I did do a search on headaches to check whether this has been discussed before, but I could only find medication-related or migraine headaches. So I'm sorry if this is a question you've all heard before but...anyone else get BLINDING headaches? I've never been much of a sufferer before, but after my surgeries I have really terrible, stabbing pains in my head. I'm not on any meds at all, not even Imodium! I get stabbing pains in my temples, behind my eyes and across the top of my head. They come very suddenly. As far as I know I still have a vit D deficiency; my joints still ache like crazy and I get shooting pains in my fingers, toes and hips. Can the headaches be related to that? Anyone know?
ps: eyes have been tested and there's no news there.

Soph,
I was getting really bad headaches every night - rarely in the day. I would awaken at 2,3 or 4 am with a headache coming on and within 10 minutes I was in misery. I changed my pillow, a smaller one, and my headaches are virtually gone this week. I still cannot believe it was just the pillow so I am waiting for them to return but just maybe...............
I have PSC and also had my gall bladder removed.
By the way, If I get headaches in the day, I will drink a cup of tea with caffeine and that usually does the trick. Try it and see if you can get some relief. I know you want to find the reason for them but in the meantime, you need to be pain free.

Hi Sophy,

Whenever I get headaches it is almost always because I am dehydrated. Are you drinking enough? In particular are you making sure you have enough electrolytes? Bananas are a good source of potassium as is orange juice (if you can handle it) also are you getting enough sodium in your diet?

It could be (as you suspect) related to the vit D deficiency also. I get terrible headaches in the winter when I've not had enough daylight. I would check with your doctor just to make sure everythings ok though.

Hope you feel better soon. Keep us posted.

Take care

Shell

this is one of those things i think i'm grabbing at straws about, but... i started getting migraines at the same time that i started getting definitive symptoms for ulcerative colitis. both began right after a year of taking antidepressants. 5 years later, i just had my last ovary removed and have had a spell of serious headaches. i take a daily migraine medication(topamax) that helps, but this time they seem to be breaking through. i swear the pain is worse than the recovery i'm experiencing from my 4th abdominal surgery! aaargh! sometimes i feel like they are related to allergies or weather, too, so you can tell i am really searching too.

Thanks for the advice everyone
I drink reasonable amounts...I think. I drink lots of tea and water at work, but I suppose I should probably drink more. I've never been good at drinking enough since I seem to just have to pee all the time! I still don't drink much coffee since it was MURDER to my colon, but I enjoy the odd cup now since it doesn't give me problems now the colon's gone. I'll try to monitor whether it helps against the headaches. Thanks again

I'm not sure if you're a believer in chiropractic care or not, but I can say that whenever I feel a blinding headache coming on (it's usally one-sided for me), I know it's time to get my butt back to the office for an adjustment. I even went in the days after coming home from the obstruction surgery, when I still had the wound vac, G-tube and the rest of that crap. They just modified their procedures so that I wouldn't have to lay on my stomach. I've been going for years, and it has always seemed to help me. It's amazing how out of whack you can get after major surgery, being hospitalized for so long, and just in the general recovery process. Again, this is what works for me; I know some people who don't like the idea of it at all. Just a thought....
Either way, hope it improves soon.

Ditto on Shell's post. She took the words right out of my mouth.

You later mentioned you drink a lot of tea and water. Tea and water do not have the necessary electrolytes you need. Try adding Gatorade or anything else that has electrolytes. There is a post on this site about electrolytes and electrolyte pills - do a search.

I get raging headaches just like the ones you explained you have when my electrolytes are out of whack. I sometimes get busy and forget to drink enough beverages high in electrolytes.

For me, the headaches are the first sign things are getting out of whack. Be careful if they are accompanied by a high pulse and dizziness. That could be hypovolemia (low salt) or hypokalemia (low potassium) - very bad - hospital bound or worse.

I totally agree with Micheladelfina's post too. I always go to a chiropractor to get adjusted as they help my headaches. My chiropractor is the one that told me all about electrolyte imbalances causing dehydration.

I used to go to a chiropractor, but then I started with my present employers and my problems were solved in that we're lucky that a perk at work is a half-hour back/neck massage twice a month to combat the typical aches and pains casued by sedentary office work. It has eradicated my problems. But yes, I should probably watch my fluids. Thanks guys...I'll start drinking more consciously again.

i hope i'm not jinxing myself by speaking too soon... i got some smart water a few days ago and have been drinking that, and haven't had a headache in two days! i usually drink a ton of regular water, but sports drinks do give me diarrhea. i eat bananas pretty often too, but didn't realize that regular water may not be keeping my electrolytes in balance. well, i guess we'll see. it could be many things, but the water with electrolytes definitely won't hurt, will it? jeez, sometimes the simplest things...

