30 year old male.
I have experienced the following symptoms during the last 2 1/2 years (prior to 2005 this I was very healthy).
Here I will give my medical history in case it is related:

- Starting May 2005, Unexplained chronic daily headache, heaviness sensation in forehead
-- (CT / MRI / MRA of brain, MRI c-spine, neurological exam, simple blood tests normal).

- Starting April 2007, gastritis in the duodnem, proctitis. Chronically re-occurs.
-- Had CT abdomen / pelvis May 2007. Normal except for small liver hypodensities (probable cysts).
EGD / colonoscopy Sept. 2007, negative for H. Pylori, quit smoking, quit non-steroidal anti-imflammatory drugs, but symptoms continue to re-occur.

- Starting December 2007, symptomatic tachycardia which was leading to near-syncope symptoms, and tachycardia in my sleep as high as 170 bpm. THROBBING UPPER CHEST PAIN, started at the same time, it is not much worse with exercise, at night when I lay down to sleep I feel squeezing chest pain.
-- Negative blood tests, chest Xray, EKG, Echocardiogram. Most likely sinus tachycardia.

- Starting Febuary 2008 (very recent), altered sensation in skin on both right limbs and left leg. Most notable in right arm. Right arm feels heavy and clumsy. More intermittent in legs / feet. Skin sensations in feet are on the top of the feet and halfway up the lower legs. Right arm feels heavy and uncomfortable. No actual muscle weakness, just heavy numb sensations. Chest pain in upper-central chest and all over symptoms listed above continue.

By the way, I have already been tossed into the "crazy bin" at the hospital I attend ( the local major university hospital)...I cannot escape the dreaded "anxiety and depression" black cloud (which of course, it is most definately not, given my flawless medical history prior to '05).

Oh my gosh!!! I have had a headache, stiff neck and lightheadedness for 2 1/2 years. 24/7!!! I have also had ongoing chest pain for about 4 months. All my tests also come back negative!! How frustrating!! I hope we can both find answers to this debilitating horrible problem!! I was just told by the Mayo clinic that I had "migraine equivalents". I will start taking some low dose form of migraine medication on Friday. ??????? We shall see!

sickandtired, Can you please describe your headache in more detail (throbbing, dull, frontal, rear, one sided, etc), also tell me more about your chest pain? is it squeezing, throbbing, etc....What are all the tests you've had, how old are you, etc? Please..tell me more! Tell me everything you can think of...I will do the same

Noanswers3years...It all started 2 1/2 years ago. I was 44 yrs old at the time. I was in the best shape of my life. I ran 3 miles 5 to 6 times per week, lifted weights every other day. Felt wonderful. On top of the world!! It started with the worst headaches of my life and blurry vision and flu like syptoms. My doc thought I was overworked, tired blah, blah blah!! I have had mri's, cat scans, blood work and an mra. Oh I just had a lumbar puncture done at the Mayo clinic. I have had ekg's, and a stress test. All come back "normal". That is what is sooooo frustrating because something is not right. Honestly I am apprehensive about taking this migraine medication because I don't just want to "mask" the problem I want to find it!!! I don't know. I am truly desperate!!! I'm sure you understand ?! No one truly does. I can't even believe I am going through this!! I have been healthy all my life, augh!! I'll tell you how desperate I have been! I even emailed Dr. Phil, Oprah, Dr. Oz, for help to connect with the right people to help me. Ha Ha Ha Deperation!!! Of course no response. Maybe the next step would be to see an infectious disease doctor??? NO clue. But I have to continue to pursure this mystery. This is hell on earth for me!!! Oh! you wanted to know about the chest pains.... they are pretty much dull pains, mainly on my left upper chest side. Although yesterday it was more of a burning sensation all over (chest area). ER doc said they were A-typical chest pains probably due to inflamation!!! ha ha ha I'm sure they wouldn't "probably assume" it was inflamation if it was their chest hurting!! Wow, I cound so cynical Anyway that really isn't my normal personality. Just extremely frustrated. Headaches are pretty much one sided now. Alot of pressure on left side of nose and ear. Constant - no relief! When my neck feels it's stiffest, my pressue, not feeling well and lightheadness is at it's worst. How do we get on the show mystery diagnosis??? Do we have to be diagnosed to be on? Keep me updated on your progress! Take care!

