Dealing with a range of symptoms: head pressure, fatigue, unsteady legs, and numbness in my body and

Hi everyone.
First off, I’ll ask the admin to move this "thread" to an existing category if needed—I honestly wasn't sure which sub-forum would be the best fit for my health concerns.

I'm 31 years old, 5'11", and weigh about 220 lbs.

About a year ago, I went through what was easily the worst headache of my life—it was this throbbing, pulsing pain accompanied by nausea and a feeling like I was about to just collapse. Since that day, I've been dealing with ongoing health issues that I just can't seem to shake, so I'm reaching out here for any advice, suggestions, or similar experiences you might have.

So, I've been struggling with this for over a year now, and these are my symptoms:

- Ever since it started, there's been this almost constant pressure in my head (mostly centered around my forehead and temples), along with a "strange" sense of spatial awareness—not quite classic vertigo, but more like a slight lack of coordination in my movements.
- A sense of weakness, like I might pass out at any moment (for instance, while walking), instability in my legs, and a feeling of being constantly exhausted and drained (like how I suddenly crash and need to sleep right after work, which never used to happen).
- When I hold a limb (arm or leg) in the same position for too long, it goes numb—it feels like it happens faster now than it did before, though maybe I'm mistaken. Occasionally, I feel numbness in my face, running from my right ear toward my mouth.
- Whether related to the above or not, I'm dealing with very frequent gas (quite unpleasant) and stools with a bad odor (sometimes containing undigested food; consistency varies from regular to loose). I also get intense pressure around my navel and abdomen, especially when sitting or driving.
- Difficulty breathing and swallowing saliva, almost as if I have a dumpling stuck in my throat (this usually happens after eating).

I went through a lot of testing in those first few months, but things slowed down a bit due to my seasonal job—plus, all the doctors kept telling me "everything looks fine." However, over the last month or so, my symptoms have actually worsened—especially the stomach issues (pressure and occasional sharp pains) and that cranial pressure.
The pressure also seems to intensify in the evening when I lie down, sometimes accompanied by sharp pains around my eyes.
Regarding my stomach, I've noticed that certain foods trigger it, and my symptoms tend to flare up about an hour or two after eating.

Here is the rundown of the tests I've had done:
- Blood work: Mostly okay, except for a few markers being slightly out of range—Hematocrit, MCV, MCH, and neutrophils are low, while lymphocytes are slightly elevated (48.1/46).
- H. Plyori blood test: Negative.
- AST: Normal; Cytomegalovirus (CMIA): Negative; Epstein-Barr virus: Negative.
- EKG (multiple times): Normal.
- Sinus X-ray and ENT follow-ups (B-lines twice, a course of antibiotics for "sinus inflammation," though at the second follow-up, the doctor said it wasn't actually sinus inflammation?!).
- Cervical spine X-ray: Mostly fine, aside from some left-sided scoliosis.
- Ophthalmologist exam: Eye pressure and fundus were fine; minor prescription (-0.5).
- Neurologist visit, Brain CT, and Brain MRI: Both scans showed normal results.
- EEG: Within normal limits.
- Gastroenterologist visit + Abdominal Ultrasound: All clear (diagnosed with dyspepsia; during the exam, my blood pressure was high at 160/85).
- Thyroid hormone and antibody tests: Normal.

The CT was done in February 2015, and the MRI was in May 2015.
Most of the other tests took place in January and February 2015.
The second eye exam and thyroid tests were in December 2015.

Obviously, this isn't easy for me, especially since I've gone through all these tests and nothing conclusive has been found—particularly since everything seems to be getting worse lately...
Is a Brain CT and MRI (from May 2015) sufficient? Should there not be any changes by now, considering I was already experiencing symptoms back then (even if they were milder)?

If anyone has any idea what I should try next, please help. These issues are seriously disrupting my daily life (the head pressure is constant; driving is exhausting and uncomfortable because of the stomach pressure, and my head feels like it "jolts" every time I hit a bump in the road—it's a terrible sensation😢).
Thanks in advance, everyone, and sorry for the long post.

I was reading up on this, and it turns out one of the rare conditions that presents with symptoms similar to yours involves pressure in the lacrimal area—basically the tear duct region—within the brain. I guess I wonder if they’ve actually looked into that or at least brought it up during your appointments?
It's an uncommon issue, but it can be pretty serious. Because it's so rare, doctors often miss it right away.

Just a heads-up, though: you can't always catch H. Plyori in a blood test or stool sample. I know a fair amount about this bacterium, and honestly, it usually just causes gastro issues and changes in bowel movements.

That feeling of a dumpling in your throat might just be tied to intense stress. It’s a nasty sensation, almost like you're choking.

Your circulation seems pretty poor. Do you work out at all, or maybe just squeeze in some light movement at home?
Maybe your blood pressure is dropping suddenly due to circulation issues, which would explain the fatigue. I deal with chronic blood pressure problems myself, so I know how much that can wear you down.

I’m guessing your issues are stemming from your lower back, because whenever your hand goes numb after sitting in a weird position, it's usually a lumbar thing. I deal with some similar stuff myself, though maybe not quite as intense as what you're feeling. I actually had these symptoms once that felt almost like heart problems—things like a lump in my throat, trouble breathing, and my hands would shake—but it turned out to be nerve issues from my thoracic spine. To really figure out if there's actual damage in your spine, you'd probably need an MRI; an X-ray won't show much beyond things like lordosis, kyphosis, or scoliosis, which aren't dangerous on their own, but they can definitely be red flags for a herniated or extruded disc.

