OMG Think I'm getting a Migrane!

[capt_noonie]

I get weird numbness in my hands sometimes too.

[Yorkiemom1]

With the numbness in the hands, sounds like a pinched nerve in cervical spine area? I hope you get it worked out....I HATE working when I am not well....just let me crawl into my hot jacuzzi, position that pulsator on the sore area, get out and crawl into my bed, with a heating pad...or those patches you slap over the sore area,,,,hope you get to feeling better.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Oh, the hands are a dead give-away. Neck. A doc could probably get you in a soft collar if the muscles or ligaments are very strained in order to rest it and give some support as the area heals. If a vertebra or one of the little canals that feed nerves through the sides of them from the spine is compromising and pinching a nerve passing through, you need to try to rest and heal that area of irritation, so wearing the collar for a couple of weeks or a month can help do that. The collar will keep you from putting your head back too - as hyperextending the neck is one of the worst things you can do to an injured or sore neck. He could also put you on some muscle relaxants to help the muscles smooth out around the pinched nerve or areas of irritation, allowing good blood supply to bring nutrients and milk swelling from around the irritated areas, which really help to decrease pain. And yes, some pain Rx also to help keep you from getting as tense from the pain - a vicious cycle which only worsens all of your symptoms and increases that headache. Some people even get tinnitus from a neck problem and get a little dizzy at times and others get mid-back radiating pain.

One way to really help yourself for little $$$: Moist heat 3 times a day to the cervical area. Get in a hot shower with a thick Turkish towel draped over your neck and shoulders and upper back and stand for 15 long minutes with that very hot water beating down on the back of your neck. That hot, moist towel will help hold the moisture and steam in the area of the neck and the shoulders, upper back and the head. Moist heat will penetrate and help get blood circulation to those stiff and swollen areas which are keeping good and healing blood supply from the irritated area and get that blood into those areas. Every fresh bit of blood carries the oxygen and other vital nutrients that your injured cells need for self-repair so the more circulation to the area, the better the healing and the sooner the pain and other Sx. go away.

[capt_noonie]

Ok sorry guys, I meant I sometimes get numb hands too, but not now, and when I do my neck doesn't hurt. I still feel the same, if not worse. The side of my head is throbbing, so is my neck. Pain pills I'm taking aren't working, and it gets worse when I try to sleep. Like blood is pooling up there when I lay down. Even my scalp hurts. Isn't that strange!

On top of that, my allergies are acting up, so I also have sinus pressure. FML

[dawn27]

Originally Posted by capt_noonie

I'm pretty sure it was bc the dogs were hogging the bed and I didn't want to disturb them. About a week ago they were both sleeping perpendicular to me and all stretched out, one at my midsection, one at my feet. I woke up with a stiff neck and shoulders and then a few days after that the real pain started.

I don't have medical insurance bc I'm self employed, so if I go to a chiropractor or something I'd just have to pay for the session. If I go to a regular Dr they will just give me some painkillers; basically just putting a band aid on it. Haven't had a good nights sleep in a week. No wonder I'm moody. And on top of it all, when it first started, I got my monthly curse and had cramps almost the worst I've ever had. Wonder if that had something to do with it too.

Oh my goodness kid your falling apart!

I cant believe your still in such pain. Maybe take a look at the links I posted, some of the pressure points should help relive the pain. Plus I know we would do anything for our pups but to be in this much pain all do to accommodating our dogs desires is a bit crazy. You may want to kick the pups out of your bed for a few day until you feel better or so you can at least get a good nights rest.

It sucks not having medical ins. / Hope you feel better soon!

