mild but constant headaches: mild freak out

[Anonymous]

Before I start what I will admit is a slightly illogical freak-out, let me say that I have made a doctor's appointment already.

I"ve been having mild yet very frequent headaches for well over a month. Both my eye doctor and GP told me to see a neurologist and I will, in 2 weeks.

During the GP exam, the doctor asked if I had a family history of migraine (no) and brain cancer (no)!!!!

Now I can't get that out of my head.
brain cancer braincancerbraincancer.

I have light and smell sensitivity but from what I know about migraine, they are really, really bad to the point of disabling. That's not what I"m experiencing. More like mild to moderate but it won't respond to drugs, or dark, or lying down, or drinking water, or caffeine, ect.

So now I have a different kind of 2-week-wait and every thime I feel my head hurt, I hear that doctor utter the word "brain cancer".

If you do suffer from migraine, please tell me that they started as mild and now you are on some fantastic drug and are living happily ever after. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

more likely it's allergies.

[Anonymous]

Did you have your blood pressure taken? Have you changed your caffeine intake?

[Anonymous]

op here:
tried a couple of allergy meds. It's not that. I don't really have allergies and meds didn't help. I used Claratin for a few days when somebody in my office suggested it and benadryl when I had such a bad headache that I couldn't sleep. I've used that a few times and it didn't work. The headaches are rarely bad, I should say.

Caffeine has not changed and blood pressure is always low when I go to the MD. I had a slight headache yesterday at the doctor's office and still, BP low (both #s well under 100).

I'm not really stressed right now either. NEither at work or in personal life.

[Anonymous]

I had the same thing happened to me when I was a teenager and have been headache prone ever since. Doctors did lots of test and did not find anything significant (no brain cancer!) but helped me find the triggers. I have pretty severe light sensibility. I have to eat at certain times everyday. I need 8-9 hours of sleep. I can't EVER drink red wine and whole bunch of other little things.
If I avoid the triggers I am usually fine, but sometimes I kind of get into a cycle where I just can't shake the headache away for weeks. It sucks.
I hope you get some answers soon. Meanwhile try some relaxation techniques and google pressure points for headaches. Those sometimes work amazingly well.
Tons of luck!

[Anonymous]

Have you looked at your diet? An elimination diet may give you some answers. I found out my headaches were caused by chocolate, which I love and was eating every single day. Not a lot, but enough to trigger headaches. My headaches started small and got bigger as I got older. They became totally debilitating after my second pregnancy.

Also, OP, you may have developed food intolerances or allergies. I developed an intolerance for oranges, gluten and dairy! All those wonderful things I used to eat now make me feel tired and give me headaches.

If you had a brain tumor, your headaches would be severe and they would not go away ever. You may have jaw issues -- ask your dentist. I wear a night guard because I grind my teeth, which can cause headaches.

My DC gets headaches after lunch because the cafeteria at school is EXTREMELY noisy, and DC is very sensitive to noise. We tried changing DC's diet, but realized, after much detective work, that it was the NOISE that was giving DC headaches after lunch. DC goes home and reads a book for a while in a quiet place, and the headache vanishes.

Brain tumors are rare, OP. Twenty years ago, when my headaches began, a doctor mentioned "brain tumor" to me, and I went nuts, obsessing about it constantly. A few years later, I had a CT scan -- no abnormalities, and I exposed myself to all that radiation for nothing.

Headaches are complicated and tough to deal with, OP. I wish you much luck discovering the cause and finding a solution.

[Anonymous]

Brain rumors have severe headaches.

[Anonymous]

I get migraines and the "head pain" isn't always severe. Sometimes it's actually quite mild, but annoying nonetheless. I had one that lasted two weeks during the first trimester of my first pregnancy.

[Anonymous]

OP,H ow old are you? I started getting several headaches all around my monthly cycle starting around 40. I am 47 now and have 5 to 10 days where I am plagued with headaches.

[Anonymous]

It could still be migraines, and also I second the idea to check out TMJ -- if you carry your stress by clenching your jaw, you can get constant mild headaches.

[Anonymous]

I get headaches too, and I am pretty sure it's related to fatigue, dehydration, etc. Not gonna worry about brain tumors until I have more evidence..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you looked at your diet? An elimination diet may give you some answers. I found out my headaches were caused by chocolate, which I love and was eating every single day. Not a lot, but enough to trigger headaches. My headaches started small and got bigger as I got older. They became totally debilitating after my second pregnancy.

Also, OP, you may have developed food intolerances or allergies. I developed an intolerance for oranges, gluten and dairy! All those wonderful things I used to eat now make me feel tired and give me headaches.

If you had a brain tumor, your headaches would be severe and they would not go away ever. You may have jaw issues -- ask your dentist. I wear a night guard because I grind my teeth, which can cause headaches.

My DC gets headaches after lunch because the cafeteria at school is EXTREMELY noisy, and DC is very sensitive to noise. We tried changing DC's diet, but realized, after much detective work, that it was the NOISE that was giving DC headaches after lunch. DC goes home and reads a book for a while in a quiet place, and the headache vanishes.

Brain tumors are rare, OP. Twenty years ago, when my headaches began, a doctor mentioned "brain tumor" to me, and I went nuts, obsessing about it constantly. A few years later, I had a CT scan -- no abnormalities, and I exposed myself to all that radiation for nothing.

Headaches are complicated and tough to deal with, OP. I wish you much luck discovering the cause and finding a solution.

I read this reply and had to think about whether I actually typed it! . Another vote for the elimination diet. It could be foods you've eaten your entire life that are now giving you headaches. Mid 30s I discovered bananas, gluten, sulfites and monosodium glutamate (msg and all the hidden names for it). I could no longer tolerate a B complex vitamin because one of the Bs contains sulfur and gave me a splitting headache. OP you could start by paying close attention to how you feel after you eat (e.g. - fatigue within 30 minutes of lunch, headache within 15 minutes, etc...) then log what you ate exactly (Cedar's hummus with Blue Diamond Nut Thins), you may find a pattern. GL

[Anonymous]

Are they worse in the morning? I read with brain tumors it's not uncommon to wake up in the morning with a bad headache. That said, I have migraines, have been checked out and I don't have a BT, but do occasionally wake up with the migraine.

My migraines are worse with stress, but even without stress mine are set off by sleep deprivation, blue cheese, red wine, allergies and mestruation.

Imitrex is my dream drug. I was lucky because it was the first one I tried. It's too expensive, but for me it's a godsend. The only problem is it makes me a little drousy so I don't feel comfortable driving after taking one.

[Anonymous]

18:58 again...technically I didn't have a family history of migraines because nobody was formally diagnosed before me. However, plenty of my relatives have major issues with headaches.

[Anonymous]

"Family history" includes grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.
Geesh......