I had a catscan today....

[Flasch186]

so anyone ever heard the story when someone sayd, "not tonight honey....i have a headache." It actually is a truism I didnt know about until I felt something ride up my left back neck and explode in my brain and throb. No results back yet but Im afraid, Im not talking about it to anyone because something, anything that occurs based around sex is laughed about, but between you and me....

I thought I was going to die right then. I couldnt believe it. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the worst headache you can imagine, it felt like a 32. Im a bit scared that I may have a brain bleed right now....now that may be over reacting but here i am and I cans till feel a dull throb in my back left quad brain 2.5 days later.

[Dutch]

That's really bizarre. I really hope it's nothing serious.

[NoMyths]

Best wishes, man. Hope it turns out to be nothing serious.

[Joe]

:(

[timmynausea]

Hope everything turns out ok.

[Flasch186]

whats crazy is Ive never had a migraine in my life....so when the doctor asked that and I answered "no." literally, the fact I threw her showed on her face.

[oliegirl]

It's not a tumah...

I can't believe I was the first to post that reference...you guys are slacking!!!!

Seriously - hope everything turns out well!

[Deattribution]

Best wishes - hope everything turns out alright.

[SegRat]

Good luck Flasch

[RebelMan]

I hope everything turns out alright. Best wishes, Flasch.

[Daimyo]

I have a co-worker who had something very similar happen and it turned out he has West Nile virus. Apparently the symptons for it are almost identical to migraines.

[Daimyo]

DOLA, which it turns out is very treatable in adultsm but totally knocked him off his feet for about three weeks.

[Eaglesfan27]

If this happened and they sent you home 2 and a half days ago, I would say the chances of it being serious are VERY slim. What you described is consistent with either a subarachnoid hemorrage which they would have cleared with a CT scan or an MRI, and there is no way they would have sent you home without clearing. There are 2 variants of headaches which can be precipitated by sex, and that is the more likely cause here. In any case, make sure you follow up with your doctor, and I'll be sending my prayers your way.

[maximus]

so anyone ever heard the story when someone sayd, "not tonight honey....i have a headache." It actually is a truism I didnt know about until I felt something ride up my left back neck and explode in my brain and throb. No results back yet but Im afraid, Im not talking about it to anyone because something, anything that occurs based around sex is laughed about, but between you and me....

I thought I was going to die right then. I couldnt believe it. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the worst headache you can imagine, it felt like a 32. Im a bit scared that I may have a brain bleed right now....now that may be over reacting but here i am and I cans till feel a dull throb in my back left quad brain 2.5 days later.


First off, my prayers are with you bro.

Secondly, if it were a full blown brain aneurysm you wouldn't be able to type or do anything for that matter. My mother died of a brain aneurysm in 1988 and I am fully aware it's symptoms. You would also feel (most likely) pain in the eye(s) and jaw (possibly in the jaw). If the aneurysm is unruptured then you may still be able to do things though. However, your symptoms could be the result of something else. The pain you felt more or less sound as if it were a full blown aneurysm but again, you wouldn't be able to do anything. Ask yourself these question;

1)- Do I have high blood pressure?
2)- Has anyone in my family had a stroke or aneurysms in the past?
3)- Do you smoke? (can induse stroke)
4)- Am I getting dizzy spells?


Again, I'm no doc but I just took my wife in the ER a few days ago because she had a stiff jaw to go along with a bad headache and eye pain. I was freaked.

Do NOT worry because it could be anything bro. Eaglesfan27 is indeed correct. If this happend 2 days ago Flasch and you were sent home, the possiblity is that it's not life threatening.

best wishes.

[Sporkimata]

I was having strange pains in my head that scared the death out of me. They would pass though. Finally after a year or so of not feeling good I started going to the doctor. Appears I have sleep apenea. This has made another condition I was just diagnosed with even worse which is bi-polar disease. I would get panic attacks and think I was having an anuryism. They did a cat scan and all and I came out a-ok. It was all mental. Amazing what the brain can do to you when you get all crazy.

[maximus]

Amazing what the brain can do to you when you get all crazy.

No kidding man. I've been there myself.

[Lorena]

Flasch, you'll be in my thoughts... hope all is well

[Danny]

Good luck Flasch

[Flasch186]

great.....lemme go look up West Nile Virus :)

I know its probably overrreaction but the mental hurdle is now there. Gf is worried....I told the doc that if that is what would happened with sex from here on out I'd never have sex again. It was that painful. Anyways...I guess you could just say Im nervous about a possible brain bleed. Is that a possibility still EF? is a SA hemhorrage curable...does it fix itself?

