Hi all,
I wanted to ask about headaches. About two years ago I was waking up in the night and morning with bad headaches-my doctor told me to “buy a new pillow”. This was before I was told I had Fibro. Anyway, the last week or so my bad head has returned with a vengeance-my neck feels stiff and painful a lot of the time, and ‘cracks’ a lot when I move my head. I get bad pains up my neck and half way up the right side of my head. Sometimes the scalp feels painful when I try to massage it a bit. Is this yet another ‘thing’ to expect with Fibro? Is it to do with the muscles that go into your head? My husband said that is probably what it is, but it’s getting frustrating to nearly always have a headache, even after taking a tablet. Any one got ideas? Hope everyone is doing ok.
Thanks. Sue T. x
I am just getting over a 4 day migraine/tension headache. It was bad and I almost went to the hospital but I kept telling myself it would pass. I took Imitrex, hydrocodone, ibuprofen, caffiene, muscle relaxers and whatever else I could think of but nothing helped for long. I did have headaches and migraines in my 20’s and early 30’s but they came back when I was diagnosed with fibro. My head especially my forehead is so sore right where the migraine was. I also had severe spasms in my neck, upper back and shoulder area worse on the right side. I think fibro makes the headaches worse because of the muscles being so tight. Hope you get relief from your headaches soon.
Hi Sue,
I can say that my neck, shoulder and back muscles get very stiff and painful, and at night especially. The scalp also is tender, although some on here get a lot of pain in their hair/scalp. yep, this stuff is lovely old fibro. The headaches I don't know about, as i only get them during one time of the month, and not to your extreme. But i will try to find the link to an old thread about migraine headaches and how some handle them. If i can find it, I will include it, below.
Here it is. Maybe you can ask your doctor about some of these medications: http://forum.livingwithfibro.org/forum/topics/migraine-not-going-away?commentId=3965623%3AComment%3A97703
I wonder if that doctor actually got paid for telling you to "get a new pillow." Man, some of the things you guys have to hear from so-called professionals!
Hi Petunia Girl,
Having probs with computer again this morning! Or maybe it's me. My neck does seem worse at night and does loosen a bit during the day. I'm not good at taking painkillers as they all seem to affect my stomach, but will keep going and see what happens. I will look into the link that you sent, thanks.Thanks for your reply.
Sue T.
Hi DollyBaby,
I don't think it's a migraine as I do occasionally get those, but this is with no jagged lines in the vision that I get with migraine. Paracetamol doesn't help, but can't take too many painkillers as they don't like my stomach. I think the fibro is just making itself known in new ways all the time, unfortunately.
Thanks,
SueT.
Hi avenk,
Thanks for the reply, sorry to hear that you get such bad migraines. I sometimes get a small migraine with jagged lines in vision and then a bad headache, but this is the neck and one side of the head, and no jagged lines. Fibro is always finding new things to try us with.
Hugs back to you.
SueT.
Hi Lovett,
Thanks for your reply. I do try heat on the neck and my husband has massaged it a few times but it's not easy prying him away from his lap top sometimes. I'll keep trying. I've got Deep Heat cream, I'll try that, thanks.
Hugs back to you.
SueT.
Hi Petunia girl,
I forgot to add this to the other reply. Yeah, doctors these days seem way too busy to actually listen to what you tell them.
SueT.
Hi Sue,
I've had the same issue for 16 months now. My pain like you starts at the base of my head and down my neck. I've had an x-ray and mri which showed arthritis and I was diagnosed with myofascial pain on top of the rest. I too hate the cracking noise. I have tried several treatments from my chiropractor: adjustments, acupuncture, tens, heat, and graston technique (very painful). All only giving temporary relief. I am one to tough it out however it was so bad in April I ended up in Emergency dept where lucky for me the Dr was trained to give trigger point injections. I received 3 at the base of my head and 2 in my lower back. It was instant relief at the time for pain and worked well for a while however I could still feel the stiffness. Now finally I have been put on Lyrica along with pain meds and I find it helping. I know all to well how hard it is to lie on a pillow so I'd like to tell you a few things that work for me. Frozen gel pack wrapped in a small towel, I use it a few times a day, I"ve even rolled it up in a scarf so it would stay put while cooking and stuff lol. It helps with swelling. I have also slept with it on my pillow. I also use Voltaren gel. It is more gentle than the other products out there and I believe it soothes the nerve ending. I find I'm not getting as many headaches either. I am waiting on a referral to a pain specialist who does those injections. It would be nice to have him on stand by in case I need him in the future. Hope you get relief soon. :o)
Hi Steph323,
Thanks for the reply to me 'headaches' post. It's still there, but not as bad as it was, it seems to get worse for a while and then back off some. I do neck exercises and the cracking noise is always worse when I put my head one side than it is for the other. I will be looking for a frozen gel pack when I go to town, and Voltaren gel. I have Ibuprofen gel so will use that for now. Don't think my doctor knows much about Fibro at all.
