Connect
← Return to Adjusting to life with temporal arteritis
Discussion
Adjusting to life with temporal arteritis
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Jan 13 9:52am | Replies (217)Comment receiving replies
I started having left-sided headaches in June 2019. They would be worse at night. Taking 1 aspirin usually resolved them. I had a temporal artery biopsy on both sides 9/19 that was negative, and have always had normal blood work, SED and CRP levels so assumed it wasn't TA. The headaches would sometimes go away for 6-8 weeks, then return for a few weeks. I treated them with aspirin, acupuncture and massage therapy, which helped. Now the left-sided headaches have been back for a month, along with muscle pain in the back of my neck that sometimes seems to radiate up the back left side of my head. I don't have scalp tenderness. My Dr just mentioned about it possibly being temporal arteritis and got me all stressed out. On top of that I am on day 6 of having Covid. I have a video appt with my Dr on Tuesday and he might suggest starting me on prednisone. Can it really be temporal arteritis going on for 2.5 years? I spoke with a neurologist yesterday who doubted it but am worried about vision loss.
Replies to "I started having left-sided headaches in June 2019. They would be worse at night. Taking 1..."
Hi @ripley I have temporal arteritis. I had PMR first and my symptoms started a year before I was diagnosed. I had some symptoms that came and went - scalp tenderness, a very itchy torso, gagging attacks, a dry cough that always started after dinner, two incidents of not being able to see out of my right eye. The worst pain that stayed with me the whole time was a neck so stiff and sore I couldn't turn my head and pain radiated down the left and right sides of my head from the middle (where the tops of my ears were) to the neck. I also had short stabbing pains from my ear to my nose on the right side of my face. It started with a few, then increased to about 25 a day. Have you had blood work lately for inflammation markers - sed rate and CRP? My sed rate was about 120. If you don't have inflammation and it isn't temporal arteritis, it could possibly be an infection, malignancy, connective tissue disorderr, hypothyroidism (Cecil and Goldman's Textbook of Medicine). Good luck - I hope you get a diagnosis. Teri
Connect
Welcome @ripley, It must be really hard not knowing what's causing the left sided headaches and having them go away for awhile and then return. There are a couple of discussions that sound like they could be related to your symptoms.
-- Temporal biopsies to diagnose GCA: What's your experience?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/gca-biopsies/
-- Occipital Neuralgia: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/occipital-neuralgia/
I'm not sure if this answers your question can it really be temporal arteritis going on for 2-1/2 years but it sounds like a possibility. "The most common symptom of temporal arteritis is a throbbing, continuous headache on one or both sides of the forehead. Other symptoms may include: Fatigue. Fever." --- Temporal Arteritis: Treatment, Symptoms & Diagnosis: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15674-temporal-arteritis
@zaa and @tsc may have some thoughts or suggestions to share with you. Have you thought about seeking a second opinion or maybe talking with a rheumatologist?