[Eaglesfan27]

great.....lemme go look up West Nile Virus :)

I know its probably overrreaction but the mental hurdle is now there. Gf is worried....I told the doc that if that is what would happened with sex from here on out I'd never have sex again. It was that painful. Anyways...I guess you could just say Im nervous about a possible brain bleed. Is that a possibility still EF? is a SA hemhorrage curable...does it fix itself?
A SA hemorrage can usually kill you fairly quickly and requires immediate intervention. I seriously doubt they would have let you go without ruling that out.. However, a brain bleed is still a possibility, but it would have to have been small or in the posterior fossa (the back of your head) to avoid detection on a CT scan. If I were you, I'd try to get the docs to do an MRI just to rule that out (MRI's have better detection rates, particularly in the posterior fossa.)

I think it is much more likely that you one of the 2 types of sex induced headaches (one of which is a variant of migraines and can have an onset in the early to mid 30's.) Fortunately, there are medications that can help treat both of these types of headaches. The docs just need to make sure they rule out the more serious possibilities. Again, good luck and my prayers are with you.

[Flasch186]

hey dont go anywhere!!!

alright, so when I went to the CT I consistently told them where it hurt, back section left side. So would that mean they could focus in on there? get a better view? They did ask if I'd be willing to do an MRI afterwards....but I didn't think anything of it.

They put me on some anti seizure med. but simply as a precaution for 3 weeks, and then some other pill in my back pocket if I feel a headache coming on (relpax). Anyways...Im hoping that they dont miss anything.

Does it mean anything that my neck is real sore too? The throbbing is still there but only a 1 and only if I look for it.

[Qwikshot]

I had an MRI done after some rather severe headaches. It was cool in the machine, the whirring of the machine was almost danceable, like a brash punk sound.

Needless to say they said I was normal, but I got the anti-migraine meds, which seem to numb me than get rid of the migraine.

[Eaglesfan27]

hey dont go anywhere!!!

alright, so when I went to the CT I consistently told them where it hurt, back section left side. So would that mean they could focus in on there? get a better view? They did ask if I'd be willing to do an MRI afterwards....but I didn't think anything of it.

They put me on some anti seizure med. but simply as a precaution for 3 weeks, and then some other pill in my back pocket if I feel a headache coming on (relpax). Anyways...Im hoping that they dont miss anything.

Does it mean anything that my neck is real sore too? The throbbing is still there but only a 1 and only if I look for it.
Sorry, went offline to spend time with Mrs. Eaglesfan. They can focus on most of the posterior of the brain, but the vertebrae and other structural elements in the back of the skull can block some areas. Any competent doctor, would order an MRI if he was at all concerned about a posterior fossa problem, however, that is a rather uncommon area for bleeds. The treatment they gave you sounds like it would cover the two most common types of sex induced headaches (which I forget the formal classification of at this moment, but I remember the treatments.)

It could be residual muscle spasms in the area that is causing the sore neck, or it could be something more serious (although that is less likely). If it gets worse I'd either go back to your doctor or the ER, or if it persists into Monday I'd call my doc again. However, that is just what I would do personally..

Good luck.

[Easy Mac]

I just had something similar happen to me tonight. I was just sitting, watching TV, when all of a sudden I got dizzy and I got this weird feeling at the bottom left of my skull. All of a sudden it felt like a thousand needles stabbing me all over my neck, jaw, and back of the head. Probably just a new form of a panic attack, but its definitely got me worried again. Now when I move a little too sudden I get like a shot of pain going through my head near the top of my brain. Probably nothing, just a little freaked out.

Hope everything is ok with you though Flash, even though I've had poor experiences with doctors, they generally seem to care if they think its life threatening.... otherwise they've been asses to me.

[Anthony]

this happened to me before, when i was getting a blow job (in all seriousness). it was a spectular job, the first time my scrotum was orally stimulated, so when it came time for me to ejaculate i felt something in my head explode, literally. saw a quick white flash. i was dizzy afterwards.

i didn't think anything of it, i just assumed it was the greatest blowjob ever.

days later i found out it's not all to uncommon.

[Anthony]

it has only happened that one time, for the record.

[oykib]

The weird pain or the orally stimulated part?

;)

[Flasch186]

update:

last night, while watching the fight (terrible fight) my head started to hurt and I started to feel nauseous. I took one of those relpax, and went to bed. I never get those types of headaches though in the past. So everytime I get any pain associated with my head or brain Im worried.

