Am I Odd?

lindalegs

Hello all,

For years now I've been plagued with 'waking' headaches, and, no, it's not a hangover.

The headache comes on during the night, the earlier it starts the worse it'll be on waking. The pain is usually over one of my eyes or my whole forehead. It makes me feel exhausted, I go hot and cold and it can be so bad it makes me sick and wipe my whole day out. The only way I can get rid of it is to sleep sitting up and take Paracetamol.

- When I finally get up my neck feels incredibly stiff and tight – but I haven't much movement there normally. :roll:
- My mouth is dry – which suggests dehydration.
- It happens continuously day after day for about one week of every month and then disappears again which made me connect it to hormones and periods – although I'm peri-menopausal now so I don't always have a period but do get the headaches. :?

I don't think it's my medication because the headaches started long before I took Mtx….. so what do you think? :? I'm tempted to mention it to my Rheumy but I thought I'd ask the experts on here first. Does this happen to you or is it just a quirk in my make-up and I'm odd????? – be careful how you answer that one!

Luv Legs who's needing to compare notes with you

joanlawson

Hi Linda

I think the fact that the headaches follow a monthly pattern suggests that they are hormone related. As you are just beginning the menopause, your hormones will be changing rapidly, so this could explain it. When I was at the same stage as you, quite a while ago now, I used to get bad headaches,like migraine. When I reached the menopause properly, they went away. Apart from the hot flushes, which were very unpleasant, the menopause was my friend, really. I had always suffered bad period pains as well as the headaches, so I was glad when they stopped.

I think you should mention it to the doctor, as it might be as well to get it checked out.

Joan

babette

Hi Linda

I get this too, with the stiff neck and pain always behind the right eye in my case. It's a migraine and is linked to your hormones/periods. I always get it in the week running up to my period, like you I'm coming up to the menopause. I wouldn't worry too much about it unless it's also linked to high blood pressure then the doc will want to know.
The symptoms you describe could be mine so I must be odd too!!!

B x

frogmorton

Hi Legs
course you are!! Wouldn't have you any other way tho!
Think you should tell the doc you know just to be on the safe side.
I have woken up having migraine before - you know visual disturbance and nausea coming on later.
Well you take care
LOve
Toni x

vonski

Hi Legs

I started with this a few months ago, often end up going back to sleep which doesn't always help so put on sun glasses which seems to. Seems to be a few sufferers, hope you aren't too bad apart from this.

Love
Vonski x

page35

Hi Legs
maybe you snore and the OH gives you a wack over the head in the night to stop you???
seriously though my mum used to get migraines and she was sick and had to stay in dark room mostly sleeping for 3 days then it would ease.
the headaches stopped years ago (think when i left home it helped) but now she gets strange pretty colours in her vision and dizzyness docs say its the migraine without the headache!
love page

jackie1955

Hi Legs,

no, its just too easy to make a comment on you being odd!

So I won't

Its the Sabbath and I'll resist temptation lol

Seriously though, it does sound hormonal. I've had one or two things which have been put down to my age - but I'm 54 and sooo fed up because my periods don't show any signs of waning, I'm still as regular as clockwork. Oh to be done with them!

Jackie x

mrsdalloway

I agree with the others your subject title made me smile! But back to the headaches you mention the thirst as well maybe a large glass of water before bed. Mind you if you anything like me that will just wear out the carpet to the loo! Another thought do you have caffeine during the day? Just wondering because I used to have a cup of tea before bed and that would be enough to keep my awake and twitching switching to decaff helped. However, I would check in with gp just to be on the safe side, probably wouldn't start with the odd question though! x

skezier

Hi Legs,

I have to say course you are But to be serious I have a few problems in the head department, no migraine though on occasions back a long hat would get mixed up in it as well but vertigo is my real problem and its controlled quite well with stemetil. Mine is from inflamation in the base of my skull pushing on the bottom of my brain though for 5 years they kept telling me I had M/S.

Talk to your doctor as they could well help you and maybe if it is hormone related HRT would help (but please have the synthetic not the mares one).

Anyway you take care and maybe a drink at bedtime would help? I say it cus I don't have to get up for the loo but if you do maybe one of those replenishing drinks a bit earlier in the evening? I can't think what they are called but they have electrolytes in them and may help if its got a hint of dehydration in it?

A (((( )))) and a hope it sorts out.

Luv

Cris who is rambling after a 5 am start again xx

woodbon

Hi,
I've had something similar, waking with a headache every day and my neck very painful. I saw a physio, she told me it could be my pillow, thats why I got the memory foam one. It does help a lot and I don't get that type of headaches now, just migraine! My neck is still very bad though, but not in the morning.

The physio said that your pillow should be no higher than your shoulder, it you see what I mean. Love Sue

mistywillow

Hi Legs
It sounds really similar to the migraines that I get. I used to get them occasionally and then they started to become much more frequent especially at period time. Since being perimenopausal they are a regular occurence but much more severe around period time. They used to wipe me out especially as I was violently sick with them. I was prescribed a nasal spray called immigran (sumatriptan) I take it at the first hint of a migraine and it is brilliant. The hardest ones to control are the ones you actually wake with as you have probably already had it brewing a while. It still helps though, even with these. If it is a major frequent problem I believe that beta blockers can be prescribed as a preventative measure but I have no personal experience of this. I am also very careful around period time to avoid any other migraine triggers such as chocolate :shock:
Take care odd ball
Love Gillx

joyful164

Hello Linda

I don't think of you as oddball at all. Especially as you are always so quick to come to everyone else's aid.
This must be very distressing for you and just another thing to try and diagnose, but I think with the help of your gp maybe?
I remember going through some kind of cycle well past the menopause , even waking up with headaches. Never thought to analyse it at the time. With all the rushing around to get to work at the time, (finished work officially 12 months ago now)
I can remember the headaches lasting all day and sometime having to go back home..
I must go along with Joan on this one I think.
I have been spraying my pillows just lately with lavender spray. Helps to get you off to sleep.
Having a good pillow helps.
Don't forget to talk it over with your GP though.
Hope you feel much better soon.
Just thought though, Do you find that you get headaches after taking the MTX. I do and it could be another cause?

joy

lindalegs

Thanks for all your replies and I'm so glad you think I'm odd - it's kind of reassuring - does that make me odder still :?

Joan - I agree, it seems they are hormonal which is what I've thought for a long time - it was just the stiff neck and dry mouth which confused the issue. :?

Babette - I'm so glad you're odd too

Lynn - I shan't call on the men in white coats, yet, as I'm not worried it's anything sinister because I've lived with them for years. I put up the thread because I began to wonder whether it was RA in my neck and I think your suggestion of tension caused by the headache creating the stiffness in my neck is a good one.

Toni - it takes one to know one

Vonski - hope you're wellish - I think I could look cool in my shades in the house but I could trip over something

Page - yeah, snoring, you could be right I do it for England :shock:

Jackie - did you resist any other temptations on the Sabbath then :?

Mrs Dalloway - I tried the glass of water bit but, like you, I wore a trench between the bedroom and loo and still got a headache :roll:

Cris - see above although the thought of electrolytes sounds intriguing

Sue - I sleep with one pillow and it's fairly new from M&S - a memory foam one could be worth a try though

Gill - I shall ask about the nasal spray when I next see my GP, it sounds as though it could be more immediate than paracetamol - not keen on giving up the chocolate bit though. :shock:

Joy - I know they're nothing to do with Mtx as they started years ago before I took it, but will talk to my GP.

Thanks again everyone - it good to compare notes.

Luv Legs who didn't get a headache this morning