Hi everyone,

I need some answers regarding migraines, common headaches and hormonal headaches. I began getting bad headaches about 5 years ago. I've never been diagnosed with migraines, but I assume that is what they are. They can make me vomit, I need silence and total darkness in order to get through it. The throbbing is awful, usually the pain is behind one of my eyes or throbbing just above it. Other times, I have what I classify as a typical sinus headache. My nose aches up the side and the pain continues across the top of my eyes, around the sinus area.

Okay, so I've read that it is normal to have a headache anywhere in the head, not just the typical forehead area. Is this true?

Other questions/concerns:
1. Can you have a migraine headache without a visual aura? Can a migraine hurt at other locations other than near the eyes? I don't seem to experience the visual aura.
2. I have lately been experiencing what I believe to be tension headaches...pain starts in the neck and goes into the back of the head - is this possible?

3. Now, I have been experiencing tremendous sinus problems and problems with my left ear. I've felt tension in my temple area and on occasion, I seem to have a pain right above this ear on the side of my head - does this sound like a sinus problem, a migraine or a possible hormonal connection? I don't think that I have a sinus infection, but I've been extremely congested lately, very stopped up and my nose has been literally feeling ice cold to the touch.

4. It has been really cold here lately and the cold air seems to bring on headaches as well. I know that in the summertime if we keep the AC too low, it will trigger a bad headache.

Anyway, so sorry to ramble on and on but my anxiety is normally bad and now it is through the roof. Headaches scare me, especially with this whole peri thing, I worry non-stop.

PLEASE, PLEASE share your headache experiences during this peri time. I've noticed that since all of these weird symptoms began about 4 years ago, I've had an increase in headaches. I just can't stop this worrying. I can't relax and well, you can imagine what is going through my mind.

Thank you and take care,
Tracey

Hi there, I am so sorry you are having these migraines. Yes it is true that they can only be in one small area; not like a typical headache.

1) Sorry can't answer that question.

2) Oh yes...I get them daily almost. I put White Flower on my neck it helps to soothe the achiness. I get mine in Chinatown.

3) Sorry don't know.

There are many here that have headaches and I am sure will respond.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED your "I refuse to google" good for you!!! Please do not worry too much okay - it sounds alot like other people's experiences here.

Take care,
Suzanne

Can I just tell you of my experience in Dec. The first of dec I started having an awful headache on the left side of my head above my ear. it made my check bone hurt at times. Then it traveled down my neck. It hurt so bad...I didn't know what was going on. I would wake up about 3 in the morning with my head just aching...I went to ENT twice thinking it was sinus related....none of the medicine helped.Then went to regular dr and she said she thought I was having migraines. I was not having the typical migraine symptoms though..But I did the MRI just to rule out anything....and yup there was nothing. I decided to go to my mothers for a needed get away and she treated me to a massage...And the therapist could not believe the tension in my neck and in my shoulders and back. She was great she worked on me for an hour and 1/2..Then I went to my moms chiroprater and he worked on me and I tell you. I have not had that headache now for 2 weeks...Tension is what it was for me....Also hormone chaos...
THey say that menopause can bring on migraines and your symptoms do sound like a migraine...
oh yeah, What made me realize that it was tension was when I took advil they would go away...When my dr gave me something to help with the Migranine it did not help..
You know each one of us are different and we al have these symptoms...I hope you find out what it is so you can get relief. It is know fun trying to function with a headache.
Love
sishaircut

Hi Tracey,
Rule number one - No Googling headache! Headaches occur with almost every malfunction of our bodies so apart from being horribly scary, it is a waste of time anyway!
The fact that your problems have been going on for 5 years, shows that your problem is likely to be chronic rather than acute. Although that is annoying it can be reassuring too.
During peri I started with headaches which quickly led to vomiting. I only used to vomit a couple of times which signaled that the vomiting was not a gut problem, it was likely to be hormone induced. It would all start with a boring type pain in the left side of my neck and would progress to a strange feeling in my left eye. Just as if part of the visual field were missing.The pain was a bit like a screw driver being twisted in my left temple with a build of pressure.The headache would then 'develop' over hours or days. Its severity would always come to a sort of crescendo at which point I would cry bitterly in absolute desperation. No-one ever identified it as a hormone problem and the doctors just kept repeating that I was a very unfortunate individual and kept telling me, not to eat chocolate or cheese. I can now see very clearly that my hormone balance was shifting and when one hormone was either too low or too high I was in line for the migraine. Toward the end of peri the migraines became unmanageable and I had a rough ride. The great news is that at menopause they stopped dead. It is this fact alone that now proves what was going on.
I do believe that a true specialist in hormonally related migraine could have eased 12 years of suffering but I was never able to access that help. I suppose at one stage, even I didn't believe that hormones could be creating such devastation. I do now!!! Some women seem to have success by taking the BCP. When the headaches were unbearable I used Maxalt Melt which was a lifesaver.
The more I see of all this meno stuff the more I believe that decreasing oestrogen messes up mucous membranes. Your sinuses are all lined with mucous membranes! This could be the reason for all the problems with ears and sinuses. I get lots of nasal congestion these days.

