Severe Pounding Headache During Bowel Movement

[mt_100]

I have had a problem for some time now and am now very worried.

Background:
I have had this on and off for quite some time, over a year.

I'm a 33 man and at the time it started I was 194 pounds and had cholesterol of 216. I admit I was out of shape. One thing to note is my tolerance for pain is very high.

I was tested for everything, CAT scans, bowel X-rays, scoped from one end to the other. Tried fiber, lots of fiber, Nothing. I gave up on answers about the time the symptoms subsided.

Since then, I shaped up. I am now 165 pounds, cholesterol of 136 and can run 4 miles a day. At no time during the workouts or other strenuous activity do I experience this issue or other issue.

Symptoms actually went away for quite a while, several months in fact, but are now back as of this last week and worse. I now can tell when I need to have a BM because it starts very mildly.

During the BM, without straining at all, it starts. It will start on the back of my neck as a small soreness or stiffness and very quickly I will feel my heartbeat in my neck. Within seconds the pounding in my head starts on the left side and goes up to the top and down the bottom. With each heartbeat there is excruciating searing pounding pain. A pain that feel like someone hooked a bicycle pump to the left side of my neck and is pushing pressure very hard into my head. Each heartbeat is torture and afterward it slowly subsides over a few hours until only a stiff sore neck remains. However this last time the dull headache lasted into the next day.

The pain is so severe I have blacked out once however I fight not to. I am not straining, pushing, or doing anything. Most of the time I am trying to relax. This happens with hard or soft movements and diarrhea. I would consider this pain to be a 8-9 out of 10. (A motorcycle accident with broken bones was a 6 to me for comparison sake)

I have tried to identify changes or habits that may have changed or repeated and so far cannot find something. I am truly worried that I will have a stroke or brain aneurysm during a bowel movement to the extent that I call my wife on the phone.

Can someone help? No doctors around here are able to.

[selmaS]

Hi...not to give u one more thing to look at, but, strain headaches are typical with chiari malformation and so r the bowel issues u describe.

A Brain MRI and a cervical spine MRI can help rule this out, but it is a possibility as well...

There r sooooooo many conditions that have overlapping symptoms it can get frustrating and take a while to get a dx....if ur PCP is a good one he will keep looking until u have an answer.

U may want to try Miralax after discussing it with ur dr to see if that may help u go on a reg basis and eliminate the strain.

Best of luck
"selma"

[mamahana]

I only get these when I strain, but my sister says she gets them no matter what, especially if she has a... well, "big one." her doc put her on stool softener (no help) and eventually went with topamax which worked after a while, but we're not sure why that even helped. I hope you get some relief!

[mt_100]

I have tried the Miralax, Ex-Lax, U-Name-It-Lax with no results as well as stool softeners.

He put me on a new med starting yesterday, dicyclomine I think and we shall see how that helps.

The other night I was up over 15 times for bowel movements and each was only about 2oz of liquid, no solids, and I still felt as if I had to go even the next day. I lost almost six pounds that night.

He also wants me to use Milk of Magnesia every other day so it doesn't go any longer than that.

I still have the dull headache with stiff neck that has no been here for the better part of a month. Getting to the point that it takes four to six Ibuprofen every four hours to keep it away.

I'm very bothered by doctors after all this. One PCP and now a new one, two gastro specialists, and not one seems to care all to much about anything but me paying the bills. None of them will acknowledge that I usually gain five to ten pounds in a week from this and always feel like I am full in my gut.

[selmaS]

Hi...I would suggest a MRI of the brain w/wo contrast....the symptoms u mention could be a sign u have a condition that requires attention.

A neurologist generally will do the testing and find a dx....once u have a dx they in turn will send u to the dr that is best to treat possibly a neurosurgeon.

I understand ur frustration with the medical community...we all tend to get that runaround and it can take it's toll....but it  is ur health...so keep pushing until u get that dr that does know and understand : )

Godspeed
"selma"

[AimsP]

All of the problems you are describing I have too. I think the doctors think I am a hypochondriac. My doctors have diagnosed me with fibromyalgia, which I don't feel any better, just more tummy issues from the meds causing more constipation. Augh!! I also gain a lot of weight to the point of looking pregnant, then I will get abdominal cramping or back cramping. I soooo feel for you.

Amy

[selmaS]

HI Amy....u may want to look into chiari malformation for the head pains while straining.Many have been mis dx'd with fibro and drs keep saying or making us feel it is all in our heads...and they r RIGHT!!

SO at least rule it out....

Good luck
"selma"