I had these symptoms and it turned out that I was allergic to Splenda. I had a chronic headache that wouldn't go away with any kind of medication including prescription. I had severe cramping in my lower abdomin, and bladder problems. I had indigestion that wouldn't go away. I also had a rash that would come and go. I also had a tingling sensation in my hands, but mostly in my feet. I didn't realize that they were connected.

Aspertame cased me to have tachycardia, and severe headaches and nausia.

Your symptoms seem diverse enough to look into the possibility of a food allergy. Mine was artificial sweetners, yours could be something else like gluten or wheat. Just a thought. Think about something you eat or drink everyday.

Thank you! I will definately do that! I appreciate your input!

I don't know where you live but there is a doctor who is world renowned for headache and dizzy research in Los Angeles, CA. His name is Dr. Robert Baloh. If you google his name you will see pages and pages about him. He is at UCLA Medical Center. He has diagnosed MANY people who cannot get a diagnosis anywhere else, including myself. He also works with a Dr. Yoon Hee Cha who studies the same thing. GOOD LUCK!

Have you been to neuro yet?
I'm wondering if perhaps you could have had a stroke somehow related to the migraines or fast pulse... another thing that comes to mind is perhaps a thyroid disorder. Hashimoto's encephalopathy is a rare complication of autoimmune thyroiditis that can produce severe migraines and neuro symptoms. Early on in thyroiditis, the body periodically dumps out large amounts of thyroid hormone which can lead to a fast pulse... Of course by now they have checked your thyroid hormones. Mine were checked 6 times over 8 years and I was reassured my gland was happy and healthy. But HE is diagnosed by checking thyroid ANTIBODIES, even if hormone levels are okay. And most patients with HE have normal hormone levels.
Not sure if this would explain the liver spots, however.
Sorry you've been placed in the mental health dust bin... they put me there too until my labs came back abnormal. It happens to a lot of us!

i f you have mo memory after say a vomiting episode you could possible have epilepsy . Just nother helpful thought.

do you have any amalgam or silver fillings if you do this maybe your problem. i have had some of the same symptoms i found out it maybe be mercury from the fillings that affect the brain. just google mercury fillings to find out more

quote:

Originally posted by NoAnswers3years:
30 year old male.
I have experienced the following symptoms during the last 2 1/2 years (prior to 2005 this I was very healthy).
Here I will give my medical history in case it is related:

- Starting May 2005, Unexplained chronic daily headache, heaviness sensation in forehead
-- (CT / MRI / MRA of brain, MRI c-spine, neurological exam, simple blood tests normal).

- Starting April 2007, gastritis in the duodnem, proctitis. Chronically re-occurs.
-- Had CT abdomen / pelvis May 2007. Normal except for small liver hypodensities (probable cysts).
EGD / colonoscopy Sept. 2007, negative for H. Pylori, quit smoking, quit non-steroidal anti-imflammatory drugs, but symptoms continue to re-occur.

- Starting December 2007, symptomatic tachycardia which was leading to near-syncope symptoms, and tachycardia in my sleep as high as 170 bpm. THROBBING UPPER CHEST PAIN, started at the same time, it is not much worse with exercise, at night when I lay down to sleep I feel squeezing chest pain.
-- Negative blood tests, chest Xray, EKG, Echocardiogram. Most likely sinus tachycardia.

- Starting Febuary 2008 (very recent), altered sensation in skin on both right limbs and left leg. Most notable in right arm. Right arm feels heavy and clumsy. More intermittent in legs / feet. Skin sensations in feet are on the top of the feet and halfway up the lower legs. Right arm feels heavy and uncomfortable. No actual muscle weakness, just heavy numb sensations. Chest pain in upper-central chest and all over symptoms listed above continue.

Two thoughts come to mind...
hyperparathyroid disease. http://parathyroid.com/parathyroid-disease.htm

I actually emailed the doctor at this website with all my blood work and he emailed me back. The key - and get your physician to do this EXACTLY corret. Ca, Ionized Ca AND PTH all at the same time twice - two weeks apart. All the scans in the world (and he explains this in his website) rarely show this tumor.

schwannoma. Although everyone will tell you because you have had an MRI and blood work has come back normal, they are missing that schwannoa's are nearly impossible to see within the first few years.