[Flasch186]

this happened to me before, when i was getting a blow job (in all seriousness). it was a spectular job, the first time my scrotum was orally stimulated, so when it came time for me to ejaculate i felt something in my head explode, literally. saw a quick white flash. i was dizzy afterwards.

i didn't think anything of it, i just assumed it was the greatest blowjob ever.

days later i found out it's not all to uncommon.


difference = was it excruciatingly painful? so much so that you thought you were dying right then?

[Anthony]

difference = was it excruciatingly painful? so much so that you thought you were dying right then?

oh no, it wasn't like that. i understand your situation now. i did think something odd/wrong happened, but i didn't get the "i think i'm going to die" part.

[Flasch186]

well i took to advil and my head feels better this morning. Im still very nervous about this all. Especially the new nausea....on a scale its only about a 2 out of 10 but its a new 2.

[Glengoyne]

More on the "Hopefully this means nothing" line of thought. About six or eight years ago, I went through a period of time where I would get migraines. None before....and nothing to speak of since. Extreme light sensitivity and nausea. I eventually determined that I was sensitive to Nutra Sweet. I avoided the stuff like the plague since.

Perhaps it could be a diet thing? I mean that would be better than a "Toomah", right?

[Flasch186]

so the doc toldme not to take the relpax. the one time I did I got nauseous. The lipomax? some anti-seizure med to keep taking in the meantime.

My head still hurts today. A one usually, sometimes a 2 if I lean over, or bend at the neck, cutting circulation down, or run (like I had to earlier through a parking lt). If I focus on my head I can pinpoint a throb...about an inch behind my left ear I can probe a finger in the skin and feel a real sore spot...right where the muscles meet the skull. Not sure if thats a good thing or a bad thing.

[Eaglesfan27]

"Lipomax?" I've never heard of the stuff. You sure that is how it is spelled? It isn't Topimax, is it? If so, that is an anti-seizure medication that is often used to treat certain types of migraines..

[Eaglesfan27]

Dola -

Some of the symptoms you are describing sound like a type of headache that is believed to be induced by muscle contractions. I'll be praying that is what you have as it is a relatively benign (albeit worrying and annoying thing) to have.

[Flasch186]

"Lipomax?" I've never heard of the stuff. You sure that is how it is spelled? It isn't Topimax, is it? If so, that is an anti-seizure medication that is often used to treat certain types of migraines..


Yeah, topimax, thats it

[Flasch186]

so...I have one of those bean bag things you heat up int he microwave. I heated that up and wrapped it around my neck. Then I leaned back in my rocking chair at work and kind of rolled my neck to the bad side, pinching it on the hot pack. Wierdly, the chiar after a bit felt like it was slightly rocking (eventhough it wasnt) and now, while im typing, no longer sitting back, Im a bit nauseous.....any doctor opinions on that?

[Eaglesfan27]

Hmmm, I know you talked to your doctor and he told you not to take the Replax, but have you gone and seen him/her since this all started last week? I would go see them again. There are quite a few possibilities as what is causing this, and it is tough to diagnose over the phone (or internet.) However, it sounds like you are experiencing vertigo, pain, anxiety, among other symptoms. This certainly seems worthy of close follow-up.

[John Galt]

I just wanted to post in this thread to praise Eaglesfan27. It is a hard thing to try to help someone over the internet and you have offered great advice while still balancing that with the need for Flasch to see a doctor. Not everyone would have done that and done it so well. You have done a great service and I salute you for it.

And Flasch, I hope you get better soon.

[Flasch186]

yes, thanks EF...youve been a great help in keeping me sane and also letting me know that it isnt something to keep light....

I just dont want to overreact. I mean how long am I supposed to wait to allow things to have "some time" on their own.

Right now, i guess im waiting on her to see the the CT scan but am I? I dont know what to do next....should it get better? Should it be 3 weeks on the Topimax, to see if it fixes things?

[MacroGuru]

My wife currently takes Topimax for her migraines..it's the only thing we have found that helps them. The one thing I do know though, is you just can't stop taking topimax, there are potential seizure issues if you do, when we found out my wife was pregnant, they had to take her off immediately, and then keep a constant on eye her for a bit.

[Eaglesfan27]

yes, thanks EF...youve been a great help in keeping me sane and also letting me know that it isnt something to keep light....

I just dont want to overreact. I mean how long am I supposed to wait to allow things to have "some time" on their own.