[yorkietalkjilly]

The numbness doesn't have to be concurrent with the pain to still be from your neck. But with that history you gave of how you slept, a killer headache, neck pain and occasional numbness in your hands in the past, it is very indicative of a cervical pathology of one type or the other, this time probably aggravated by that sleeping position. I often get numb hands when I am on the computer a long time and have sat with my neck in the same forward position for a prolonged periods of time. That can overwork the muscles holding my neck in that position, they start to spasm and squeeze on the nerves, who send little paresthesias and/or numbness along the course of the nerve to my hands, the left worse, right not so much. My neck feels tired but it hardly ever hurts at these times. I do have arthritic changes in my neck by x-ray but all I ever get from it usually are two or three severe yearly headaches that start in the base of the skull and over the top to the forehead accompanied by nausea and the hand numbness and tingling and weird sensations in it. I stay off the computer, take some relaxant and a pill called Esgic Plus that I keep just for these headaches, don't put my head back and use the moist heat 2 - 3 times a day when I can. Last fall, I had to go to the ER with one of the headaches, it was just so bad and I was out of the Esgic stuff. The headache usually lasts me 2 -3 days but with that Rx and the 1/2 of a diazepam, it usually knocks it right out. But I had nothing that night so went to the ER and they gave me a shot so powerful it had to have a nausea injection administered first. Stopped the headache almost completely in about 3 hours and finally I could drive home, an almost headacheless woman. It finally went completely away in another few hours.

But getting on that headache at the start seems to be key for me. If I don't get on it right away, it just spreads all over and my left hand just goes dead feeling. Sometimes my neck will crack a little when I move it during these times but it doesn't hurt. Maybe a bit radiating shoulder pain but it's that headache that puts me down for the count without that combination of medicine. That stuff works magic on it. So if I feel that terrible headache starting - and it is unlike any other and it is severe, unremitting, tight - I get my medicine and take it. I hope you can find something that works for you and has some caffeine in it as that Esgic Plus does and with a out-and-out relaxer, it sure can help. Caffeine works wonders on my headaches. I can only take 1/2 of that pain pill as it is so strong but it does the job. I'm usually very careful to never run out of it in case I get one of those horrible headaches. I would say it is almost migraine-like but I don't get an aura or anything, just that awful, hard and constant pain.

[capt_noonie]

Originally Posted by dawn27

Oh my goodness kid your falling apart!

I cant believe your still in such pain. Maybe take a look at the links I posted, some of the pressure points should help relive the pain. Plus I know we would do anything for our pups but to be in this much pain all do to accommodating our dogs desires is a bit crazy. You may want to kick the pups out of your bed for a few day until you feel better or so you can at least get a good nights rest.

It sucks not having medical ins. / Hope you feel better soon!

I tried those pressure points. Didn't really work for me. Bf tried giving me a massage and it made it worse.

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

The numbness doesn't have to be concurrent with the pain to still be from your neck. But with that history you gave of how you slept, a killer headache, neck pain and occasional numbness in your hands in the past, it is very indicative of a cervical pathology of one type or the other, this time probably aggravated by that sleeping position. I often get numb hands when I am on the computer a long time and have sat with my neck in the same forward position for a prolonged periods of time. That can overwork the muscles holding my neck in that position, they start to spasm and squeeze on the nerves, who send little paresthesias and/or numbness along the course of the nerve to my hands, the left worse, right not so much. My neck feels tired but it hardly ever hurts at these times. I do have arthritic changes in my neck by x-ray but all I ever get from it usually are two or three severe yearly headaches that start in the base of the skull and over the top to the forehead accompanied by nausea and the hand numbness and tingling and weird sensations in it. I stay off the computer, take some relaxant and a pill called Esgic Plus that I keep just for these headaches, don't put my head back and use the moist heat 2 - 3 times a day when I can. Last fall, I had to go to the ER with one of the headaches, it was just so bad and I was out of the Esgic stuff. The headache usually lasts me 2 -3 days but with that Rx and the 1/2 of a diazepam, it usually knocks it right out. But I had nothing that night so went to the ER and they gave me a shot so powerful it had to have a nausea injection administered first. Stopped the headache almost completely in about 3 hours and finally I could drive home, an almost headacheless woman. It finally went completely away in another few hours.

But getting on that headache at the start seems to be key for me. If I don't get on it right away, it just spreads all over and my left hand just goes dead feeling. Sometimes my neck will crack a little when I move it during these times but it doesn't hurt. Maybe a bit radiating shoulder pain but it's that headache that puts me down for the count without that combination of medicine. That stuff works magic on it. So if I feel that terrible headache starting - and it is unlike any other and it is severe, unremitting, tight - I get my medicine and take it. I hope you can find something that works for you and has some caffeine in it as that Esgic Plus does and with a out-and-out relaxer, it sure can help. Caffeine works wonders on my headaches. I can only take 1/2 of that pain pill as it is so strong but it does the job. I'm usually very careful to never run out of it in case I get one of those horrible headaches. I would say it is almost migraine-like but I don't get an aura or anything, just that awful, hard and constant pain.