I have suffered almost 2 years with the exact symptoms you are describing. I was put on 10mg of warfarin (coumadin) the past three months and have actually felt 100% better. I still do not have a diagnosis... lupus and APS have been thrown out there (I do have a confirmed bloot clotting disorder, and have three brain clots and have had a stroke) but no one really wants to commit to any one diagnosis.

A rheumotologist and a hematologist need to be on your list of specialists. Many blood disorders can cause what you are going through.

ddbasham7@aol.com if you ever need to vent.

Good luck. It is daunting, but you are the only one that can advocate for you!

I was on one of the Myster Diagnosis shows that featured a shwannoma (neuroma) and the MRI will show it if the test is done with contrast dye being injected first. There are many possible symptoms depending on where along the brainstem the tumor is located and how big it is. Also, is it pressing on the brainsteam and/or affecting blood flow to the brain. Tracey Killarney

try finding a headache clinic in your area. There is a good one in Chicago. (Diamond Headache clinic) I know there is a big one in ann arbor,MI and one someplace in texas (never been to this one. At the Ann Arbor one you will not see the same doc every time you go, so it gets hard to keep explaining your syptoms, that is why we drive to chicago.

Hi guys,
I just registered for this because I felt obligated to report my findings but in all honesty I may not have the time to check back again. If you want to reach me feel free to do so at cherylamcdowell@gmail.com
3 years ago my husband was diagnosed with New Daily Persistant Headache, it is a headache that affects 4% of the population with no known cause. It is 24/7 pounding in the back of his head. He has had several rasotomy's where they burn the nerves in the back of the head, a nerve stimulator implanted and many meds. We are now awaiting insurance approval for an experiemental procedure done by Dr. Blake in Texas. This is a possibility for you and I want you to be aware that it does exist. It comes on like a clap of thunder out of no where and never goes away. Basically the brain recognizes the pain as normal and fights off attempts to combat it. Procedures work for a short time until the brain realizes you tricked it and stops working. If you have any questions feel free to let me know. I have made it my life mission to get him relief.

quote:

Originally posted by tkillarney:
I was on one of the Myster Diagnosis shows that featured a shwannoma (neuroma) and the MRI will show it if the test is done with contrast dye being injected first. There are many possible symptoms depending on where along the brainstem the tumor is located and how big it is. Also, is it pressing on the brainsteam and/or affecting blood flow to the brain. Tracey Killarney

please tell me did you have alot happen after 5years and many dr you found out what it was? I seen a show and every thing that was happing to the woman are all the thing I have it's bad.

Hey it is you i found it on the daily shows any way.I cryed when i heard what you had to say I know maybe I'm not crazy know one understands about my head,how bad it gets please email crystal82dawn@q.com

quote:

Originally posted by NoAnswers3years:
30 year old male.
I have experienced the following symptoms during the last 2 1/2 years (prior to 2005 this I was very healthy).
Here I will give my medical history in case it is related:

- Starting May 2005, Unexplained chronic daily headache, heaviness sensation in forehead
-- (CT / MRI / MRA of brain, MRI c-spine, neurological exam, simple blood tests normal).

- Starting April 2007, gastritis in the duodnem, proctitis. Chronically re-occurs.
-- Had CT abdomen / pelvis May 2007. Normal except for small liver hypodensities (probable cysts).
EGD / colonoscopy Sept. 2007, negative for H. Pylori, quit smoking, quit non-steroidal anti-imflammatory drugs, but symptoms continue to re-occur.

- Starting December 2007, symptomatic tachycardia which was leading to near-syncope symptoms, and tachycardia in my sleep as high as 170 bpm. THROBBING UPPER CHEST PAIN, started at the same time, it is not much worse with exercise, at night when I lay down to sleep I feel squeezing chest pain.
-- Negative blood tests, chest Xray, EKG, Echocardiogram. Most likely sinus tachycardia.