Right now, i guess im waiting on her to see the the CT scan but am I? I dont know what to do next....should it get better? Should it be 3 weeks on the Topimax, to see if it fixes things?
I'm glad to be of any help. I don't think it is over-reacting to call your doctor either this afternoon or tomorrow. The topimax will prevent migraine headaches, but it won't treat them once they occur. This could all be an atypical migraine, but I know if it was my loved one or myself, I'd be calling the doctor by tomorrow if pain or other symptoms persisted just to inform them of my current symptoms if nothing else. Good luck.

[Flasch186]

This is so silly. I really want to wait things out but Im driving myself crazy. I got in the hottub after work today to relax myself and ever since I got out. Both of my hands have been slightly numb, tingly. This is scaring me because it is line with the whole vascular thoughts Im having. I really dont want to be THAT guy and go to the ER. Oh god it could be nothing.

Edit: I still have the 1 pain in my head, the 2 pain in my neck etc.

[Easy Mac]

Its dumber to sit around and do nothing than to be that guy who goes to the ER. You're not the only person who's done that.

2 months ago I went to the ER because I thought I was having a heart attack. I'm 23. But my heart was pounding out of control, a shot of pain went through my jaw and into my arm, I had a weird feeling in my chest, a lot of pain. Had trouble breathing. I kept telling myself it was a panic attack, but there was no point in risking it. Cost me a pretty penny, and they didn't even really care (they gave me an EKG, which was normal, gave me some ativan, then just left me in a room until someone could pick me up), but it was better to be safe than sorry.

edit to say, and as I posted above, I just had a headache thing the other day that was similar to yours. Haven't been to the doctor because I think it was just either a weird new panic attack, or it was something thats always happened, I'm just a little more jittery because of the attacks. I still get a bad pain in my head if I move to quickly, and it will occasionally hurt, but its not that bad.

edit again to say that going to the ER probably won't alleviate any fears if the pain continues, you'll just think they're missing something.

[Eaglesfan27]

Yeah, I agree with Easy Mac. It might be a mistake to go to the ER, but it might be a bigger mistake to not go. Tingling is a deteriorating neurological picture, and if it was me I would go. The only exception would be if you usually get tingling from sitting in your hottub (due to peripheral nerve compression.) If that was the case, and if this tingling persists for more than 3-5 minutes, I would definitely go to the ER. There is a decent chance I would go even if it only lasted a minute or two.

Edit: You are right that it could be nothing, but better safe than sorry. At least you might have some more peace of mind as well, particularly if they do an MRI.

[Flasch186]

Yeah, I agree with Easy Mac. It might be a mistake to go to the ER, but it might be a bigger mistake to not go. Tingling is a deteriorating neurological picture, and if it was me I would go. The only exception would be if you usually get tingling from sitting in your hottub (due to peripheral nerve compression.) If that was the case, and if this tingling persists for more than 3-5 minutes, I would definitely go to the ER. There is a decent chance I would go even if it only lasted a minute or two.

oh, i got out of the tub hours ago :( just dangling my arms at my side makes them go numb

[Eaglesfan27]

Note, that I edited my post above. This still might be nothing, but I would err on the side of caution and just get checked out at the ER at this point. Like I said, at least getting checked out might help your peace of mind even if it ends up being nothing. Good luck.

[Easy Mac]

Jeebs, I know that the subject of the explosion occurring is a bit sensitive, but had you been laying down for a while, or generally been extra lethargic recently? Perhaps you just kept the head/neck in 1 general/uncomfortable position for too long and the muscle is just paying you back.

Just trying to fill your head with non-dangerous thoughts.

[Eaglesfan27]

By the way, on a good point, posterior fossa bleeds (or any other areas of blood in the brain) do NOT cause isolated neurological problems with the hands. I still think this has a good chance of being something relatively benign. I just think that if I or my wife was pre-occupied and suffering new symptoms, I would err on the side of caution and go to the ER.

[Flasch186]

i just feel like a drama queen :(

the mouse feels funny in my hand...

[Eaglesfan27]

i just feel like a drama queen :(

During the 2 months of my internship where I did shifts in an ER, I saw people come in for MUCH lesser things. I seriously doubt the doctors/nurses that you are going to see are going to view it that way.

[NoMyths]

Plus, remember: we're all going to get ours one way or another. Nothing wrong in getting the jump on things that might be sneaky about it, and heading them off at the pass. ;)

[Flasch186]

im going to hang in....see about tomrorow. I think maybe a night of sleep could help. who knows. Im just scared to go. :(

Plus NHL EHM is at gamestop tomorrow....

