lightheadedness, pressure in head, tingling

[danny7]

During the last six weeks I

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-PW]

None of the episodes perhaps except for the left arm weakness suggest a TIA. Depending on your age and risk factors for stroke, it may be indicated to do an MRI and MR angiogram to loof at your blood vessels.

TIAs usually present with loss of vision in an eye or in one field of vision, weakness or loss of sensation or clumsiness on one side of the body, or inability to speak properly. These signs could be warning signs for a stroke and shouldbe evaluated promptly.

However, many of your symptoms could also be explained by a headache disorder, panic attackes, or less likely, a seizure (an EEG may beindicated also)

Your appointment with the Cleveland Clinic will hopefull lead to a diagnosis
Good luck

[AK52]

Very similar symptoms here. I have nothing to offer except good luck and hope you report back on your findings.

[jeppadon]

Since November 06, I started to feel pins and needles in my left arm that eventually spread to my right arm. The pins and needles got progressively worse in December and January. Most nights, I harly slept because of the pain. Due to the part work that I did which was very physical at the time, I figured my problem was related to that so I stopped. I told my doctor who recommended some physical therapy. It seemed to work and I did get some relief. I eventually stopped the physical therapy in February. The problem started back in March and I also started to get what I believe are tension headaches from the moment I wake up in the mornings. The headaches last for the whole day sometimes. I went to see a neurologist recently who recommended an MRI with contrasting of my brain and neck. Everything came back normal. I also had an EEG done and that was also normal. I alo had some bloodwork done by my regular doctor which didn't show anything abnormal. My bolld pressure is also normal. The headache has now been replaced by dizziness and pressure around my head and eyes, and I feel as if I now have a "feeling" of trembling and shaking in my shoulders and hands. I am not physically shaking but my hand and shoulders feel that way when I am still. When I am still, I feel as if I am rocking back and forth even though I am not. These feeling doesn't interrupt my daily activities, however, I would like to know what is happening, because I really feel "out of it" most of the time. I alo get very little sleep as a result of all this. After doing all of these test, I now feel as of I am out of options. I was told that my problem could be stress related. Any recommendations?

[jeppadon]

Forget to mention that I am 48 years old so my problem might be age related. Who knows!

[jeppadon]

Let me add that I had an EMG instead of an EEG. WOW! This problem must be really freaking me out!

[danny7]

I wanted to thank the neurologist and other posters for their help and comments.  I did see the cardiologist at Cleveland Clinic Weston today.  He took me off of the Fludrocortisone (prescribed by the doctor who saw me for 30 seconds in the ER).  (That doctor thought I had vaso vagal syncope, although my night time attacks didn't fit the profile.)  The cardiologist today also suggested I stop taking Accupril, which I had been using for high blood pressure.  He is prescribing some sort of monitor where I'll be able to press a button to record my heart data when I'm experiencing an attack.

The cardiologist today said my symptoms don't really match a  particular syndrome.  I will also be seeing a neurologist, and, eventually, a sleep specialist.  I guess my night time attacks sound a bit like sleep apnea?

When I learn more I'll post again.  Meantime, it will be interesting to see if I feel better or worse when I'm not taking the Fludrocortisone and Accupril.

[floridabrit]

not sure whats going on with me -48 yr old male, on Friday I sat down at home to look up a number on my cell phone, and for about 4 seconds had double vision and light headedness pretty bad.
it went away when i put my reading glasses on,  but for 2 days I had a "muggy head" not a headache just kinda muggy.left me with my appetite gone and  now and again feelings of nausea.

not sure what it was but scared me.
my BP is ok( im on BP pills), I didnt have any heart pain or  stroke signs etc.
today (monday) 3 days after im a bit light headed but thats it
although I need glasses for work (I stare at a computer screen all day)
and that makes my eyes ache.

Im confused !