Regards,


XIII

Good Morning,

I have had similar head problems and ear and cheek and behind the ear. Mine have been diagnosed as TMJ. Have you ever looked into that? It gets worse from stress, eating hard and crunchy things and grinding or clenching your teeth at night, or anytime for that matter. feel free to ask me more about it or google tmj and you will find a wealth of information. I hope you feel better.

Actually, I just started having the headaches about 2-3 weeks ago when I also started having HOT FLASHES... The headaches are usually premenstrually and end when my period starts...heavy sigh! I"m not taking anything for them now, just hoping that they will get better.

Hope you and everyone else are feeling better today...

TJ

Hi, Tracey
Yes, headaches can be very scary. I've had migraines most of my adult life. Not as severe as yours, as I don't vomit or restrict myself to total darkness, but I do avoid bright lights, noise, reading and driving, if possible. When my periods were regular, I could count on getting a migraine on the day before my period. Now that I haven't had a period for over 100 days, my migraines have increased enough for me to finally go to my doctor! I had 4 migraines in December. I definitely believe it's estrogen related. My gyno just tested my hormone levels, and I've yet to get the results. My MD prescribed an abortive migraine medication last week. I used it once, and it worked! No over the counter pain meds have worked for my migraines.

In case you don't already know, migraines can cause sinus pressure/congestion. That's why people who are sometimes treating their headaches as sinus types, are actually experiencing a migraine. I've heard that actual sinus-only headaches are uncommon.

Regarding the auras: Only about 20% of migraine sufferers experience an aura. I've just had it happen twice. (and it's very unsettling!)

Finally, the ear pain, do you get it at anytime during the day or is it at night? I was getting sharp pains in my right ear while sleeping on that side. I think I figured it out, I think it was caused by acid reflux, because I haven't had the problem since I started taking acid reflux preventive medicine. Don't know if that applies to you if your ear pain is during the day.

Try, try to relax. OK? Remind yourself that the worst possible scenario (brain tumor?) would cause a sudden appearance of excruciating headaches, not the type that you and I experience.

Hope you feel better!
jem

I hope some of this will ease your worry. Maybe not your headaches, but please try not to worry. Here's what I know from intermittent sinus headaches and years of migraines, i.e. four entire days out of every month for over forty years.

1. Yes, absolutely. And avoidance of light and noise is one of the hallmarks. Hormonal fluctuations are a huge contributor to migraine as are (some) foods, (some) fragrances/smells, sleep irregularity, even changes in altitude and barometric pressure. Common food triggers are aged cheeses, wine, meats like hot dogs, bacon, ham, chocolate and anything with caffeine. Sudden cold will do it, too. A la ice cream headache. Suggest you keep a food diary along with your hormone log. For me, a tad too much progesterone will set one off. Good news: the newer migraine medicines are very effective. Better news: with a food log, you may be able to limit or avoid them. Best of all news: when thoroughly embedded in the post-meno world, they tend to vanish and, in my case, lessen in frequency, intensity and duration.

2. Yes. I can get these now with too much progesterone. My neck & shoulders tense up and lead to a tension headache, which in me, can morph into a migraine. I find that laying a heat pack around my shoulders and one across the top of my head helps. I do not understand the connection w/progesterone, but accept that it's there and am glad to have connected the two.

3. I've found that sinus headaches are tricky. But your description sounds like one. With me, a sinus headache will soon morph into a migraine (my neuro who I see for other reasons says this isn't uncommon, btw) so I try to avoid them. You don't need a sinus infection to have a sinus headache. Or a brow line that throbs and a rigid scalp. If you googled a sinus map, you may be surprised to see where they are. There is congestion as you say, and I wish my skull could be handed over to someone with a power drill. Some ideas to help reduce their frequency: avoid ALL dairy whether it's out of a carton or cooked into a dish/dessert, drink lots of water throughout the day, rinse your sinuses regularly (Neti pot) and reduce allergens in your home environment. I've noticed a definite link between hormones and sinus headaches, but am not 100% certain what it is. I suspect progesterone, however.

