Head Pressure, uvula feels awkward, and ringing in ear, any ideas?

[anthony_h_ceo]

I am a healthy 28 year old male without a history of migraine or other chronic ailments. I have had persistent head pressure and mild tension-type headache for a month. The pressure towards at the top of my head. My right ear feels popped (like when driving in the mountains) Feeling doesn't go away. I have ringing in my right ear (like a subtle high-pitched tone, not loud though). In the past 4 days, I have noticed that my Uvula feels like its in an awkward spot.  Seeing 'subtle floaters' for past 3 weeks.

After a week of headache, went to GP at a local Urgent Care clinic, thought it was Chronic Tension-type headaches as I was not displaying neurological abnormalities. Said to follow-up with a Neurologist if problems persist. Couldn't schedule an appointment with any Neurologist until a few weeks out.

Following week, felt more pressure and pain, feeling uneasy so went to ER. They conducted a Head CT Scan w/out Contrast, scan came back normal. ER doctor said to follow-up with a Neurologist to control my headaches.

Went to the appointment with a Neurologist. Said if I had a tumor that was causing the headaches it would have been picked up on the CT Scan (even w/out the contrast). Saw no need for an MRI as it would come back normal. Diagnosed me with Chronic Tension-type Headache. Prescribed me Amitriptyline, headache still persist, been 2 weeks since seeing Neurologist.

My concern: In the past 4 days my Uvula feels out of place even when not drinking or eating. I have developed the ringing in my ear over the past week. These are new symptoms I want to discuss with my Neurologist on my follow-up appointment but was wondering if anyone is familiar with the throat and ear symptoms I am experiencing.

1. Constant Head Pressure
2. Uvula feels out of place / discomfort (no pain)
3. Ringing in right ear /ear pressure (no pain)
4. Slight visual spots and floaters
5. No fever or infection - no allergies
6. Head CT no contrast was normal.

Any ideas as to what's going on? Any Neurologist or ENT suggestions?

[silentseeker79]

Hi Anthony, I started having these symptoms about 6 months ago. Could you tell me what did you go through before it started. Did you get sick or anything happened that you remember that could have triggered these symptoms??

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
Good to hear that your headache is slowly wearing off and  no neurological cause was detected during your neuro consult. Just relax and enjoy the weekend. Do the things you like and busy yourself with activities you like. Stress management really helps.Take care and best regards.

[anthony_h_ceo]

Hello Dr. Santos,

I first want to thank you for your concern and great advice. I met with the Neurologist yesterday. Concluded that a lot of my symptoms are due to 1. Stress / Anxiety 2. side effects of the medication and 3. mild seasonal allergies. Nothing neurological in nature.

Blood work came back normal (except for some dehydration). BP normal, etc...

My headache is slowly wearing off. Muscle spasms are gone, as are my tingling and numbness. Was caused by anxiety and stress mainly. My throat discomfort was a dry mouth effect of the medication exacerbating my seasonal allergy. Tinnitus is the same origin as the throat issue.

I guess I have to learn to relax and vent out my stress and anxiety. The headache was the main concern I had as it is very persistent but will go away in due time.

Thank you again and have a great week!

_Anthony

[anthony_h_ceo]

Thanks for the insight and concern. I will be updating this post after Monday when my Neurologist concludes is the likely cause of my mild fasciculations. In the meantime, I am going to be targeting more Magnesium-rich dishes to see if that helps.

I also anticipate concluding this bout of tension-type headaches soon. They have not been pleasant, lol.  

Have a great weekend Dr. Santos.

-Anthony

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
Thank you for your update. It's good to hear that your tension headache is lesser in severity. Some side effects of Amitriptyline include fast heart rate, blurred vision, urinary retention, dry mouth, constipation, weight gain or loss, and low blood pressure on standing. Rare side effects are rash, hives, seizures, and hepatitis.  The fasciculations may be an indirect effect or may also be neurological in nature.Talk about this with your neurologist on your next appointment. With regards to Lyme disease, diagnosis is usually based on serological blood tests, symptoms: erythema migrans, facial palsy, or arthritis; and a history of possible exposure to infected ticks. Serological testing such as Western blot and ELISA test  are recommended by the CDC. Try not to worry, we all have our hypochondriac moments. Hang on and hope to hear about your appointment with the neurologist. Take care always.

[anthony_h_ceo]

Thank you for answering my posting. You got it right on the bulls eye. I ended up going to another doctor (GP) yesterday at lunch, he saw me for 2 minutes and said my ear and throat issues were due to previously undiagnosed hay fever. Said the post-nasal drip was causing my throat to swell and ear to clog with liquid. Omnaris took care of that and 1 day later I am a lot better (ear discomfort almost entirely gone). I still have the minor Tinnitus on both ears but that should clear up as my hay fever subsides.

My Tension-type Headache has been with me for about 5 weeks now, never fully subsiding (with me 24-7) but is very manageable with Amitriptyline as it has been lessening its severity. I have a follow-up appointment with my Neurologist on Monday which will likely result in a refill of my Amitriptyline.  

In the past 2 days I have been having mild fasciculations in my legs and a few in my arms / back, but I think they may be due to a little stress and anxiety rather than anything neurological in nature. Unless its maybe a side-effect of Amitriptyline? (not of concern really as they are rather minor but was curious)

This is a little far fetched but could it be possible I may have picked up Lyme disease? I am always hiking and mtn biking EVERY weekend here in Orange Count, CA and had a weird insect bite at the top of my head. It went away after a couple weeks but was an odd bite. Was above my hairline and I didn't notice any rashes or fever but seems to coincide when my headache began. My joints also started to get noisier about that time (5 weeks ago). Just thought I'd throw this wild card out there as I have never personally met anyone who has gotten lyme disease in Southern California.

Thank you for reading.

Over the past 5 weeks I went from being 100% "healthy" with never having had any issues with my health to having all these minor ailments. I am quite the hypochondriac these days (just like my Dad I guess).

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How are you? The dull pressure in your head is consistent with tension headache. The ringing in the ear or tinnitus is the perception of sound within the human ear in the absence of corresponding external sound. This may result from ear infections, foreign objects or wax in the ear, nose allergies that prevent fluid drain and cause wax build-up or may even be work-related as well. You may need to have this checked by your ENT doctor again for proper evaluation of the uvula and ear. Masking the noise of the tinnitus is usually done. Take care and do keep us posted.