- Starting Febuary 2008 (very recent), altered sensation in skin on both right limbs and left leg. Most notable in right arm. Right arm feels heavy and clumsy. More intermittent in legs / feet. Skin sensations in feet are on the top of the feet and halfway up the lower legs. Right arm feels heavy and uncomfortable. No actual muscle weakness, just heavy numb sensations. Chest pain in upper-central chest and all over symptoms listed above continue.

I would get pheochromocytoma ruled out with a urnine metanephrine test or blood plasma free metanephrine test. It is rare but a possibility.

This usually presents with headaches sweating and hypertension but all cases are not textbook.



The signs and symptoms of a pheochromocytoma are those of sympathetic nervous system hyperactivity, including:

Elevated heart rate
Elevated blood pressure, including paroxysmal (sporadic, episodic) high blood pressure, which sometimes can be more difficult to detect; another clue to the presence of pheochromocytoma is orthostatic hypotension (a fall in systolic blood pressure greater than 20 mmHg or a fall in diastolic blood pressure greater than 10 mmHg on making the patient stand)
Palpitations
Anxiety often resembling that of a panic attack
Diaphoresis
Headaches
Pallor
Weight loss
Localized amyloid deposits found microscopically
Elevated blood glucose level (due primarily to catecholamine stimulation of lipolysis (breakdown of stored fat) leading to high levels of free fatty acids and the subsequent inhibition of glucose uptake by muscle cells. Further, stimulation of beta-adrenergic receptors leads to glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis and thus elevation of blood glucose levels).
A pheochromocytoma can also cause resistant arterial hypertension. A pheochromocytoma can be fatal if it causes malignant hypertension, or severely high blood pressure.

Not all patients experience all of the signs and symptoms listed

I have been having 24/7 constant head pain for 2 1/2 years now that sometimes gets so severe (as it is now) that I can not function normally. It is so painful, I can't stand it, it hurts really bad in the back of my head and then all over my head and where your head meets the neck in the back. It's horrible and nothing helps to relieve the pain. I've tried Advil and Aleve, motion sickness medicine, sudafed, Lyrica... nothing helps.

This pain and tightness in my head all started in July of 2006. I was perfectly healthy (at least what we knew) until I received the Meningococcal Vaccine for college and 5 minutes later I fainted in the waiting room. Everyone says it was vasovagual and not the cause, but since the moment I woke up I have had tightness and pressure and pain in my head (that has gotten worse now) and abdominal pain, dizziness, and even more heart skipping than I had before. I also have on and off bright red blood on my stool sometimes (which I noticed before the vaccine). Also, my left tonsil is swollen and my lymph node on my left side of my neck under my ear is enlarged. My thought is, either I had something that was hidden before that, when I was given the vaccine and fainted, revealed itself. Or, it was from the vaccine (though the doctors tell me if it was the vaccine, it would have killed me by now).

I have had many tests done: head MRI, 3 head CT's, spinal tap, many blood tests (found I have low vitamin D), EEG, EMG, stress test, heart echo, EKG, inner ear tilt table test, and more.. Nothing had showed wrong so of course the doctors think it's all in my head and just tell me to live my life.. which is all I want to do. But with such severe pain it is impossible. If any of you have any information or advice for me I would appreciate it so much. This pain is so intense and something needs to be done.

Shine28
Please research.. adrenal reaction to meningococcal vaccine.. You may be having a hypothalalomic - pituitary - adrenal axis suppression.. your symtoms sound very similar to adrenal problems.. good luck and don't let the docs. write you off.. remember they work for you!! hugs France

Hi!
So I just googled "headache 24/7" and i got this.
I'm 18, and I started having headaches when I was 12. I got hit in the head by a volleyball during practice and my head got smacked against a wall.
i suffered a concussion.
since then i have had a constant headache that does not get better with anything.
i admit smoking weed a few times, and that was the only thing that would make my headaches go away for short amounts of time.
i have had ct scans, ekg, eeg, xrays, everything. but i was 12 and it was all clean.

i am overweight, and the doctors are completely blaming everything on that. but i weighed less when my headaches start, i admit that i have gained weight over the years and my headaches have become obviously worst, but i do not believe it is due to my weight. i eat healthy and i'm a vegeterian. i eat chicken sometimes because i need the protein.

i have tried everything and i have no idea what is going on with me.
can anyone help maybe?

thank you.