I just texted my friend who is an RN, hopefully she's not busy right now and get back to me. Maybe she might have some samples of something she can give me. I keep thinking I'm going to have something pop in my brain and I'm going to keel over and die. Doesn't matter if I"m on the computer or not. Sleeping/laying down seems to make it worse, like blood is pooling in my brain, making the pressure greater.

And I'm getting so grumpy!!!!!!!

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by capt_noonie

I tried those pressure points. Didn't really work for me. Bf tried giving me a massage and it made it worse.


I just texted my friend who is an RN, hopefully she's not busy right now and get back to me. Maybe she might have some samples of something she can give me. I keep thinking I'm going to have something pop in my brain and I'm going to keel over and die. Doesn't matter if I"m on the computer or not. Sleeping/laying down seems to make it worse, like blood is pooling in my brain, making the pressure greater.

And I'm getting so grumpy!!!!!!!

I sure feel you. Those headaches are just killers. I hope she's got some samples of something to break your pain/spasm cycle. Once that happens, you'll start to get so much better. And then if you can have something on hand for if it ever happens again, take it right away and you can nip it in the bud. But for this kind of thing, a good pain-killer with codeine and an anti-anxiety/spasm tranquilizer like diazepam or a muscle relaxant can combine to stop the series of things that happens to start a head like this. I always get so nauseated with that headache I can't even eat. It's just the worst. The first one I ever got was after starting sit-ups and I wasn't supporting my neck during them and it strained it. One Friday night it started and by Monday I was a wreck. Couldn't stand to turn my head or move it. Work was AWFUL. Finally, my doc said to get those Esgic Plus and take them with some diazepam and see what happened. If no help, go to the ER. Well, it worked like magic. Within 25 minutes the headache was getting less and less and finally in about 2 or 3 hours, it left! He said the caffeine is an anti-spasmodic and works well with the pain-killer to hit a headache hard. And to further help things, take some of that diazepam to get things relaxing still more. Didn't have another headache like that for years but now I'm on the computer so much, I have a one or two each year during especially tense times or when I've otherwise strained my neck doing something else. Sure hope you get some help soon.

[capt_noonie]

I've been having a bit of caffeine, don't know if it's really doing much. Just got off the phone with my friend. She says bc I'm not having numbness or having trouble seeing that she thinks it's nerves or something with my muscles, just like what we thought. She said she did just see a case where a woman had some artery thing going on in her neck and wasn't bringing enough blood to her brain or something like that and needed emergency surgery. She really suggested that I go to the ER and get a cat scan. She told me that ERs cannot turn patients away. I didn't know that. Bc I don't have insurance and technically no job, no bank accts in my name, etc I can apply for emergency Medicaid. Didn't know that either.

I'm going to try and tough it out for a few more days. If I"m not getting better by Tues (my day off) then I will go to the ER. Bc i know I'm going to be sitting there all damn day before being seen.

She did also say I need a muscle relaxer. Hopefully she might have some stuff at home. I don't have anything other than OTC stuff.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Oh, it's true. An ER cannot turn a non-paying patient away. They will bill you and you can pay them out. Probably all that you need is a lateral, obliques and AP of the C-spine and not really a CAT scan, as they are expensive but if they find an indication that one is called for, they will get one. Then you will have a usually hour to 4 hour wait for it to be read by the radiologist and him talk to the ER doc and then he'll work his way back to you to give you the results. From your history, it does really sound like cervical spine problems at the root of this as that type of headache is sooooo typical of a neck thing. All you may have is a narrowing of the intervertebral disc and from that a decreased intervertebral foramen which the nerve root feeds through to get to the upper body, shoulders, arms, hands. If that space is crimped by arthritis or a decreased disk space which lessens the height of that foraminal space at the sides, it can compress the nerve root running through it or pinch it. That nerve will then swell and create lots of inflammation and swelling of the muscles and ligaments in the neck along it course and they spasm then, clamping down on the nerve even more as it runs out and down into the rest of the body. More clamping on the nerve makes more spasm and swelling and that decreases blood supply which starves the area of oxygen and other nutrients to some extent and that hurts even more! That tissue is lacking what it needs to function normally and it spasms harder. The pain tenses you more and increases your spasm still more. Vicious cycle.