[gabe77]

I just left the ER.  I started having these attacks on sunday and they progressively got worse.  I was talking to one of my coWorkers today and felt like fainting/passing out.  I go see the neurologist tomorrow and get the MRI.  They did a catScan and nothing showed up.  This also happened on my left side....it only last for me for about 15 minutes and then the numbness went away and my feelings came back.  The ER doctor said it may be Paresthesias...numbness of part arms, legs, feet.  I thought i had a stroke or was about to have a heartAttack....scared me Crazy!  Luckily I had a GPS which could find the nearest hospital....because i was in the middle of Rush Hour in D.C. and my leg and arm were going numb Quick! when i start to panic, i started breathing hard and seem like i was about to pass out while driving....ughhhh makes me not want to drive anymore.  

Keep me posted on any updates

[Floxie99]

Danny,
Have you, in the past year, been treated with a fluoroquinolone-based antibiotic (levaquin, tequin, cipro, floxin, etc)? If so, you may be suffering from an adverse reaction to that drug. These reactions can come on long after you are treated, and cause long-lasting pain and other symptoms. Very often those hurt think they have MS, or ALS, or fibromyalgia, or a host of other maladies.

If you are suffering these weird symptoms, I suggest you check out the following sites:
www.medicationsense.com
www.fqvictims.org
http://******.******.*****.com/group/quinolones

[puddless]

Hi there everyone.  The last couple of nights I have been waking up and having this tingling sensation in my head.  The first night I thought I was having a panic attack and I have been having the tingling sensation in accordance to the panic attacks before but it was different this time.  I had trouble with feeling in my face, and there was numbness and I thought for sure I was having a stroke.  However the only thing i have against me at the ripe age of 30 is obesity, and Insulin Resistence.  So I put it towards a panic attack however...

Lastnight I had it again but this time it was much different.  I woke up and my whole head and neck and parts of my arms and it almost felt like my whole body was tingling at one point, but my heart wasn't racing like panic attack, and on top of that I was seeing double and everything was like garbled...my hearing was messed up, and I felt lightheaded.  I'm really worried about this...because I'm scared this is going to happen again tonight.  

Any ideas what it might be?  I have this constant pressure in my head all the time, and it's like there is more in my head that should be there you know what I mean?  Let me know.

Thanks

[rick D]

i also feel your pain i'm the ripe old age of 34 and in very good shape and on 3/31/06 i landed on head head after sparring in a jiujitsu match. i shook it off and after four days of headaches i went to the ER got a CT scan they told me i was good and i split. After 2 weeks of daily headache, tingling in the head and face and sensitivity to light in my eyes. My PCP gave me a series of nuero tests said i was cool and discharged me. After another two weaks i went again and the same thing. then it felt better for a week and i self "cracked" my neck and it is back again. any thoughts.

[Josephmaleolgia]

Hello all,

My story starts Feb 11th and has continued until present and none of the 15 plus doctors I have seen have any idea what I might have. Many of the symptoms expressed by danny7 and others on this forum are similar to what I am experiencing. Here it is:

1. Fatigue (on and off)

2. Numbness and Tingling in left side and it usually feels heavy. This also comes and goes as if they were episodes. So far, I have not lost mobility.

3. Pressure in my neck and head.

4. Numbness and tingling in my head.

5. Sensitivity in my temples also a constant low lying headache unlike any I

[lefty40]

I am getting and have had similar symptoms to what some of you are experiencing.  My symptoms started in February.  I began by having terrible headaches on the right side of my head with numbness.  The doctor found a nodule on my thyroid and it was also determined that I had chronic sinusitus from an x-ray.  I took a month of antibotics, Flonase, and a steroid pack.  I have since been to an ENT and a Endo.  The Endo said that I am showing symptoms of being hyperthyroid, but the nodule shouldn't be causing symptoms. My blood work has also been fine, including the thyroid piece of it.  The Endo even had me complete a 24 hr. urine test for other things related to tumors and so forth.  Those came back negative.  Ever since, my symptoms seem to change weekly.  I have had - off and on - pressure in my head that makes it difficult to sleep.  Pressure also increases when I bend down. It also seems that I get these "bursts" in the back of my head also.  I have also had two CAT scans, which have come back normal. Tested negative for Lymes.  Carotid arteries checked.  I will be going to a new neurologist this week and a cardiologist at the end of the month.  I have been to the Emergency room numerous times, because I am scared and not sure what is happening.  I had to leave work in an ambulance one day because I got really flushed in the face and ears  - almost a purple color.  The doctor said that I had scrombroid reaction, but I don' buy that.  Other symptoms include:

- muscles seem very, very tight in head, shoulders, and back all of the time
- night sweats
- anxiety due to not knowing what is going on
- shortness of breath
- bad stomach aches
- tired
- difficulty sleeping
- vision changes - blurry, flashes, spots
- neck pain - off and on
- heart races and skips beats (I am on atenolol for PVCs)
- trembling
- can't stand heat, I need it cold in order to be comfortable

Any input would be great!

[lefty40]

I forgot to add the other symptoms

- twitching muscles in face and neck
- jaw hurts off and on
- back of my head felt asleep when I woke up
- knees get sharp pains through them
- ears always feel full
- I also seem to be more sensitive to sound and hear things better

Could this all be of a muscular origin? TMJ?

[jp67]

I have had the same symptoms, including a feeling of drunkeness, pressure in head, especially at the base of the skull, shooting pains above left ear to above left eye, tingling and slight numbness in face (left side) and left arm, inlcuding pain in the left thumb, nausea, and inability to focus when reading.  It thought I was having heart problems, stroke, brain tumor, bad sinus infection, etc.  I have had a CT scan of my brain and sinuses, as well as an MRI of my neck.  The only thing found was a slightly bulging disc in my neck, which, I was told, should not be causing my symptoms.  I was actually starting to experience some mild depression because nobody could tell me what was wrong with me and i felt this way all day, every day, for months.  It was especially bad when I was trying to read or do computer work. Sometime into the process, I was asked by my nueurosurgeon if I had recently had any whiplash-type injuries where the neck was jerked back hard and swift.  
It turned out that, several months previously, I was on a water ride called The Edge, where you are on a mat and drop over a steep edge onto something that looks like huge skateboard half-pipe.  When I was flung up to the other side, my head was slung back and it felt like a crunching at the base of my neck.  I had an immediate headache that lasted the rest of the day and my neck was stiff for a few days.  It went away after a couple of days and I didn't think of it again until the nuerologist asked me about it.  It was determined that I had a compressed nerve in my left shoulder.  According to the nuerosurgeon, there is a nerve that runs from the spinal cord  through the left shoulder and all the way into the thumb.  Because of this nerve being compressed, and the tension created from that, it was causing tension in the muscles running up the left side of my neck as well, which was causing the symptoms and headaches on the left side of my face and above my left eye. He sent me to a place called Integrative Therapies, where I went through a series of therapies including bio-feedback therapy, cranio-sacral therapy (not sure if that is spelled correctly - really interesting therapy that worked great!), deep tissue massage and something that included posture, such as preferred sitting, standing and sleeping positions to relieve pressure on the shoulder and neck areas.  With the bio-feedback therapy, they were able to show me, on a computer screen, that the tension level on my left side was much greater than on the right.  They showed me relaxation techniques and I was able to actually see the tension level decrease on the screen while I was performing the excercises.  During one of the deep tissue massage sessions, the therapist located that nerve running through my shoulder and the pain shot down my left arm all the way to my fingertips!  I went through these therapies for about 2 months and my syptoms went away completely.  I also purchased, at the recommendation of the therapists, a contoured memory foam pillow.  What a difference it made in my ability to sleep.  It took all the pressure off of my neck and shoulder and even made my lower back pain go away completely (and I had that before all these other symptoms).  I started out with a pillow that I purchased at Target for $20 and now use a Tempurpedic contoured memory foam pillow.  It is much better but also way more expensive, which is why I started out with the pillow from Target.  I do not go anywhere without my pillow because I can tell a huge difference when I do not use it!

Sorry this has been so long, but I hope that it helps.  I have just now started to have some symptoms again.  It has been 1 1/2 years since I completed the therapy.  I have been stressed lately and feel like my stress is accumulating in that same spot again, so I am going to go back to the excercises that they gave me and schedule some deep tissue massage sessions and, hopefully, that will take care of the problem.  Good luck with all of your conditions - hope this has been helpful!!!

