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Headache on the left side of head for 5+ Years

Posted by ozi23 @ozi23, 2 days ago

Hi,

I’ve been dealing with pain and other symptoms on the left side of my head and neck for over five years now, and I’m really hoping to get some advice or ideas about what it might be.

The pain is mostly a burning, constant feeling that covers my whole left side of the head. So the side, back of head on the left side, around my eyes (on the bone) and back of the eye. My own doctor and a specialist at a private hospital concluded that i didnt have migraine. The headache also causes brain fog and makes it hard to concentrate. I HAVE NEVER HAD THESE PAINS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF MY HEAD. ONLY LEFT.

I’ve had an MRI of head and neck that didn’t show anything unusual. I’ve also tried physiotherapy for several months but it didn’t help. A greater occipital nerve block was done recently, but it had no effect. I’ve tried muscle relaxants like chlorzoxazone, NSAIDS and even morphine, but none of these treatments worked.

Two months ago i found out that when I turn my head all the way to the right (cervical axial rotation) and hold it there, I get a sharp, deep pain at the back of my head on the left side. It feels like it’s coming from the bones in the back of the head or a joint in that area. I dont feel the same pain on the right side of the back of my head when I turn my head to the left.

Interestingly, when I do this full right head rotation and keep it for a few seconds, I also notice my left ear seems to lose about 3–4% of its hearing, but it quickly comes back to normal after I move my head back.

The onset of the sudden headache on the left side of my head is random. Sometimes it comes when i lay down, sometimes when i sit, sometimes when i go for a walk and so on.

It ruins my life. Especially when Im at work in a pharmacy (im a pharmacist). I can be fine one minute and suddently the pain will slowly start and increase on my whole left side of head to the point where its like my brain just "shuts down" and stop working, while my eyes do all the work. I completely fall out of focus because of the brain fog and pain. When these symptoms hit i dont have a problem with light, sound, i dont have nausea or feel like vomiting. The symptoms are only up in the head.

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Moderator
Lisa Lucier, Moderator | @lisalucier | 2 days ago

@oz123 - welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Five years is a long time to deal with that kind of pain in the left side of your head and neck that feels like it's running your life.

When your doctor and a specialist determined you didn't have migraine, did they give you an alternate diagnosis? Send you to another specialist to get further opinion on your situation?

REPLY
1 reply
dlydailyhope | @dlydailyhope | 2 days ago

@ozi23
How long ago did you have X-rays and MRIs of your brain and cervical spine? If it has been more than a year, it would be good to get updated imaging.

What types of specialists have you seen? What types of tests have you had beyond MRIs?

It seems like you have functional movement issues compressing blood vessels and nerves in your neck/based of skull on your left side.

This is what AI responds with when questioned about your condition:

“ The type of doctor who treats blood flow issues and compression in the neck, particularly related to the head, is typically a vascular surgeon or a neurologist.
Vascular Surgeon: They specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions related to blood vessels, including issues with blood flow in the neck, such as carotid artery disease.
Neurologist: They focus on disorders of the nervous system, including conditions that may affect blood flow to the brain and can cause symptoms like headaches or dizziness.
Neurosurgeon: If there is a need for surgical intervention, a neurosurgeon may be involved, especially if there are structural issues causing compression.
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialist (Physiatrist): They can help with non-surgical management of neck compression and related symptoms.
If you or someone is experiencing symptoms related to these issues, it's important to consult a healthcare professional for a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.”

REPLY
1 reply
pierwell | @pierwell | 1 day ago

This sounds almost exactly like my occipital neuralgia. I have a NALU nerve stimulator and take Celebrex and Tylenol for the multiple daily headaches.

REPLY
ozi23 | @ozi23 | 1 day ago
In reply to @lisalucier "@oz123 - welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Five years is a long time to deal with..." + (show)
@lisalucier

@oz123 - welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Five years is a long time to deal with that kind of pain in the left side of your head and neck that feels like it's running your life.

When your doctor and a specialist determined you didn't have migraine, did they give you an alternate diagnosis? Send you to another specialist to get further opinion on your situation?

Jump to this post

Hi, unfortunately they didn’t. Our latest “step” was to try the GON-Block which unfortunately didn’t work. They will be calling me in a couple of days to ask about it. The doctor is a “special doctor in neurology, PhD” in a private hospital

REPLY
ozi23 | @ozi23 | 1 day ago
In reply to @dlydailyhope "@ozi23 How long ago did you have X-rays and MRIs of your brain and cervical spine?..." + (show)
@dlydailyhope

@ozi23
How long ago did you have X-rays and MRIs of your brain and cervical spine? If it has been more than a year, it would be good to get updated imaging.

What types of specialists have you seen? What types of tests have you had beyond MRIs?

It seems like you have functional movement issues compressing blood vessels and nerves in your neck/based of skull on your left side.

This is what AI responds with when questioned about your condition:

“ The type of doctor who treats blood flow issues and compression in the neck, particularly related to the head, is typically a vascular surgeon or a neurologist.
Vascular Surgeon: They specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions related to blood vessels, including issues with blood flow in the neck, such as carotid artery disease.
Neurologist: They focus on disorders of the nervous system, including conditions that may affect blood flow to the brain and can cause symptoms like headaches or dizziness.
Neurosurgeon: If there is a need for surgical intervention, a neurosurgeon may be involved, especially if there are structural issues causing compression.
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialist (Physiatrist): They can help with non-surgical management of neck compression and related symptoms.
If you or someone is experiencing symptoms related to these issues, it's important to consult a healthcare professional for a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.”

Jump to this post

The doctor is a “special doctor in neurology, PhD” in a private hospital. No other special doctor has looked at my head. The only test that has been done is the MRI of my head and neck, which was done about 5 months ago. No X-ray has been done.

They have also tried to press on my neck muscle to find “sore” muscles but there were none.

I’ve also been to a physiotherapist for more than half a year but they couldn’t find any problems with my muscles and they didn’t feel like anything was “locked”.

So yeah it sounds like a nerve is being compressed or something.

REPLY
bujanowicz | @bujanowicz | 1 day ago

Did you check for TMJ ?
TMJ or TMD can give bad headaches
Do you clunch your teeth during sleep ?

REPLY
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