Get something to relieve the severe pain and help to relax those muscles, they let blood flow with O2 and nutrients to heal, milk out swelling as it passes and break the cycle and you start help on the way. An anti-inflammatory is often a huge help, too. Some people get trigger-point corticosteroid and Marcaine injections right into the area of the pinched nerve to get some good healing medication to the insulted nerve root. It can take a few days, but eventually that medication bathes that nerve in medication which heals it, helps take the heat and swelling out of it, it calms down and then the muscles and ligs start to relax and cool down, too. Other sympathetic nerves in the area that became involved also benefit and everything will begin to heal.

Other people will just take a prescription-strength NSAID by mouth if they are not allergic and have no stomach or bleeding issues and that can help so much, though more slowly than the trigger-point injection. I can't take NSAID's so I have to just stop the pain cycle early and rest my neck to keep that headache from starting up and taking over. And I keep up with that steam heat in the shower! Keeps the blood flowing and the spasm down.

Hope you get help with the friend or the ER soon! I know you are miserable.

[capt_noonie]

Yeah, she mentioned anti inflammatories too, which I told her I have some ib prophen at work. I took two of those and also this energy chew thing that has 120mg of caffeine. It's helping a lot with those two things together.

I will tell you though, the pain isn't enough to make me not want to eat. =/ Even though it hurts to chew at times. What I piggy I am!

How do you know so much about this stuff? Sounds like you've gone through some painful stuff before.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by capt_noonie

Yeah, she mentioned anti inflammatories too, which I told her I have some ib prophen at work. I took two of those and also this energy chew thing that has 120mg of caffeine. It's helping a lot with those two things together.

I will tell you though, the pain isn't enough to make me not want to eat. =/ Even though it hurts to chew at times. What I piggy I am!

How do you know so much about this stuff? Sounds like you've gone through some painful stuff before.

Then that is probably nerves secondary to bad pain. Some people do eat when they are hurting out of tension. You poor thing. And get in that hot shower with that towel over your neck and shoulders - get that moist steam in those muscles as the professional athletes do. Sometimes when my neck is feeling tired, after the steam shower, I'll even roll up a dry, thick towel folded to about the size of a cervical collar in heighth and wear it around my neck for a while for a bit of extra support, to take some of the weight off the area. I use a huge safety pen to hold it in place and, LOL, don't go to the door or see anyone with a towel around my neck! But it rests the muscles just a tad and allows them to further relax a bit. And whatever you do, don't hyperextend your neck. It really is a very unstable position for the neck and can injure it. Shrugging your shoulders a lot helps those tight neck muscles, too, and allows in a bit more blood flow.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Excedrin extra-strength has caffeine in it. It is excellent, too, for a headache secondary to spasm. But a true Rx painkiller with caffeine in it, muscle relaxer and NSAIDS are a great help when you can combine them early on in the headache. Usually one dose of those is all it takes. Getting your sinuses cleared up will help too.

[capt_noonie]

I think I am getting better results from the ib prophen than the Excedrin. The Excedrin I have is extra strength. If I take two at once it makes me feel queasy and sometimes I barf. So I've been just taking one, then a few hours later take another one. The IB prophen I've been doing two at a time and it seems to work a bit better.

I"m about to go home from work soon so I'll do the nice hot shower and towel thing. Thanks for all your replies.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by capt_noonie

I think I am getting better results from the ib prophen than the Excedrin. The Excedrin I have is extra strength. If I take two at once it makes me feel queasy and sometimes I barf. So I've been just taking one, then a few hours later take another one. The IB prophen I've been doing two at a time and it seems to work a bit better.

I"m about to go home from work soon so I'll do the nice hot shower and towel thing. Thanks for all your replies.

Hope you feel better! Keep us updated. Praying you get relief soon.