I am a 21 year old female. It started when I was working at a hospital in my hometown as a nurses aide in May of 2007. I was in a patients room helping them when I suddenly got really hot, my hands were sweaty, and my vision went black I couldn't see anything, luckily I knew where my mom's office was so I carefully walked down to her office and stood at her door way and said "mom I feel like i'm about to pass out." She walked over to me thinking I just felt dizzy and thats when I passed out. I don't remember anything she said I didn't hit my head because she caught my head before it hit the floor. Right then they took me to the clinic to do some tests on me and then took me back over to the hospital to do blood tests and urine tests. I was admitted for observation that evening but my Dr. didn't know why i passed out. Later that night i developed a major headache and was very sick to my stomach. They gave me some pain medicine which didn't help.I was sent later that week to get a CT of my head, which came back clear. Good news but not good enough.
I was sent to a Neurologist and he thought they were migraines. I was given almost every medicine for migraines and nothing helped. I was maxed out on most of those medicines and I was taken off a couple of them because I lost 20 pounds. I went to this same neurologist for a year. Traveling 2 1/2 hours to him while I was in college. Being in college with my kind of headaches didn't make my college year easy. I would call me mom crying at 3 to 4 times out of the week because my head was hurting so bad. I remember one time I was going back to my apartment from a flag football game I had just played and I called my mom and told her my head was hurting really bad and I was dizzy. Thats when they decided I would finish out that year in college and move back home with my parents so they could watch me and be with me as i'm going through this.
I sent to another neurologist in Dallas,TX who said they were also migraines. I was put in the hopsital for a week to try a treatment, which I knew it wasn't going to work and it didn't. I went to a neurologist in Lubbock,TX who told me that I just needed to stop taking all medicines and excerise. I tried that for two weeks and that didn't help. So we tried a Brain Surgeon in Abilene,TX who said that it wasn't anything to operate on which was good news but still not good enough because I dind't know why I was having these headaches.
After I went through this treatment that didn't work, I developed a very tender spine which worried my family Dr. He did many tests to rule out menigitis and a couple other things.

One weekend really sticks out in my mind because I seriously thought I was going to die. I went to stay with my cousin for the weekend. On sunday I was heading back home. I got about 20-30 minutes from my cousin's house when I started to get really dizzy. So I called my mom and I didn't have very good service so I kept getting cut off. My left hand and arm started going numb and my hand started curling up. Then my right arm and hand started doing the same thing. I finall got ahold of my mom and I told her what was happening and she thought it was happening because I was upset that my call kept getting lost. While I was on the phone with her my legs and feet started to curl up and go numb also and then my stomach started going numb. I got disconnected again from my mom, while I was trying to get ahold of her again while i'm crying a tow trucker stopped because he got a call about a girl hitting a deer. He came up to my window and I was crying and he said did you hit a deer? I said no but i can't move my hands and I showed him and he started panicing and called 9-1-1. So while we were waiting for the ambulance I called my mom back and the tow truck guy talked to her and told her what was going on. So she started coming to meet me at the hospital that they were taking me to. The EMT and the ambulance got there along with 5 police officers and asked me all these questions and asked about my medical history. I told them I had been suffering from headaches for over 2 years now. So they got me out of my car, on the stretcher and into the ambulance. I was given oxygen and some medicine to help me relax. They then asked me more about my headaches when my aunt and cousin arrived. My aunt told the EMT about my headaches and my tender spine. They rushed me to the nearest hospital where the Dr. there didn't know a thing. My aunt and I told him about my medical history and he just looked at us like we were idiot's. He told us he has never heard of anything like this. Finally my mom arrived at the hospital and told the Dr. the same thing that my aunt and I had told him and he said again that he had never heard of anything like this. He said that he wanted to do a CT though to make sure my brain was fine and I had to do a CT and blood tests. Everything came back clear and I was sent home.
The next day we told my family Dr. about my weekend aand what all had happened and he was stumped why that happened and thought maybe it was because I was upset and crying that my hands and feet were doing that, but I told him that I started crying and getting really upset after this happened.