[Josephmaleolgia]

Thanks jp67!

I am going to ask my doc about it but I wanted to ask you if that compression showed up on an exam, or did they just guess at it?

[Nikki76]

My husband and I have been experiencing the same symptoms as many of you, especially lefty40. I have been told everything from carple tunnel, for the tingling in thumb and arms, pinched nerve, for the neck and head pain, anxiety, because of the chest pain and feeling of heart attack, and most of all allergies. We are still trying to figure out how allergies would cause any of these odd sensations. Although its not like the doctors say it's "definitely" allergies, they just state "probably." We have both been to the ER a couple of times and had always been in good health prior to the start of this appx. 18 mos. ago. Today I began to experience twitching above my left eye, which my husband says he has experienced before. I find it very odd and a bit scary, especially since we are both experiencing it. Makes me pretty certain its not just anxiety. The symptoms we experience are:

-tingling in the scalp, thumb, fingertips, arms, forearms, nose, toes
-pressure in the top and sides of head, ears, eyes, nose
-scalp pain (not a regular headache, so thats the best I can describe it)
-blurry vision, spots, shadows, black lines
-numbness
-increased sensitivity to light, heat and sound
-twitching and sharp quick pains throughout the body
-chest pains, irregular heart beat, fast heartbeat, high bp (occasionally)
-pain in arms, legs, fingertips, hands, wrists
-neck and shoulder pain and tightness
-scratchy throat, nasal congestion
-some anxiety, of course, because nobody can tell us whats wrong and keep giving both of us different answers

Unfortunately my husband and I have no health insurance and, because of the few ER visits from this since last year, we really have no medical fund left to keep checking. If anyone has any advice or has followed up with their doctor I would certainly appreciate a response. It has become aggravating and depressing to live like this. I also have two small children who are pretty much too young to explain in words what they are feeling but I can tell they are going through the same thing - my daughter actually just told me last night that sometimes, when she is just about to fall asleep, she gets a "weird" feeling, not scared, sick, sad or anything, just "weird" was all she could describe. I guess thats the best I can describe it now too. One more thing - the only thing I can say that might shed some kind of light is that we relocated from New York to Florida approximately 6 mos. before all of this started. Again, thanks to anyone who might have any suggestions.

[isabel_26ca]

My "episodes" started about two months ago and I experienced a lot of the same symptoms that you all have described, I have been to a really good doctor and the diagnosis has been anxiety/panic attacks and I am surprised that all of you haven't been given the same explanation(except for those who have experienced head injuries or may have other health problems)
Pills are not the only answer either,anxiety can be treated with the help of a good doctor to help you understand the causes of your anxiety and how to cope with it and understanding family members. Panic attacks can seriously affect your life and your job.
First and foremost you must get a thorough exam to make sure it isn't anything else.

[maddmitch]

I have had all the same issues as well.  I, for one am lucky and have great health insurance.

Symps:
pressure in right side of head
neck pain
shoulder pain
tighness around eye
cracklin in right ear
twitching of muscles on sides of head
racing of heart beat at times (really dont like that)
sweat when I sleep
can feel my heartbeat/pulse all over my body

All this happened, and has been getting worse since Feb. 2005 help I went snowboarding sick with a cold and whipped out.

First they told me:
Sinus infection
Second they told:
I have bad case of TMJ
Third:
They might have to drill out of nose some.
Forth:
I dont think these doctors know what the he!! they are talking about.

Tomorrow I go find out more details on my CATSCAN results, and question why they didnt give me MRI and check for brain tumors.  i will keep you all posted, and hope to help us with similiar issues narrow this down.