Hope that you are not feeling too bad at the moment. Constant pain is so draining and then you feel you can't do anything.
SueT.
My migraines are hereditary. I watched my mother suffer through her 30’s and 40’s with them because she didn’t want to take any pills. Different generation. I take Relpax 40 MG at the onset of any migraine and it works like magic. I have the ones where my whole frontal lobe feels like it is sliding off my head. I also use the memory foam/gel cool pillows from costco, which keep my head cool (I tend to sweat a lot at night) and the memory foam is great for the neck support (I have issues with C3,C5,C6,C7 and go to the chiropractor every two weeks). Thats my two cents.
Hi Kas,
Sorry to hear about your hereditary migraines. Not heard of Relpax though, I have paracetamol and Tramadol (not that I have tried Tramadol yet) for when things get too bad. My doc gave me them for the Fibro pain in my back, which keeps getting worse. Will look out for a memory foam pillow when I'm in town-thanks.
Sue T.
I’ve suffered from daily headaches with breakthrough migraines for years. Then in January I was talking to a group of my child neurologist friends and they were singing the praises of riboflavin (vitamin b2). At first I thought surely it wouldn’t work, but if was a water soluble vitamin that you can’t overdose on with proven research… So I went for it. Five months later I can count on one hand the migraines I’ve had and my daily headaches are more like weekly/biweekly with weather changes. Plus it’s cheap with no side effects (except yellow/orange urine). Here’s the scoop:
Kind of hard to find and every type is probably a bit different(the whole foods capsules didn’t work as well as the GNC tablets for me)
Start with 200mg once a day, increase by 100mg every 3-5 days or with your next headache, whichever comes later. You max at 400mg and then can add in magnesium if you’re still hurting.
Give it a try and let me know what you think. I was more than pleasantly surprised and prescribe it all the time now!!
Megan - I’m going to take your suggestion! I’ve been suffering from excruciating headaches. Usually, Percocet, which I take for my back, helps alleviate the headaches. But I’m having a flare-up & nothing is helping me. :’ (
Guess I’m heading up to my local GNC after work! Thank you!
Hello everyone! I so sorry to hear about your horrible headaches! I get them to off and on from my shoulder bled up my beck and into my head that pulsates all around. I heard about cayenne pepper it’s an herb that suppose to help migraine headaches and muscle pain. It’s been proven so, of your interested give it a shot. I sure am!!!
I had one of these headaches this morning upon awakening. There is nothing worse than trying to get them to stop before they make me nauseously ill. For some reason when I get these headaches they wipe me out either through pain or via the medication it takes to stop them. It's a lost day either way. I don't know if it's due to Fibro or due to the problems I suffer with my neck in general so I can't answer your question with 100% honesty. I know I was having crazy muscle spasms in my back today after I got the headache under control and the rest of me felt like it was walking in mud. Sigh.....sick and tired of being sick and tired.
Hi Janelle,
Mine seem to stem from my neck/shoulders as well. Not heard about cayenne pepper, but will look into it at the local shop in town.
Thanks. Sue T.
Hi Detramental,
I seem to have these headaches all day, they don't stop just tend to back off a bit and then get worse again.
I try to carry on with them, but when everything else is aching, particularly my back, it's not easy. I've tried a few things from the health shop but haven't found anything 'natural' that really helps with all the pain.
Hope that you are ok today.
Thanks. Sue T.