Dealing with constant headaches, body aches, dizziness, and numbness... any advice?

Hi there!

I was wondering if anyone has any insight or experience regarding these symptoms. I’ve already seen my primary doctor, and following the usual protocol, they referred me to an ophthalmologist and ordered blood work. Basically, it goes like this. So far, I’ve had three instances of headaches lasting seven days or longer. A few times I took some Advil, which helped for about half an hour, but then the pain just came right back. It’s bilateral, dull, and mild—more like a sense of pressure—though occasionally I feel a sharp "stabbing" sensation at a specific spot rather than just pressure during those seven-day stretches. Sometimes during that window, the pain stays on just one side of my head. On top of that, I’m dealing with pains in my chest, back, and lower back here and there, plus a sore throat today and some ringing in my ears. Though, the throat might just be from eating too much ice cream recently... Yesterday, I felt dizzy only when changing positions while standing up. My blood pressure seems fine. When I first experienced this kind of headache back in February, I felt incredibly exhausted and unfocused, and one evening I even felt tingling in my face and pain in my right upper arm. A couple of times over the winter, I also felt sudden, sharp chest pains. I looked things up online, and everything seems to point toward cervical spine issues (except for those winter chest pains when I didn't have other symptoms), but if anyone has other ideas, please share. I should mention that the first two times these headaches hit, it was during finals week (both winter and summer sessions)—so plenty of stress and sitting all day... But since I've been home, that hasn't been the case. Also, during those first two episodes, my appetite vanished and I barely ate anything. My only real fear—which I haven't mentioned to my doctor—is that one winter night I went outside without a hat after drying my hair, and that evening I felt the facial tingling and right arm pain (while the headache was already present). I'm worried I might have caused some lasting damage from that. Aside from this, I haven't had any severe or lingering headaches for years, but this year has been exceptionally stressful. Perhaps it's worth noting that last winter, I was on heavy antidepressants and needed a much higher dose than usual for them to take effect. At that time, my blood work showed some slight hormonal imbalances. Usually, I lose about half my hair in the summer, but that hasn't happened this year. Thanks for any information you can provide.

slynomad79 said:Hey everyone.

I was wondering if anyone here has any insight or personal experience regarding the symptoms I've been dealing with lately. I've already done the whole dance with my primary doctor, who followed the usual protocol and sent me off to an ophthalmologist and ordered some blood work. So, basically, I've had this headache hit me three times now, and each time it dragged on for seven days or more. A couple of times I popped some Advil, which seemed to kill the pain after about thirty minutes, but then it just crawled right back. It’s bilateral—kind of a dull, mild pressure all over, though occasionally I’ll feel this sharp little "stab" in one specific spot during those seven-day stretches, though nothing intense. Sometimes it stays localized to just one side of my head. On top of that, I’ve got random aches in my chest, back, and lower lumbar area, and today my throat is acting up and there’s this ringing in my ears. Though, honestly, the throat thing might just be because I went a bit overboard with ice cream the other day. Yesterday, I also felt dizzy whenever I stood up too fast. My blood pressure seems fine, though. Back when the first headache hit me (around February), I was completely wiped out, totally unable to focus, and one night I even felt this weird tingling in my face along with a pain in my right upper arm. Then there were a few times during the winter months where I felt this sudden, sharp chest pain. I did a little deep dive online, and everything seems to point toward cervical spine issues (except for that random chest pain in the winter when nothing else was going on), but if anyone has a different take, please let me know. One thing to note is that the first two times these headaches flared up, it was right during finals week—so tons of stress and sitting at a desk all day. Since I've been back home, though, that hasn't been happening. Also, during those first two episodes, my appetite completely tanked; I could barely eat anything. There is one thing I didn't mention to my doctor because I felt silly, but once last winter I went outside without a hat after drying my hair, and that evening I got that facial tingling and the pain in my right arm (even though the headache had already started). I'm kind of worried I might have caused some lingering issue by doing that. Other than this, I haven't dealt with any heavy or long-lasting headaches for years, but this past year has been incredibly high-stress for me. I should probably mention that last winter (not this current bout, but the previous one) I was on some pretty strong antidepressants and actually needed a much higher dose than usual to get them to kick in. At that time, my blood work showed some slight hormonal imbalances. Usually, I lose quite a bit of hair in the summer, but strangely enough, that hasn't happened this year. Thanks for any info you can toss my way.

You definitely have enough going on here to justify seeing a neurologist. You should bring along your lab results, including the thyroid/hormone panels from Quest Diagnostics, the eye exam results (vision, pressure, fundus), X-rays of your neck (and maybe thoracic too), and maybe even start with an EEG.

What you’re describing sounds like the textbook definition of college burnout during finals week. I’m actually just about to wrap up my degree, and I can tell you from experience—and from talking to plenty of my classmates—that we all go through these exact same symptoms whenever exam season rolls around, especially when there's a high-stakes class on the line. It’s this brutal cocktail of intense stress, non-stop studying, constant anxiety, and pure panic. That’s where the physical stuff comes in; I’ve definitely dealt with that nauseating feeling and chest tightness myself. Throw in sleep deprivation and a pretty terrible diet, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. If you’re also hitting that wall of extreme exhaustion and sleeping for twelve hours straight once the exams are finally over, then yeah, it’s definitely "just" stress.
My advice? Try to squeeze in some exercise, even if it’s just a quick walk—it really does help with the mental fog and depressive moods. Also, try to cut back on the sugar. I know it’s tempting to live off chocolate and sugary coffee when you're pulling all-nighters, but try swapping the sweets for some nuts or fruit instead. Aim for a solid seven or eight hours of sleep, and most importantly, give yourself at least an hour before bed where you completely shut out everything related to school. Close the laptop, put the textbooks away, and stop checking your student portal. Tell yourself that what you accomplished today was enough, and let your brain decompress with a hobby or something you actually enjoy.

So, I’ve got this minor issue that’s spiraled into something bigger over the last few days—figured I’d ask rather than just spiraling into a panic (if panic is even worth it).

I'm a soccer player, so I'm pushing my body hard every single day during training and games. I usually handle the strain fine—never had heart issues or anything else, really—and my checkups have been spotless for years. But lately, when I'm just chilling, sitting at my computer or lying down, I get this sensation in my chest that I can't quite put into words. It isn't a skipped heartbeat or anything like that; it feels more like there's a literal hole in my lungs that hits me every time I take a breath. Sometimes it even feels like there's phlegm deep inside, making my breathing feel rough.

I'm really hoping it's nothing heart-related, because aside from the occasional skip here and there, I haven't noticed any actual arrhythmias or anything concerning. Any ideas what this could be? To be honest, I'm starting to freak out a bit—it seems like way too many soccer players my age are dropping dead lately, and I'm not ready to be another headline. 😉