I went to my family Dr. again, he wanted to check my sinus' just to make sure they were fine. He checked my nose and thought I had a deviated septum so he sent me to a ENT (ear,nose & throat specialist) in Abilene,TX. He confirmed by a CT of my sinus' that it wasn't a deviated septum but something else. I had sinus surgery Christmas eve '08. Which helped for about a month and then the headaches were back. So I went back to my ENT and had yet another CT of my sinus' done. Scar tissue had formed back in my nose which he thought was causing my headaches. So yet again I had another surgery in April 2009. It also helped for a month and then the headaches were back. I went back to my ENT and he thought it was an infection so he gave me some medicine he thought would clear it up. I finished that medicine and still it didn't help my head. I went back to him to let him know i'm still having headaches. I did yet ANOTHER CT of my sinus' and it was clear. So now he is stumped and doesn't know what is causing my headaches...

Please if anyone has any advice about my headaches or what could be causing them Please let me know.

If you say "Headaches are pretty much one sided now. Alot of pressure on left side of nose and ear. Constant - no relief!", look up Tolosa-Hunt Syndrome. I've had one-sided migraines for 23 lost years of my life. I saw the show on Mystery Diagnosis. That woman suffering was me. And it could be YOU. My Migraine is on the left but there is no pain there. All pain runs only up my right shoulder, behind my right ear, up my right side of nose (deviated septum), into my right eye and up my right side of my head. I want to blow my brains sometimes, but want so much to have PEACE and continue the life I had, Heaven! Have you ever been told you have Migraines? This crap can make you have panic attacks in the beginning when no one knows your problem. Tell your Doc. to give you 30mg/day of prednizone for 5 days and see if pains stops. Or you could do like me on Wednesday and get a very big shot of cortizone. I've had this so long, my Ins.Co. didn't want to believe I was taking 150mg of Imitrex for migraines and now the prednizone is not working. For me cortizone works about 4 days. You look up Tolosa-Hunt Syndrome in laymen's terms and see if that could be you. Once you lose your life with these headaches when you were very young and healthy like me, this Syndrome can cause you to have other stuff, that maybe won't hurt you, but it can cause other stuff to just pop up out of the blue. Get rid of the BIG problem and all the little stuff goes away. And if you saw the show on Mystery Diagnosis, I posted a plea here for the name of the Doctor and Hospital/State he works cause I'm going there. I posted Oct. 12, 2009. Dani29207

I was hoping someone here can help! It seems that a lot of people are going through a similar problem that I am. I was completely healthy until mid-may of this year. I, at the same time, started drinking 6 liters a day on average and got a severe headache. After 3 ER visits, I was admitted into the hospital. They have done CT Scans, MRI, MRA, lumbar puncture, several blood tests. The only test so far to come up abnormal is I have a positive ANA. I have seen a rhumetologist, who said he wasn't ready to commit me yet to Lupus and sent me on my way. The endocrinologist recently ran a water deprivation test to check for diabetes insipidus, which was negative. I have a headache 24/7 that won't go away, it just varies in severity and the only thing that works is Toradol to bring it back to tolerable. My right eye suddenly went blurry and feels like someone is pushing on it. I am utterly exhausted and cannot function in a normal life. I have swelling in my hands and feet and occasionally in my face. I forget things like crazy, i feel like I have a fog in my head, i have pain in all of my joints, i feel like my rib cage is bruised, my knuckles hurt like crazy, I get chest pain that is like anxiety but I don't think it is, i have a lot of abdominal pain, my skin reddens really easy and bruises really easy, i have had a couple of random low fevers (like 100.5), a lot of trouble sleeping, and when i close my eyes a night it is like a light show. My doctors are all stumped and keep saying its migraines, yet none of the migraine medicine does anything for me. They had me on a very high dose of Topamax and Amitriptiline and all they did was make me more tired.I have no idea where to go from here and my neurologist just told me he's out of ideas and since I quit the migraine medicine, he really has no reason to continue to see me. I am pleading for ANYONE that might have an idea, has a similar experience and has been diagnosed with something, anything that might help! I have charted what I eat and there is no relation to when my head spikes. any ideas?