[27jam]

Hi I'm 27 and on april 24th 2006 I woke up with pain in my chest and numbness in my left arm. gone to the er and every thing came out good. did a stress test and it was good. A week later the numbness started to sprend though my hole body. Now I have lots of perssure in my head all day. I always feel some numbness in my body, sometimes its in my hands, legs face and sometime it all over. my fingers dont work right most of the time. My left eye gets bad  when I get the numbness. I wake up  and I feel like my body is shaking in the inside. I'm falling a part and I dont no why.I dont have time for this I have a lovely family and I just what to injoy myself. I had a mri  and it came out good
ct good,I have a few more test to do so I hope that I will have an answer soon. I also have had painic attacks for 7 years but I never feet Numbness or perssure in head for 8 weeks I just cant belive it would be my pain attacks. the dr said your mind can do funny things. me typeing now is makeing my arms and hands feel funny.  has any one gone thought this please help me

[Jazanna]

I am 29 years old.  On and off now for the last few months I have been having sudden pain in my head (usually on the left side).  I have gone to the emergency room twice and all they tell me is that I have tension headaches.  I went to the neurologist and she told me that I had some inflamation and I got physical therapy a couple times. I didn't get the cat scan because I was 7 months pregnant. Last night I felt the pain again. I got so scared because I was alone with my baby.  When my husband came back I took some motrin and fell asleep but the whole night I felt that my left cheek, ear and eye where numb and I had a slight discomfort.  Today I feel that my left arm is tingling and I feel a heaviness and pressure on my left side although I do have some discomfort on my right side as well.  I made an appointment with my neurologist on Wednesday.  I don't know what's happening to me.

Has anyone felt this before?

[jp67]

the decision to check into the compressed nerve was made after all the other tests came out fine (CT scan of head, neck and sinuses, MRI of brain and neck, heart was fine) The tingling in my arm and pain in my thumb was the biggest clue because there is a nerve that runs from the spinal cord down to the thumb.  Once I started the series of therapies, it was confirmed through the bio-feedback and deep tissue massage.  I can remember one massage session where she went really deep and hit right on the spot.  We concentrated on that area and they gave me excersises to reduce stress and tension in that area.  I wrote earlier that some of my symptoms had started returning and, by applying the excercises and relaxation techniques for just a few days, the symptoms have gone away again.

I hope that you have found the cause for your symptoms and that treatment is working as well for you!!

[jp67]

Hi!  I had the same exact sysmptoms as you and thought I had a stroke one night.  It was very scary.  The paing shot thru the left side of my face, kind of like it was coming from over my left ear and into my left brow and temple.  Afterwards, the whole left side of my face and my left arm tingled.  I started experiencing a lot of dizziness and nausia during the day and couldn't even read to my child at bedtime cecause I felt like i was going to be sick - I really couldn't even focus my eyes well. Thought I might have a brain tumor! Go up and read my post from 5/18/06.  It turned out that I had a compressed nerve in my left shoulder(from a whiplash-type injury, although stress and tension can do the same thing)  Once I started going to a rehabilitative therapy practice (Integrative Therapies), my syptoms went away after 6-8 weeks of weekly therapies to reduce stress and tension.  My symptoms cleared up 100%. It is amazing what can happen to your body from stress and tension caused by many types of reasons.

Hope this helps (make sure to read my post on 5/18 for many more details)  Good luck with getting better!!

jp67

[jmlo]

Hi
A few years back I suffered some of the symptoms which some of you have.
Almost fainting followed by pressure in the head. Sometimes headache [pressure] did not start till the following day.It got to a point where i had so many 'episodes' that I was never without the bad head ,couldn't cross a road by myself or walk down the street. I was bad news.Also had 'tingling' but no pain.

Had an MRI but nothing wrong.
Neurologist sent me to a cardiologist
Cardiologist did 'tilt table test' and decided I had Neurcardiogenic presyncopy [presyncope]
syncope is fainting so presyncope is the almost fainting which I was having.
I was put on beta blockers but this did not help.
Cardiologist then gave me a choice of a drug which would control the heartbeat or something which would alter the chemicals in the brain. I felt so dreadful that i chose the latter.
BINGO! I was feeling fine in days.
if you look up Neurocardiogenic Syncope [or Syncopy] and Presyncope you might get a better idea as to whether this may help you.
it does seem to be stress related.
I hope this may help you
jmlo