I used to have heacache and now my neck hurts? could it be menangitis?

Question

I had a heache for around two weeks, very mind, used to come and go away, however, since this morning my neck started hurting too.. I took medications for sinus. My head is fine. But the neck hurts, It is not stiff at all. Is it because i slpt in wrong position maybe, or is it something serious. please suggest. Thankyou.

Answer 1

The previous respondents have provided excellent information...particularly pain and or the inability to touch your chin to your neck.

There are 2 types of meningitis; Viral and Bacterial (primarily meningococcal). Both are contagious. Viral is the milder form and accounts form 90% of the cases. Bacterial which obviously accounts for the remaining 10% is a much more severe form of the disease and can be life threatening. Acute bacterial meningitis is a true medical emergency requiring hospital based treatment.

My ex-wife had it and they had to do a spinal tap or lumbar puncture...twice..to verify the disease. She had contracted the staphylococcal strain...one of the more dangerous types. She was in the hospital for 3 days and then in bed for 10 straight her on Demerol while in the hospital. When she was discharged the pain was still so bad that her doctor prescribed Percocet.....2 tablets every 4-6 hours. And if you are familiar with Percocet normally it is prescribed to be taken 1 or maybe 2 tablets every 8 hours as needed. Heck my ex didn't even like take aspirin let alone a Schedule II narcotic.

On the up side, bacterial meningitis can be treated with antibiotic...strong antibiotics. The viral type can't. If you think you have meningitis you really need to get checked for the disease. If the pain becomes intense and spreads throughout your body...odds are you have one off the forms.

Answer 2

Much pain is from muscles below is an example of what may help (based on headaches).
Begin with a couple swigs of molasses or a couple of bananas daily - magnesium (which regulates many things in the body) and potassium (a needed building block for muscles).
Drink at least 1/2 gallons of water per day. Running a body low on water is like running a car low on oil is the analogy the head of neurology at UCDavis told my husband about 10 years ago.

Now to the cause - muscles - your back, neck shoulders and head have tender spots. They are knots in the fibers of the muscles called trigger points. It makes the muscles tight which makes them press on nerves and other things causing the pain.

The cure - start with a professional massage, you will also want to go back over any place you can get to 6-12 times per session up to 6 times per day rubbing (or lightly scratching on your head) every where that is tender until the knots go away. The place where the skull connects to the spine press up under the edge of the skull (to get to those muscles).

For more information read The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Davies. It teaches what to do and where the pain comes from.

Answer 3

If your neck isn't stiff, that's a good thing. Typically with meningitis it is quite stiff. Here are some of the symptoms of it. If you are still uneasy about it, I would suggest going to the ER. It's usually a quick test (however a little uncomfortable) to determine if it's meningitis or not. I've had it done.
SYMPTOMS:
Fever and chills
Severe headache
Nausea and vomiting
Stiff neck (meningismus)
Sensitivity to light (photophobia)
Mental status changes
Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:

Decreased consciousness
Rapid breathing
Agitation
Opisthotonos (severe neck stiffness, ultimately resulting in a characteristic arched posture-seen in infants or small children)
Bulging fontanelles (the soft spots in a baby's skull may bulge)
Poor feeding or irritability in children

Answer 4

You really need to see a doctor if your headache has gone on for so long. Does it happen like this frequently? If so, it may point to a more dangerous condition than a simple headache.

Answer 5

Don't be afraid of, it's coldness or excess of gall bladder causing the problem. There is no medicine to treat it; it will disappear automatically or go to a skilled acupuncturist. He will solve your problem, no body else.

Answer 6

can you touch your chin to your chest? does it hurt?

here are a couple of sites:

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/m/meningitis/symptoms.htm

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/print/ency/article/000680.htm

http://www.meningitis-trust.org/disease_info/symptoms.php?category=18§ion=2

Hope you are better soon!