[Flasch186]

flip flop...i put a call into the docs office to see what they think ..... oh god.

[Eaglesfan27]

flip flop...i put a call into the docs office to see what they think ..... oh god.

Did they answer? Or did you just speak to a machine?

[Flasch186]

some guy answered and said that he'd call the nurse prac., tell them my symptom, and theyd call me with advice.

[Eaglesfan27]

some guy answered and said that he'd call the nurse prac., tell them my symptom, and theyd call me with advice.
Sounds good. Keep us updated.

[Flasch186]

alright, so they said that its up to me. Some indications of Topomax, although rare can be vertigo, which I experienced faintly earlier, and some extremity tingling, again rarely. They asked when I took the opamax and I said around 3pm and they said if I didnt feel like going to the ER that I should NOT take the Topamax tomorrow and that wait for the Dr. to call me tomorrow. They did leave the avenue open for me to go if I should feel like it....at this time Im goin g to hang tight again.

im so flimsy

[Eaglesfan27]

alright, so they said that its up to me. Some indications of Topomax, although rare can be vertigo, which I experienced faintly earlier, and some extremity tingling, again rarely. They asked when I took the opamax and I said around 3pm and they said if I didnt feel like going to the ER that I should NOT take the Topamax tomorrow and that wait for the Dr. to call me tomorrow. They did leave the avenue open for me to go if I should feel like it....at this time Im goin g to hang tight again.

im so flimsy
It is true that Topamax can theoretically cause both Vertigo and the tingling/numbness. The percentages of it causing numbness/tingling are very low. I'd estimate that I have about 30 patients on Topimax (it causes much less weight gain than the other anti-convulsants and we frequently use anti-convulsants as mood stabilizers in Psychiatry.) I can't remember even one of my patients ever complaining about numbness or tingling. However, a few have complained of vertigo.


EDIT: I just looked it up in Epocrates, and it has about a 3% chance of causing numbness/tingling and 7% chance of causing vertigo. Also, can cause a lot of other rare side effects including nausea, etc. You could be the rare unlucky person to have both of those side effects.

[Flasch186]

...of course they said if I feel like I need to go rem otely than to go. However, upon my stating that I didnt want to over react they gave me the above info...which I said that I would likely then wait until tomorrow where the dr. can read the CT scan where she will likely confirm that I am simply crazy.

[Flasch186]

EDIT: I just looked it up in Epocrates, and it has about a 3% chance of causing numbness/tingling and 7% chance of causing vertigo. Also, can cause a lot of other rare side effects including nausea, etc. You could be the rare unlucky person to have both of those side effects.


I wonder if it isnt more likely to cause one IF you get the other...in other words you may be more susceptible to the side feffects...perhaps especially going in a hot tub, etc.

[Lorena]

I echo what John Galt said: props to you, Eaglefan, for coming back to this thread and offering advise. Not very many people would do that, I commend you!

[Eaglesfan27]

We all try to help each other when we can.

[Flasch186]

We all try to help each other when we can.

i appreciate you listening....most of my firends either laugh, say "your just worrying too much", try to explain it away, etc.....none of which helps. Youve helped, and I thank you.

[Eaglesfan27]

You're welcome.

[Flasch186]

so....due to the tightness in my neck, the pull in the top of my head when I bend my head down, and the fact that my tingling is gone. I believe this is now muscular in nature....I dont know what caused the original problem. perhaps muscular as well? but now it may have morphed into something muscular...which makes me happy nonetheless.

[MacroGuru]

Kinky Kama-Sutra?

[JeeberD]

I thought that sex was a cure for headaches...

[Eaglesfan27]

so....due to the tightness in my neck, the pull in the top of my head when I bend my head down, and the fact that my tingling is gone. I believe this is now muscular in nature....I dont know what caused the original problem. perhaps muscular as well? but now it may have morphed into something muscular...which makes me happy nonetheless.

Glad to hear it. I hope you continue to feel better the next few days.

[terpkristin]

Did the doc ever get to read the CT? Or is that to happen tomorrow (Wednesday)?

Either way, glad you're calming down about it a bit now, and hope all continues to go well! :)

/tk

[Flasch186]

no resluts on the ctscan yet...i did call to relay a msg that I would not be taking the Topamax anymore. No need to feel those side effects which I havnt felt all day, hooray!!