Sudden, terrible headache...

I'm writing here because I don't know what else to do. I'm waiting for my Ibuprofen to kick in and then I'll be going straight to bed, but I am having a difficult time this evening.

I had a nice, calm, and relaxing day (well aside from anxiously awaiting my SS name ) and then had dinner out this evening with my mother. I came home and fell asleep on the sofa for a couple of hours and then my roommate and I watched SNL. I did fine during all of that time, but, then, suddenly, I was overtaken by a terrible headache. It was right above my eyes and I felt nauseated and very light-headed with some difficulty concentrating. I laid down for a bit, took some Ibuprofen, had something small to eat and drink, and then took a bath. Oh, and I did call my doctor who suggested I do all of those things (well, it was a nurse-on-call service). But, while the headache has shifted -- it was originally above my eyes by now is all encompassing, it's not gotten any better. I'm now achy, somewhat clammy, hot, and just generally feel sick. I don't know what hit me!

I have some health issues that are a concern when I get headaches such as neurocardiogenic syncope and a possible, but undiagnosed, seizure disorder. There are other things as well, but those are the ones that come to mind most readily. What's worse is that it's causing me to panic and that is only serving to increase my symptoms. I called my doctor's office again and they said to take some additional Ibuprofen and just to go to bed (they are aware of my complete medical history), but a headache so strong that came out of nowhere is a bit disconcerting to me. I'm able to concentrate now, but still have a light-headed, shaky feeling along with nausea, hot flashes, and clammy skin. I'm only 27 and so I doubt it could be anything truly serious, but I do have health issues and it is concerning. But, right now, I just want to feel better. If I begin to feel any worse, I'll be calling the office back and requesting to speak with the doctor on call, but they are difficult to get a hold of and I don't want to be brushed aside. My anxiety isn't helping and so I'm writing this to calm down, but then my plan is to just crawl into bed and go to sleep.

I don't know what's going on. I know I don't feel well, but my roommate said it was in my head (and it is if you consider my problem is a headache ) and told me to get over it. Nice, huh? Since I'm young, people always automatically assume it's in my head -- forget about the medical documentation that I have proving otherwise! That's another story for another time. I just wanted to write to get these feelings out while waiting for the meds to kick in. I think I'll try to get in some extra fluids and another small snack before bed and so I'll be up for a little bit yet, but I'm hoping I get to feeling better soon. Because, right now, I'm kind of scared.

Well, thanks for being here and allowing me the space to share what's going on. I have work tomorrow and need sleep and so, hopefully, I'll feel better and will be able to get a good night's rest.

Sounds to me you are having a migraine... And if that's the case, Ibuprofen isn't going to do much...
Are you sensitive to light and sound?
Also, do you have an ice pack? That helps... I like 2 - one on my forehead, and another on my neck... It's night time, and migraine meds often have caffeine... or the ones that work are prescription, and that won't happen.
But... laying down on a quiet, dark bedroom, with the ice packs do help, a lot... You need to relax, be away from light, sounds, smells, and worries...

Thank you, Carolina .

I think you're very likely right that this is the start of a nasty migraine. I am prone to them. However, they usually don't hit me as quickly as this one did. But, I'd prefer a migraine to a seizure any day.

I took the Ibuprofen and it may have helped very, very slightly. If anything, it took the edge off so at least I'm able to concentrate and think. I don't do well with the specific migraine pain relievers and so that is never an option, but I will try the trick with the ice packs. And, as soon as my other meds kick in, I'll be going up to bed. Sadly, the kitties are not going to be allowed to sleep with me tonight since I want to ensure I'll get the quiet and rest I need, but I will have my one dog with me. She's an excellent cuddler and is always great to snuggle with when feeling under the weather. My room is very dark at night, but I typically leave classical music on (or relaxation CD's or sounds) while I sleep. I think I'll try that since I'm not having sensitivity to sound, but will turn it off if need be. And, I'm not having much issue with light, either, though that is seeming to increase as time goes by.

I am getting sleepy and so I think I'm going to go up to bed now. Thank you for your support and suggestions -- I often need the reassurance when I'm feeling unwell. And, I'm grateful for everyone here that provides that to me -- you're all such wonderful people.

Thanks again . But, for now, it's time for sleep...

Were you dehydrated? I have those symptoms if I don't hydrate enough. Usually, drinking a lot of water and a long sleep make me feel better.

I hope you feel better!!!

Yeah... I figure that is probably it... I have bad migraines and take daily meds to prevent it, plus prescription when they hit. For a bad migraine regular over the counter stuff is like sugar pills
Mine can hit slowly, or it can hit me like a truck. It depends..... So... I think that's what's going on with you...
One thing is for sure - sleeping and relaxing and the ice packs will help...
Computer, light, stress........ not.


Now go hon... chop chop, bed time - see you tomorrow!

I'm sorry you're feeling sick Alison
It's almost weird as I read this because I feel almost the exact same way tonight! I also feel dizzy
I've been falling in and out of sleep and as soon as I wake up the headache is there still
I'm pretty sure mine is a migraine also- but it hit me pretty slowly, like I felt a bit of warning signs early this morning and then by late afternoon I was in terrible pain and almost felt like all of my senses are impaired- I couldn't even carry a normal conversation and kept yelling at people to stop talking to me.
I used to have prescription for migraines but I finished it and didn't bother to ask for a refill...I probably should though!
It was powerful stuff, knocked me out but first made me want to smile and laugh and feel like I've just been born again

Big suggestion here. If you actually have NCS and are having associated symptoms of it, stay out of the tub or shower! If you truly have this you risk inducing a faint from the heat. A doctor or nurse won't know any better at giving you advice unless they're well experienced with autonomic issues, either.
For a normal person a hot bath may help because their headaches can be vasoconstriction related - we get a lot of pain caused from vasodilation. Add heat and the dilation gets worse. Make you blood pressure fall enough, and if you have any possibility of an autonomic seizure you could increase the chance of triggering one of those.


