nerve, they'll be able to sort it.

I had a nerve in my back which was getting pinched, causing phantom hip pain. It got to the point where I was struggling to walk about, and very worried as I was halfway through a degree for an occupation that required a lot of walking about 🙄

About 6 weeks of chiro did nothing beyond placebo effect and lightening my wallet. Went to see the GP for a second time, asked for a different doctor (had previously been palmed off) and he immediately referred me to physio. He identified the problem straight away, and within a couple of weeks things were drastically better. And it didn't cost anything, as it was all on the NHS.

As Dara O'Briain said, do you know what they call alternative medicine when they can prove that it works? Medicine!

also after the age of 30 we all degenerate 😯

🙁

Is there anything suspect about your posture? I know everyone bangs on about it, but sitting at a desk all day? Staring at a screen?

In anycase, mebbe worth stretching, neck 'n shoulder blades 'n things 🙂

Dentist is worth it – do you grind your teeth? Even if you think you don't, you might (during sleep), and the dentist will point this out.

i dont sit at a computer all day so its not my posture… i move about all the time and rarely sit down till evening….
physio : its an 11 week wait but im seriously wondering abit a physio could help as i still have a stiff neck (been doing all the usual head/neck excercise but nothing shifting … my doc said he could possibley get the 11 week wait down to 2 weeks if the new tablets im on didnt work (which they arent at the mo…so try for phsyio approach then i guess…..

Tron : so chiropractor is a no no then ! ?. lol at reducing your wallet..or not lol)….sounded like a good idea when i started reading into it… im guessing you,ve tried them and werent impressed at all ? 😕

Yep, went to the GP, he obviously thought it wasn't as bad as I said, so didn't do anything for me.

Went to a chiropracter on the basis of a recommendation, and the stuff he did didn't help at all.

Finally went and saw another GP, got physio and was sorted very quickly. I didn't think it was posture related either, but it was. At the time I was doing a fair bit of sport and manual work in my spare time, so it certainly wasn't to do with being deskbound.

Basically, physios and chiropractors look to be doing outwardly similar things, but physiotherapy is based on science, and chiropracty is based on god knows what.

lol
physio it is then….. 😉