4. Dunno, but would bet that for you sudden T drops are a trigger.

My main message to you is (1) see if you can identify your triggers, (2) please stop worrying, (3) know that it gets better with time, and (4) good luck.

Hi tdf770,
I have been having these exact headaches this week. They start at the base of my neck, and go up the side of my head. My ear also aches, and they will go up to the top of my head. I also feel like it's my sinuses. Always stuffy and congested. I had one the other day and layed down and tried to relax, and it eventually went away. Tension maybe? We are getting a ton of snow this morning, and I have to drive my daughter to work. I can feel another one coming on.My anxiety went through the roof with this as well, thoughts of everything horrible. Hope you're feeling better.

Okay, well my cycle just started but no relief. These head "sensations" and aches are really causing panic at this point. It comes and goes and while not debilitating (and no vomiting so I don't think it's a migraine) The tension in my temple area (usually just the left side) is terrible and consequently, my left ear is terrible as well - feels very full, clogged and congested. Then, I can get an ache anywhere in my head from time to time. Sometimes it's in the back, sometimes on the top, sometimes on the side near my ear and in the back.

What is going on? Please can someone give me encouraging words, is anyone else having similar situations? ARe thes migraines, tension headaches, sinus headaches or something worse? By the way, what are cluster headaches?

I am so scared, I desperately need to hear from you.

Thanks,
Tracey

Your symptoms sound very, very much like sinus congestion. Please read what I wrote above. The sinuses are all throughout your head and connect with a wide network of tissue. The pain can and does move around and as it does, tensing mini-muscles can tighten up and trigger pain elsewhere. Heat or ice may break that cycle.

Meantime, here are a some suggestions to test the issue. One, if you can stand it, jump up and down and see if it makes your upper teeth hurt. Tell-tale sign. It will pass within moments, btw.

Secondly, if you can tolerate it, take a decongestant tablet. Even if it only lessens the sense of pressure and congestion, particularly in your ears, and doesn't lessen the headache, you may be closer to knowing what kind of headache you are experiencing. If you do, drink loads of clear liquids to re-hydrate yourself from the tablet. Don't freak out if urination is difficult; it's often a decongestant side effect. And remember, it is entirely possible for sinus headaches to (1) be devoid of obvious nasal sinus symptoms and (2) to morph into migraine, with or without auras.

Another thing that may help. The fact that your cycle is just beginning isn't necessarily relevant, in my experience. I used to feel great early in my cycle, but during peri those once dependable days 1 - 14 never again were a reliable signal.

I don't quite understand your avoidance to googling, but a quick look at sinus info just might ease your worry.

Third and most important, please try to calm yourself away from panic mode which maybe counterproductive to easing your headache. Please do whatever you can to work with your system, help it along. I wish you swift relief and peace, truly.

Gillk-

Thanks so much for the information, it really helps hearing words from someone else, someone who is rational, sane and knowledgeable. I will give your tests a try, I do think that a lot of my problem is sinus related. This terribly cold air that we've had here lately just gives me aches walking outside. My face will hurt and now, the various headaches. It's just so scary when weird things begin to happen and with the way I am, one little things sends me over the edge.

The reason I don't like to google is because I've done so in the past, and after what I read, honestly, I had myself talked into death. I suffered some very bad episodes of panic and I cannot go back to that - I've learned my lesson so to speak.

Anyway, thanks again. I really appreciate your post.

Take care,
Tracey

wow can i give you a reply--i will start now and continue tomorrow or when i have a chance--i am ready to go to sleep,but felt i had to respond.i can write a big DITTO for some of the former replies.I would suggest buying a NETI_POT--it is a great help for the sinuses and can be found online.I really feel it helps me.The major idea from my doctor is to try to 'nick it in the bud',or at least try to as soon as you feel it coming on--the heaache.don't wait until it is full-blown before you decide to take something.i also started having them when i started peri.i thought 'this must be the end'/////////my optician also has them and understood when i told him i had aura's.he told me not to wait but to take--x-strength Tylenol.there is special migraine tylenol,but x-strength helps me too.close the door and shades,rest ,.relax.my head hurts,throbbing so it is hard to put my head on a pillow.you might want to look up simple yoga excercices and positive feedback chants to help==i find it comforting.even if you feel better,relax for several hours and pamper yourself.in my case,i get it for several consecutive days,feel better,and here it comes again.not doubt that it is hormonal.feel better soon.