89 posts shown.
Kevin Garcia12 said:Look, I’ve looked into this, and if we're talking about the specific type of stent I think you mean, then the bleeding from when the aneurysm ruptured shouldn't really be an issue... theoretically, there could be some lingering effects, but honestly, in practice, I just don't see them being a factor if nothing happened immediately after the incident. Having a foreign object in there isn't something you need to lose sleep over in this situation because it doesn't fundamentally change anything...
As for getting an MRI—look, just follow whatever is written on the referral that the radiologist provides. When you head back to your primary care doctor to get the paperwork drawn up, just tell them about the issues you're having so they can make sure to include everything on the order...
Exactly! I haven't had any issues from the bleeding, and my stent looked absolutely perfect during my angiography last year. My biggest worry was actually that foreign object, especially when I was undergoing radiation therapy. Plus, there’s that nagging sense of anxiety whenever neck pain radiates up toward the base of my skull. At first, I was convinced the stent itself was causing the pain 🤷 so I ended up seeing a neurologist. He really put my mind at ease and explained it was just referred muscle spasms, which matches what I mentioned in my first post.
Thanks for all the advice! I'm getting ready to head to the doctor's office now. 😉
Kevin Garcia12 said:A full clinical workup—to really dig into what you’re dealing with here—is pretty extensive. We’re talking about checking head range of motion, palpating nerve exits, tapping specific spots on the skull for percussion, watching how things move, feeling the jaw joints, maybe even listening to them with a stethoscope, plus eye movement tests, light reactivity, blood pressure, and all that good stuff...
Now, the actual diagnostic path depends entirely on what we uncover during that initial phase. Personally, I usually kick things off with a standard lab panel, like a CBC, and then move to X-rays of the neck—though yours already came back clear, which is a start—along with specialized imaging of the mastoid areas and paranasal sinuses to rule out or confirm any chronic inflammation. If that doesn't give us a smoking gun, we have to pivot in several different directions... looking at functional spinal imaging, deep neurological exams (which might lead to an EEG or some highly specialized radiology if the doctor finds a reason to go that route), and so on, depending on what looks like the most likely culprit...
That was such a thorough explanation, thank you!👍 I should hear back by this evening after I get the opinion from my doctor at the pain management clinic. I’m heading there during her shift, though it feels like I might end up having to start all over again with someone else. I'm not sure if you caught it in my first post, but I actually have a brain stent implanted. I really hope all these issues aren't connected to that.😕 I have an MRI scheduled for October, and I was wondering—is it possible for that scan to cover the neck area where I'm feeling the pain too?
Casey Palmer5 said:First things first—you need a thorough clinical exam, and then, if necessary, we can look at some X-rays.
Looking at these results, your cervical vertebrae seem fine, though there’s a bit of wear and tear on the lumbar spine—but honestly, that’s pretty much standard once you hit your thirties.
Come on, at least let there be one thing that actually makes sense!😉What exactly does a "detailed clinical examination" entail here? Does that mean seeing a physiatrist—who I’ll definitely need to find a new one for, by the way—or something else entirely? Honestly, the way she just gave my neck a quick, superficial feel didn't exactly scream "comprehensive medical evaluation" to me!👎.
About a year ago, I had a standard X-ray done:
-the cervical spine imaging shows that my natural curvature is intact, with normal vertebral body shapes, heights, and disc space widths preserved
-the lumbar spine imaging shows some flattening of the natural curve along with a slight right-sided scoliosis. There's also some mild narrowing of all the disc spaces, accompanied by subtle subchondral sclerosis of the vertebral bodies. Essentially, it points to early degenerative changes and some osteoarthritis in the small joints of the lower lumbar region.
🤷
Reading through everyone's replies, I’m starting to realize I really need to find a new doctor—even if I don't know where to start looking yet. It feels like I've spent months stuck in physical therapy and endless checkups with a specialist who clearly missed the mark. They never once even hinted at other potential causes for my pain, whereas you all have pointed out everything from simple issues to more complex stuff. Today, I’m likely heading to a private appointment with a specialist who runs a dedicated pain management clinic rather than a traditional physiatrist. I'm hoping she can offer some actual clarity. Does anyone have any thoughts—whether it's medical insight or just your own personal experience—on what kind of diagnostic tests or treatments I should be asking for?🤷
For months now, I’ve been dealing with this constant pain right where my skull meets my neck on the left side. It feels like burning, searing, or throbbing, and sometimes it gets so intense that it radiates toward my left eye and tooth—basically making my entire left side ache.