Hi Soph,


Sometimes headaches can result from eyestrain, astigmatism, high intraocular pressure, or even high blood pressure... I would have those checked first and go from there.

Good luck.

Johnny

This message has been edited. Last edited by: <Johnny D>,

Thanks for the advice.
It's been a bit better after I started drinking more actually, so I think I might have been a bit dehydrated. I've got a horrible headache today, but I think that's because of a dreadful weekend. Had our beloved cat put down on Friday, my son got a high fever the same day and my daughter was devastated about the cat, so I've been running between kids, trying to look after them while being miserable and depressed myself. Yesterday, I got the fever my son had, so I suppose a headache was not to be avoided! I'm home today, so I'm going to try to rest and drink lots of fluids.

Oh Soph, so sorry to hear your sad news about Baggy.

Here's a big (((((((((((((((HUG))))))))))))))) all the way from the Southern hemisphere. Get well quickly.

Nikki

Hi Soph, First of all - very sorry to hear about your kitty. I am a cat lover with six (yes 6!) of my own so my heart aches for you.

Regarding your headaches.... You mentioned you drink a lot of tea. Is it caffeinated or decaf/herbal? Many people don't realize that one can get 'caffeine withdrawl' headaches and although tea doesn't have nearly as much caffeine as coffee, if you are drinking a lot of it (and if you get caffeine in any other forms like chocolate, etc.) it could be contributing.

Another big cause of headaches in 'analgesic overuse'. This is what I call the old "Excedrin Syndrome'. People, especially those who work in a high-stress office (i.e. ME!), get a headache so they take something for it, like Excedrin. Then the next day they get another headache so take another Excedrin. If they do this enough days in a row it gets to the point where they HAVE to take Excedrin every day as they will get 'rebound' headaches (head hurts when the meds wear off). This happens with most headache meds - Tylenol, Advil, Excedrin, aspirin, narcotics and a lot of migraine meds (like the triptans) if they are 'overused'. It is recomended that one does not take abortive meds for headaches more than 2-3 days/week in order to prevent rebound headaches. (Anyone who needs to should be taking something prophylactically - e.g. I take Topamax every day to help prevent migraines.) I mention this as I know a lot of people on this website take pain meds after surgery so coming off of them could potentially contribute to headaches, although they say long-term use of narcotics for something else (e.g. post-op) doesn't usually lead to rebound headaches unless the person is predisposed to headaches. However I'm sure some are. So just wanted to throw it out there.

I do think the dehydration is a possible factor as well. My husband tends to get diarrhea from the energy drinks like gatorade so just cuts them in half with water so he still gets some of the electrolyte benefit as plain water won't be enough for pouchers. Getting enough sleep is also important, which I know is easier said than done! Best of luck to you.

Thanks so much, Nikki and Muggette, for your kind words. Losing Baggy is like losing a child. Of course I say that having never lost a child, but of having kids of my own I know that that would entail a pain that I'm not sure I could survive. Probably a very stupid comparison, but losing Baggy has really plunged me into depression. It just HURTS!! Muggette, 6 cats is something I would definitely have done if I'd had the space . I can relate!
Thanks for the headache advice. I hardly ever take pain killers so I don't think it's related, but I do drink a lot of tea, herbal and also black tea with caffeine. It could well be caffeine withdrawal. I definitely have the English gene that dictates that "all life's problems can be solved with a nice cup of tea"! It's what I curl up on the sofa and relax with in the evening, and it's how I start my day at work. Maybe I'll have to start drinking more herbal and less black.

I went the supplement route after hitting 8 migraines per month. I took CoQ10, B3 (riboflafin?) and made sure I had enough magnesium with my calcium supplement(I couldn't take magnesium on its own, it made my tummy sick). They were all being studied at the time. I took the amount I read in the studies.

After 3 months, I only had around one migraine and it was menstrual related, and it was less severe than usual. I even had a whole pack of Imitrex EXPIRE!! I used to go through one a month.

It's just another thing to consider along with all the other advice.

Hope you find some relief!
Lori