Persistent headaches -- possibilities?

Kealoha

Hola. The past week and a half I've been getting pretty bad headaches almost daily, or at least every other day. They seem to be focused on the left side of my head, in the temple area. In fact, if I push/rub that temple, regardless of whether or not I have a headache, it is usually painful. Also, something small I've noticed is that the veins on that side seem to be more prominent than the others.

I know I should probably see a dr asap, but when I was younger I frequently got headaches and I had it checked out, and nothing was the matter as far as a doctor could find. I'm naturally wary of some sort of brain tumor or something, because two of my relatives (grandmother, great aunt) have died from them. I don't know if that's even rational? How often do 20 year olds get brain tumors..

Anyway, yeah. Any ideas? Should I just wait it out a little bit, considering my history of headaches? They probably stopped for 5+ years, btw.

TheStig

You know all those medical anomaly shows like Mystery Diagnosis start out with some guy that has a strange but manageable condition who just decides to wait and see. One day you will be flying on an air plane and the sudden pressure change is going to cause your head to explode.

shadydentist

Probably nothing, but you should see a doctor anyways.

Forbe!

Go to your doctor. Provide them with all the information they need. I don't know what the symptoms of brain tumor are, but your family having a history of them is important for your doctor to know.

Quid

It could be a brain tumor, migraine, dead squirrel bit lodged in your skull, anything really. Definitely check with a doctor.

Kealoha

Yeah. I talked to my mom about it (I'm away at school) and I'm going to have it looked at. Until then, I'm going to try to keep a record of when I get headaches and all that jazz.

I don't really know why I asked, I guess medical threads always end up the same way. No one can know for sure over the internet.

Oh, I do have a question: What kind of doctor should I try to go to, if I have my choice? I don't even have a family doctor, and I'd rather not go to the ER for something that may or may not be an emergency.

matt has a problem

You'd want to go to a GP (General Practitioner), and have him check you out. From there he'll recommend a specialist if he finds anything wrong.

VThornheart

As an aside, have you had more or less caffeine than you usually do lately?

If you've had an abundance more (or less) than your body is used to lately, I've found that such can be a common cause of headaches. Since the majority of us here are of the caffeine drinking sort, I figured it'd be worth bringing up just in case.

DragonPup

Actually, an uncle of mine found out he had a tumor after being checked out for constant headaches for a month or three. You should call your doctor.

ihmmy

also see your eye doctor - when I was younger I was having chronic headaches, turns out it was because I needed glasses... now I get headaches as frequently as normal people do

Kealoha

VThornheart wrote: »

As an aside, have you had more or less caffeine than you usually do lately?

If you've had an abundance more (or less) than your body is used to lately, I've found that such can be a common cause of headaches. Since the majority of us here are of the caffeine drinking sort, I figured it'd be worth bringing up just in case.

This is a distinct possibility. But, my caffeine intake has never been consistent. I used to drink 2+ cups a day, then none, then 1, etc. So, I don't think my body got too used to it. How long would this take to even itself out?

ihmmy wrote: »

also see your eye doctor - when I was younger I was having chronic headaches, turns out it was because I needed glasses... now I get headaches as frequently as normal people do

Yeah, I've already done this. I'm pretty sure my doctor kind of just scammed me into paying for reading glasses. They don't seem to make much of a difference.

Lerage

Like VThornheart said, caffeine is not good, and on a related note, you drinking enough water? Because a major cause of headaches is dehydration.

Also, if you've been eating a lot of chocolate lately, that can cause headaches in some people too.

matt has a problem

I can drink a cup of coffee each day for 3 days in a row, and if I stop on the 4th I get a headache. It's gone by the 5th day though, or if I drink another cup of coffee.

Bionic Monkey

Hmm... I've been having the same issue. I already have a doctor's appointment tomorrow.

What people have suggested to me is the caffiene thing, the tumor thing, and sleep apnea. I have no idea how valid the last suggestion is, but they say lack of oxigen during sleep could be causing headaches, and I certainly have it run in my family.

ihmmy

Kealoha wrote: »

ihmmy wrote: »

also see your eye doctor - when I was younger I was having chronic headaches, turns out it was because I needed glasses... now I get headaches as frequently as normal people do

Yeah, I've already done this. I'm pretty sure my doctor kind of just scammed me into paying for reading glasses. They don't seem to make much of a difference.

well, my eyeglass prescription is really quite mild - but I still had a drastic reduction in headaches due to eye strain *shrug* just my experience

Dixon

Have you been having weird weather lately? I get headaches from the pressure changes sometimes

Kealoha

Lerage wrote: »

Like VThornheart said, caffeine is not good, and on a related note, you drinking enough water? Because a major cause of headaches is dehydration.

Also, if you've been eating a lot of chocolate lately, that can cause headaches in some people too.

Water is probably the big thing. Last quarter I used to drink at least 32 oz a day just because I'd have a water bottle around me at all times. I'll be sure to re-up my water intake and then see if the headaches continue.

Fantasma

The doctor you should see is called Neurologist, and if not available a Neurosurgeon. There are several options to rule out a brain tumor, and this is normally through one of the following procedures:

(computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), magnetoencephalography (MEG)

Some of this advance procedures could be a little expensive if you have no insurance.

4U2NV

Are you stuffy?