Honestly, this sounds like a textbook case of stress, poor circulation, or blood pressure issues being all over the place.
Dizziness usually ties back to bad circulation or high stress levels, and gastro stuff can easily be triggered by mental strain too.
That tingling sensation? Could be circulation or just stress.
Low blood pressure—along with stress and depression—will leave you feeling exhausted and dealing with random headaches.
As for the stomach issues, it sounds like nervous stomach to me. Sometimes that pressure hits near the chest and makes you think it's a heart problem when it's really just gastric distress.
That feeling of a dumpling stuck in your throat is also linked to those stress-induced gastro issues.
Also, looking at the numbers, there’s a hint of anemia here. Low hematocrit, MCH, and MCV... that might explain why you're so wiped out.

People deal with frequent headaches for no apparent reason all the time. If they drag on, they can turn into much bigger problems. I know plenty of people suffering through unbearable migraines without ever finding the cause. Even modern medicine hits a wall sometimes.

Henry Fisher74 said:I was reading up on this, and it turns out one of the rare conditions that presents with symptoms similar to yours involves pressure in the lacrimal area—basically the tear duct region—within the brain. I guess I wonder if they’ve actually looked into that or at least brought it up during your appointments?
It's an uncommon issue, but it can be pretty serious. Because it's so rare, doctors often miss it right away.

Just a heads-up, though: you can't always catch H. Plyori in a blood test or stool sample. I know a fair amount about this bacterium, and honestly, it usually just causes gastro issues and changes in bowel movements.

That feeling of a dumpling in your throat might just be tied to intense stress. It’s a nasty sensation, almost like you're choking.

Your circulation seems pretty poor. Do you work out at all, or maybe just squeeze in some light movement at home?
Maybe your blood pressure is dropping suddenly due to circulation issues, which would explain the fatigue. I deal with chronic blood pressure problems myself, so I know how much that can wear you down.

No, there hasn't been any mention of pressure or narrowing in the cranial or cerebral vessels so far...
Do they typically check the carotid arteries or run some other kind of scan to monitor that?

As for staying active, I try to do as much as I can—when I have the energy, I push myself to play soccer (even if it's a struggle), I go for daily walks, and when the weather holds up, I’ll ride my bike—though that's nowhere near as intense as playing soccer used to be, especially considering I've put on about 15 pounds over the last few years...

Regarding the GI stuff, I think I'm going to go ahead with a gastroscopy (my last one was six years ago) along with a test for occult bleeding.

Alexander Ramirez18 said:I’m guessing your issues are stemming from your lower back, because whenever your hand goes numb after sitting in a weird position, it's usually a lumbar thing. I deal with some similar stuff myself, though maybe not quite as intense as what you're feeling. I actually had these symptoms once that felt almost like heart problems—things like a lump in my throat, trouble breathing, and my hands would shake—but it turned out to be nerve issues from my thoracic spine. To really figure out if there's actual damage in your spine, you'd probably need an MRI; an X-ray won't show much beyond things like lordosis, kyphosis, or scoliosis, which aren't dangerous on their own, but they can definitely be red flags for a herniated or extruded disc.

Yeah, it’s totally plausible that part of this is coming from my back—especially since I've put on about 30 pounds over the last few years. I'm going to ask my primary care doctor for a referral to a physical therapist and see what the specialist has to say...

brightmoose0 said:Honestly, this sounds like a textbook case of stress, poor circulation, or blood pressure issues being all over the place.
Dizziness usually ties back to bad circulation or high stress levels, and gastro stuff can easily be triggered by mental strain too.
That tingling sensation? Could be circulation or just stress.
Low blood pressure—along with stress and depression—will leave you feeling exhausted and dealing with random headaches.
As for the stomach issues, it sounds like nervous stomach to me. Sometimes that pressure hits near the chest and makes you think it's a heart problem when it's really just gastric distress.
That feeling of a dumpling stuck in your throat is also linked to those stress-induced gastro issues.
Also, looking at the numbers, there’s a hint of anemia here. Low hematocrit, MCH, and MCV... that might explain why you're so wiped out.

People deal with frequent headaches for no apparent reason all the time. If they drag on, they can turn into much bigger problems. I know plenty of people suffering through unbearable migraines without ever finding the cause. Even modern medicine hits a wall sometimes.

My "headaches" aren't the classic kind—it's more like a constant pressure or a sense of instability in my head rather than actual localized pain.
Of course, I can't rule out stress entirely, but would it really manifest this intensely and for such a long duration? I definitely deal with massive amounts of stress during peak season, yet there were two times when I actually felt better than I do now (basically, I just didn't have the luxury of thinking about stress, haha).

At the beginning of next week, I’ll be getting my blood drawn again, along with an occult blood test, so we'll see what the results show. That said, those low values mentioned above have been pretty much consistent for about 6 or 7 years now—ever since I started doing my annual checkups through my employer's insurance plan.

Kenneth Price5 said:My "headaches" aren't the classic kind—it's more like a constant pressure or a sense of instability in my head rather than actual localized pain.
Of course, I can't rule out stress entirely, but would it really manifest this intensely and for such a long duration? I definitely deal with massive amounts of stress during peak season, yet there were two times when I actually felt better than I do now (basically, I just didn't have the luxury of thinking about stress, haha).

At the beginning of next week, I’ll be getting my blood drawn again, along with an occult blood test, so we'll see what the results show. That said, those low values mentioned above have been pretty much consistent for about 6 or 7 years now—ever since I started doing my annual checkups through my employer's insurance plan.

Best,

Did you ever figure out what was causing everything? Asking because I'm dealing with almost identical symptoms.

Thanks