Head pain and sensations with abdominal and urinary issues

Posted by zengar @zengar, Apr 8 4:35pm

From the time I was a child until around the age of 17, I was rarely getting headaches with an accompanying symptom of vomiting.

Before around 16 years, I experienced bloody mucoid diarrhea which would stay for like a month and then disappear for a short time, and would come back again and stay for some time. This appearing and disappearing of this bloody mucoid diarrhea happened several times in span of a whole year. During this span of a whole year, I didn't experience any type of headache or vomiting. At that time, I was in an area where there was barely medical access. Then at around the end of the year I started having lower back pain which made me to bend my back and hold a stick for support. I used a stick in place of a cane because I was in an area where I couldn't get a cane. Then I started having abdominal discomfort like bloating which worsened with eating. I also started having headaches and urinary issues (urinary urgency, frequency & pain during urination).

The lower back pain stayed for only a couple of months, even though I was occasionally experiencing back pain in different areas of my back from the time it started until now.

The Headache kept going worse and worse with time and became daily and constant shortly. The headache was mainly on the left temple, very strong sharp and throbbing pain where I could feel the left temple blood vessel was bigger than the right when I wasn't having pain on the right temple. There were times also where the headache would be on both right and left temple, front head and behind the eyes.

Around the beginning of 2022, the headache changed. This new type of headache started as a strong pressure and feeling of something wanting to pass upwards from the lower left head and it felt like something was blocking it. At that time the pain was more tolerable when the strong pressure becomes a tingling and crawling type of sensation. After a while the headache started to move upwards and reached the parietal area and it started to manifest as a crawling, stinging and burning type of pain. This crawling, stinging and burning type of pain is mostly on the parietal area with a very tiny area of coverage but it would also sometimes move to other parts of my head spontaneously or if I press my head against sharp objects for a few minutes. This pressing of my head against sharp objects leads to scalp wounds but without bleeding. I do this because the pain is so unbearable, and no doctor has helped me so far. I have been living a miserable and painful life for around 16 years, and I have reached to a point where I am unable to work in any type of job.

I have done MRI of the brain and neck. Nothing was found except a slight cervical kyphosis centered around C3/C4.

The abdominal pain, discomfort, bloating, gas and constipation is still going on. Also, the urinary issues are still present.

I would appreciate any ideas on what is causing all of these problems for me. Thank you.

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@zengar
What are they doing to treat your cervical kyphosis? They should be addressing the neurological symptoms you are having. I have cervical myelopathy c5c6 and it affected my head/neck (pain), arm:hand strength/dexterity, walking, balance and bladder frequency/urgency. It can permanently damage your spinal cord and nerves if not treated so important to address promptly. Change doctors if necessary (someone who specializes in the spine and central/peripheral nervous system (orthopedic spine doctor and neurologist). Your symptoms should be taken seriously.

For your gastrointestinal issues, I would recommend seeing a gastroenterologist and have endoscopy, colonoscopy, bloodwork and ultrasound to rule out issues not tied to your neurological issues. Neurological issues can affect gastrointestinal tract via the autonomic nervous system and be tied to your cervical kyphosis affecting your spinal cord/nerve roots.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/kyphosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20374205
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22868-cervical-kyphosis

REPLY
@dlydailyhope

@zengar
What are they doing to treat your cervical kyphosis? They should be addressing the neurological symptoms you are having. I have cervical myelopathy c5c6 and it affected my head/neck (pain), arm:hand strength/dexterity, walking, balance and bladder frequency/urgency. It can permanently damage your spinal cord and nerves if not treated so important to address promptly. Change doctors if necessary (someone who specializes in the spine and central/peripheral nervous system (orthopedic spine doctor and neurologist). Your symptoms should be taken seriously.

For your gastrointestinal issues, I would recommend seeing a gastroenterologist and have endoscopy, colonoscopy, bloodwork and ultrasound to rule out issues not tied to your neurological issues. Neurological issues can affect gastrointestinal tract via the autonomic nervous system and be tied to your cervical kyphosis affecting your spinal cord/nerve roots.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/kyphosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20374205
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22868-cervical-kyphosis

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@zengar
I had ACDF surgery which helped improve my walking and bladder control but it is critical to get treated quickly before any permanent damage. The surgery also helped to improve head/neck pain.

I had stomach/abdominal issues, too, and had endoscopy, colonoscopy, HIDA scan and ultrasound/bloodwork. They discovered gastritis and esophagitis plus biliary dyskinesia (gallbladder stopped working and may be tied to autonomic nervous system dysfunction). I will need to get my gallbladder out at some point in the future.

REPLY
@dlydailyhope

@zengar
I had ACDF surgery which helped improve my walking and bladder control but it is critical to get treated quickly before any permanent damage. The surgery also helped to improve head/neck pain.

I had stomach/abdominal issues, too, and had endoscopy, colonoscopy, HIDA scan and ultrasound/bloodwork. They discovered gastritis and esophagitis plus biliary dyskinesia (gallbladder stopped working and may be tied to autonomic nervous system dysfunction). I will need to get my gallbladder out at some point in the future.

Jump to this post

@zengar
If you haven’t already, it may be good to have a neurologist test your upper and lower extremities with EMG and nerve conduction studies based on your symptoms. You could also have a MRN to map your nerves and how affected. I need to get a MRN to check my nerve health after having my ACDF surgery to see if I have any permanent nerve damage.

REPLY
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