I hope you're feeling better now. But please remember NCS + heat is a terrible mix.

Haven't you had this happen before? Maybe you'd better go to the hospital, though if I remember correctly that didn't do much last time. Sudden onset of headache can be indicative of stroke.

Alison Joy

How scary when our health doesn't seem right.

I hope you feel better soon and figure things out.

I'm pretty sure you feel sick/dizzy from the pain. Pain definitely can do ALL of that.

I don't have migraines, but like Lauren, I get suddon onset headaches if I get too dehydrated. Maybe dehydration triggered a migraine?

Allison I hope you have slept well and are feeling better now. I agree that this may be a migraine. There are different types of migraines. The quick on-set you mentioned is actually typical for my migraines. They seem to come on very quickly out of nowhere and the pain can progress very quickly. There are some migraine symptoms that I do not always get with my headaches. I sometimes get nausea but usually do not get sick from it. I only get light sensitivity and sound sensitivity if the migraine starts when I am somewhere bright and noisy.

I agree with Carolina's suggestions on the ice. I use a sinus mask ice pack since my migraines tend to be more forcused behind my eyes. It took a long time to get my headaches correctly diagnosed as migraines and not sinus headaches. I too have a hard time getting migraine pain specific pain relivers to work on me. My neurologist had to put me on Fiorcet and my doctor has me take Imtrex with it. It does seem to help. Please keep bugging your doctor to find a medicine that will actually do something to get rid of your migraines. Sudden onset migraines are harder to treat because you do not know when they are coming.

I am suffering from migraine too since I was 8 years old. I took Ibuprofen then higher dosage, then switch to mefenamic 250mg then 500mg. It's driving me crazy!

I'm just now seeing this. Any updates this afternoon? I hope you got some rest and are feeling better now!

I'm sorry it's taken me this long to update, but today was a long and exhausting day...

As it turns out, I'm not dealing with a migraine. Or, at least I'm not anymore. The headache, instead, was the precursor to my getting a nasty cold or flu virus. I had a ton of trouble falling asleep last night and then woke up early this morning to go to church and then to work. As much as I enjoy my church, I couldn't keep my eyes open. My head didn't hurt as badly as it did last night, but I was so dizzy and nauseated that I needed to close my eyes. It was miserable. After that, I felt a bit better and ran a couple of errands with my roommate before going to work. She literally had to force me to choke down an egg and cheese bagel since I hadn't eaten anything, but I felt so sick. But, nonetheless, I went to work.

Thank God the clinic was slow today. We barely had any clients or patients and we had no drop off appointments which meant I didn't have to worry about cleaning kennels. And, the vet techs had already started some of my jobs before I got there since it was so quiet. I really appreciated it since I felt so terrible, but I stuck it out and didn't let on that I was sick (though I think it was obvious by how I looked). By that point, my stomach was queasy, I had a sore throat, a headache, a slight cough, and a stuffed up nose. My afternoon went by quickly, though, and by 6:00pm, I had crashed on the sofa. I didn't wake up until 10:30pm when I watched some television. My roommate felt guilty for telling me that my feeling sick last night was in my head and she made me some soup and grilled cheese for dinner which I did eat. And, after taking care of the kitties and taking a bath, I'm here.

I have had horrible migraines in the past. And, yes, some of you may remember that in June I had a string of terrible headaches that resulted in my fainting and having seizures. It was that experience that had me diagnosed with neurocardiogenic syncope as well as a possible seizure disorder (I have an ECG scheduled for later this year with a new neurologist -- the one who did my tilt-table test and worked with me on the NCS was not someone I wanted to continue on with). I still struggle with a lot of the symptoms on a daily basis, but I'm doing a little better now that the heat has lifted and we're moving into the fall weather. But, yes, I do need to use caution when taking hot showers or baths. And, I do have to be vigilant about how I am doing health-wise because of the NCS and other health issues I have.

My immune system is pathetic and so it's no surprise that I got some kind of nasty bug. It seems everyone has been sick lately. And, with a weather shift from 91F on Friday to 63F on Saturday, everyone seems to be feeling down and out. I have a slight fever of 101.1 this evening and am feeling pretty bad, but I'm thankful that it is just a cold or virus and nothing more serious. I've taken some Tylenol to help with the fever and am trying to get some Gatorade in before bed since I know I dehydrate rather quickly. I'm already curled up in bed with my laptop, but I think I'll make another trip downstairs before calling it a night. My dog needs to go back outside and I am feeling a bit nauseous...so, we'll see. But, I hope to be able to get comfortable and get some sleep tonight. And, aside from having to run to the vet to pick up Finn's antibiotics, I can stay home all day tomorrow and rest. I don't have to be back at work until Tuesday at 4:00pm. I'm grateful to have this time to get better. Oh, boy, do I hope to feel better.

Thanks to everyone for your support. It's no fun being sick, but at least I know what's going on now...

Alison, I hope you're feeling better now.