The trouble actually started after I began regular deep-tissue sessions with a private physical therapist to deal with some muscle knots in my back. While those knots eventually cleared up, the neck pain at the base of my skull got significantly worse after every single massage. My therapist claimed she could feel lumps in that area and insisted they were just more muscle knots, which she thought she was successfully breaking up. But instead of feeling better, the pain became absolutely maddening. Everything felt "off," so I decided to see a physiatrist. I didn't get a definitive diagnosis; the report just noted "tenderness upon palpation of the occipital bone." My treatment consisted of 24 sessions of ultrasound on my trapezius muscles, electrical stimulation on the occipital nerve exit points, and range-of-motion exercises. The pain didn't budge, so the next step was a regimen of Meloxicam and Normabel. That helped a little bit, but the pain is still very much there. At my follow-up, the doctor simply suggested I try taking Metamizole!😕And then she told me to come back in six months for more therapy. She didn't order any imaging or scans—she just felt around while I sat there wincing, and that was it. Her explanation? Since I have a desk job, it's just from sitting. I asked her if it was possible that the manual massages caused an injury or inflammation, but she dismissed it, suggesting maybe I just irritated some lymph nodes and insisting that muscle knots don't even form in that specific part of the neck.🤷.
To make matters even more complicated, things took a turn two years ago when I had brain surgery following a ruptured aneurysm, and I now have a stent implanted. Supposedly, that shouldn't have anything to do with my neck pain, but I’m already sensitive to the cold, and any kind of head or neck pain just drives me crazy because it serves as a constant reminder of that foreign object in my brain.
Swallowing Metamizole isn't a long-term solution for me, and going back for more electrical stimulation that hasn't worked doesn't seem right either. I'm torn: do I listen to my doctor and hope things improve eventually, or should I go seek a second opinion elsewhere? Has anyone else here dealt with something similar and found a different way to fix it??
Thanks in advance!
wearydriver50 said:Can anyone please tell me exactly how this hot cup therapy works? I’ve found some info online, but it’s incredibly vague. Like, what do you use to light the cup? How long does the flame stay lit? Where specifically do you place them on the body—I’m assuming you wouldn't put them directly on the spine—and how many minutes should they stay there?
I’ve also heard about using salt and vinegar, where you heat up salt and apply it to your lower back. Does anyone know anything about that?
I'm dealing with some inflammation, maybe from a cold or just something else entirely. A few days ago, my back completely seized up; sitting down or standing up is a total struggle right now. I know my own body, and I know these flare-ups can leave me feeling good for six months or even a year before hitting me again.
I’m not familiar with the hot cup method myself; I guess that’s one thing I haven't tried yet🙂.
But I can definitely talk about my own ongoing issues with my neck and spine (the pain was absolutely brutal) and how things are finally starting to look up. I just finished a month of physical therapy involving electrical stimulation and ultrasound, and honestly, nothing seemed to touch the pain😕. But then, just in the last few days, I’ve finally started feeling some relief, and I think I might actually be over the hump. My doctor put me on a regimen of Movalis (a 15mg NSAID) combined with Normabel (2mg muscle relaxers). Thank God, it feels like this might finally be the solution👍!
casualmaker said:Does anyone else deal with this:
I set my alarm for 9:00 AM, but I just can't bring myself to get up. I end up hitting snooze repeatedly, drifting in and out of sleep for another two hours 😲 and finally rolling out of bed at 11:00 AM. Once I'm up, I always get this dull, nagging headache that lingers all day and tends to get worse as the hours pass. Even Advil doesn't touch it. This was an extreme case where I slept two extra hours, but the same thing happens if I just snooze once or twice and stretch my rest by another 10 or 20 minutes. First off, why does this happen? And second, how on earth do I force myself to actually get up when the alarm goes off? Why is it such a struggle? 🤷
Also, I struggle with sinus issues—could those be triggering these headaches? When my sinuses act up, it’s intense, but this self-inflicted headache also hits right in the frontal area above my eyes, almost like it's linked to the sinuses again.
Why am I getting hit so hard by these cursed headaches? I actually started wearing glasses because mild farsightedness was giving me headaches. Things are better now, but those morning ones persist because I have a bad habit of hitting the snooze button.
You're definitely not alone in this🙂. It happens to me too, especially when I'm working the afternoon shift and don't have any pressing reasons to be awake before 10:00 or 11:00 AM. That unnecessary tossing and turning leaves me feeling absolutely wiped out with a massive headache. Your brain isn't getting enough oxygen, so you're just struggling through the fog. And if you happen to have neck issues like I do, it's a total nightmare.
Try going to bed earlier. Find some kind of motivation to get moving if you don't have work scheduled, or even get a dog—you'll have to get up for them! Also, try putting your phone or whatever wakes you up at the far end of the room on the highest volume possible. 😉Get some exercise, go for a walk in the fresh air, and you'll feel much better. 👍