Maybe four to five times monthly I awake in the middle of the night with excrutiating pain behind my left eye. When I get up in the morning and start walking around the pain is immediately alleviated. It's very strange. It's been going on for about two years. I am due to have a thyroidectomy. I wonder if my thyroid could be causing the trouble. I am also starting to have heart palpitations and a burning sensation in my left chest area. I am due to have a stress test and echocardiogram performed. What do you think? Thanks
2006-11-10 16:30:00 · 5 answers · asked by mechelearnold 1 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Other - Diseases
Well, you seem to have two problems here, at least in my opinion.
The headaches seem to be cluster headaches, but they might be something else. These are sharp, excruciating one-sided headaches just behind the eye. Generally speaking, during one of these headaches, the eye produces tears and the nose runs on the same side, though this doesn't always happen. Cluster headaches can last anywhere from ten minutes to three hours. They're very, very intense headaches and can sometimes cause the sufferer to seek relief by banging his or her head on objects or rocking back and forth. During a headache, sufferers often find themselves unable to sit still or lie down, and walking around is the only way that the pain is bearable. Cluster headaches are often known as alarm clock headaches because they awake the sufferer in the early morning hours, and they're known as suicide headaches because of what they make the sufferer feel like doing. They're pretty rare, occurring in about .1% of the population, but are more prevalent the further away one gets from the equator.
There are treatments available for this. Generally speaking, a physician will prescribe a prophylactic medication (a preventative) and an medication you would take during an attack. The prophylactic medications are often of the ergot family or the anticonvulsant family, and the acute onset medications can range from pure oxygen to injectable Imitrex. Corticosteroids may be prescribed temporarily to help ease you out of the attacks. I'd advise you to see a neurologist, because a regular physician is just not equipped to deal with sure a rare illness.
This could be related to your thyroid. I started having cluster headaches around the time I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Now that I'm properly medicated, I've dropped my prophylactic medication and I've been attack-free for a year.
I'm assuming you're having a thyroidectomy because of hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism neatly explains the heart palpitations and chest pain; as your metabolism speeds up, your heart races. This is why hyperthyroidism is dangerous. It's very hard on the cardiovascular system. Are you on antithyroid meds? Your doctor should be watching you very closely until your surgery.
I hope some of this is helpful!
I didn't look, but I'm pretty sure Wikipedia has excellent articles on both cluster headaches and hyperthyroidism.
Good luck with your surgery and I hope you feel better soon!
2006-11-13 02:49:12 · answer #1 · answered by Elle Bee 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think the heart palpatations could be from an over active thyroid(if that is what the surgery is about) at any rate to have that other testing doen before you get your thyroid issues situated is not going to be very productive...as to the headache issue; sounds like allergies to me...are the headaches on the side you favor while sleeping? That is how it happens to me...if I keep the cats out of the room or vacuum under the bed and all over if they are in there then no headaches OR just take benadryl...lighter than a vacuum cleaner.
Good luck with the surgery.
2006-11-10 17:21:41 · answer #2 · answered by Mod M 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Thyroid could be a cause, so could poor circulation to the brain if you have heart problems. It could also be something like sleep apnea. If the problem persists and nothing is found in the tests already scheduled, I'd recommend asking for a sleep study.
2006-11-10 17:05:55 · answer #3 · answered by turdl38 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely agree, see your doctor. There are many treatable problems that if caught early can be help[ed. You could be having upper respiratory trouble or symptoms of gastric reflux irritated by panic when the problem occurs.Do not self diagnose, it will only make you worry. See your doctor.
2016-05-22 04:31:45 · answer #4 · answered by Christine 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If it happens at night, you might be grinding your teeth.. I'm not sure about the other stuff though. Good luck.
2006-11-10 17:05:52 · answer #5 · answered by Theresa M 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