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Started as a migraine, now pressure headaches for 3 weeks

Hello all,
My name is Brandon and I am 23 years old. Recently i've had a number of stressful things happen, such as a new job change potential/promotion, and the soon arrival of my 2nd child. I suffer from anxiety pretty bad, and the job interviews and what not definitely triggered me along with scrambling and finding time to work on the nursery, etc. I have not been to a doctor for an official anxiety diagnosis but I know I suffer from it. I must add that I do physical work during the day for 8+ hours, and I am sitting at a desk for 6+ hours on the computer at home.

This all started when I got home from work about 3 weeks ago, I came home and my daughter had the house looking a mess so I was scrambling around and cleaning with her. Once I sat down finally I noticed sort of an arc in my right eye and was not sure what it was so I rubbed my eyes for a bit and sat there. Then came the migraine which was on the left side of my head. I have never had a migraine before so this was surprising to me as I wasn't sure what it was at first. I went and grabbed an ice pack and laid down in bed for a couple hours to sleep it off. I woke up and my vision was pretty normal and the pain mostly gone. It might have been the next day, or a day after, I started feeling pressure in my head like a vice, with mild pain nothing crazy. I figured it would go away on its own so I ignored it. I am now on the 3rd week of this feeling, which the mild pain comes and goes through out the day. I don't feel any pain usually when I wake up, but it starts up through out the day randomly and ranges from the back of my head, to the sides, sometimes the crown just random. I sleep pretty messed up as well because when I wake up my neck and shoulders are tight, and my back sometimes as well. I have no real sensitivity to light, nausea, or loss of appetite. Any OTC painkillers I have tried havent really done much, the pain isnt terrible I just wanted to see how it would respond to it, so I deal with it. Also have some mild pain in what feels like my jaw near my temples but nothing crazy. Also the pain has never amplified it's stayed pretty constant for these 3 weeks in terms of intensity.

The pressure feeling and mild pain is more of a nuisance to me than anything but I am worried since this has been going on for 3 weeks now. Has anyone ever experienced anything like this?

Thank you!
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Avatar universal
Buddy look at the most recent post my most recent post ! We have the identical symptoms ! If you find anything out please let me know and I'll do the same.
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Avatar universal
Hey! I feel your pain, I am going on 4 weeks now with similar sumptoms except I have a ton of visial issues like light sensitivity, not adjusting well to dimly lit rooms, tunnel vision and periodic bluriness. Not quite sure what to think of it either, seems to be lasting too long to just be a migraine. I think the next step is to be assessed by a neurologist, so far I have only seen walk in clinic doctors and they haven't helped at all. Let me know how it goes for you.
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Avatar universal
Hi and welcome to the Migraines & Headaches Community.
Sounds like you are having cluster migraines. And anytime you have a migraine that lasts more than 7 days it is time to let a doctor intervene. Letting your body go for such a long time in chronic pain plays havoc on your immune system and just is not good for you. So, I would see a doctor as soon as you can get in.
In the meantime here are some over the counter tips that have helped me in the past....

1. There are several symptoms of migraines and what causes the pain of a migraine is the blood vessels in your brain become dilated. So, sometimes it helps it you put a bit of pressure on your head. I am sure you have already been doing this unconsciously with your hands from time to time. So, get a bandanna or a cloth headband and wrap it snugly around your head.
2. If you rub Mentholatum across your forehead and on your temples that helps relax those tense muscles. You can do this with or without the wrap, depending on if you like the heat or not.
3. Try either a cold or hot pack, whichever is more comfy to you.
4. The best OTC meds that I have found that works is Excedrin. It is a combo of Aspirin, Tylenol and Caffeine and that happens to be an excellent combo for migraines.
5. I mentioned caffeine before...well, drink coffee, Mt Dew, take Vivirin...sometimes a mega dose of caffeine will stop it in its tracks.
6. If you get nauseous or dizzy get some Meclizine from the pharmacy (the stuff behind the counter) you can take 25mg three times a day as needed. Yes it works on both.


Again, I emphasize that you should see your doctor, don't just let these tips be your cure all, unless it is for a short time not three weeks.
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