Dealing with a cluster of symptoms: headaches, vision issues, difficulty speaking/swallowing, and fa

Hey there... I could really use some advice here. For the last week or two, I've been dealing with these constant headaches. Along with that, my vision has been acting up—it’s getting blurry, my eyes ache, and sometimes just looking at the TV or my computer screen feels like an absolute chore. There are moments where I struggle to even speak; I can't seem to string a single sentence together properly. My concentration is basically non-existent. I lose my train of thought while someone is talking to me, or even while I'm mid-sentence, and I have to force myself to focus just to keep going. Sometimes it takes me several minutes just to get one thought out because I keep stumbling over my words. A few times now, the right side of my face has actually gone numb or felt paralyzed, which made speaking and eating pretty difficult too. My coordination is also completely off lately, like I’ve lost control over my own movements. I can feel this weakness in my arms and legs, and even just walking around can feel exhausting. About a year and a half ago, I had a bad ear infection that cleared up after some medication, but ever since then, I've had this recurring pain in my right ear that comes and goes. Now, that right ear pain is back, along with aches around my ear, my face, and my neck. Is this something serious? To make matters worse, I've been struggling with pretty intense anxiety for the last few months.

gentleranger11 said:Hey there... I could really use some advice here. For the last week or two, I've been dealing with these constant headaches. Along with that, my vision has been acting up—it’s getting blurry, my eyes ache, and sometimes just looking at the TV or my computer screen feels like an absolute chore. There are moments where I struggle to even speak; I can't seem to string a single sentence together properly. My concentration is basically non-existent. I lose my train of thought while someone is talking to me, or even while I'm mid-sentence, and I have to force myself to focus just to keep going. Sometimes it takes me several minutes just to get one thought out because I keep stumbling over my words. A few times now, the right side of my face has actually gone numb or felt paralyzed, which made speaking and eating pretty difficult too. My coordination is also completely off lately, like I’ve lost control over my own movements. I can feel this weakness in my arms and legs, and even just walking around can feel exhausting. About a year and a half ago, I had a bad ear infection that cleared up after some medication, but ever since then, I've had this recurring pain in my right ear that comes and goes. Now, that right ear pain is back, along with aches around my ear, my face, and my neck. Is this something serious? To make matters worse, I've been struggling with pretty intense anxiety for the last few months.

You definitely sound like someone who needs to see a doctor right away (either your primary care physician or an Urgent Care center), and you should probably book consultations with an ENT and a neurologist as well.
The main goal is to rule out or confirm if there's an underlying physical cause for everything you're feeling.

Thanks for getting back to me 🙂 I’m actually planning on heading in to see my doctor sometime in the next few days..

I don't want to start a whole new thread, so I figured I'd just ask here. I'm 41, generally healthy, though I've been dealing with these recurring headaches for years now that doctors just can't seem to pin down—even after a full neurological workup including an MRI. They actually calmed down a bit once I stopped taking birth control pills. Other than reaching for some Tylenol every now and then when the pain hits, I'm not on any medication.
Over the last few days, things have taken a weird turn. I've lost my sense of taste, and there’s this numbness creeping across my face—around my mouth, my nose, stretching toward my cheeks—and even the tip of my tongue and my palate feel numb. My sense of smell is totally fine, though. The headaches are hitting hardest right before dawn and immediately after I wake up, usually accompanied by some light nausea and dizziness that eventually settles down. Then, throughout the day, I get these intermittent bouts of dizzy spells paired with brief waves of nausea, which actually lasts way longer than the loss of taste or the numbness. I've also got this dry cough and a strange, lingering taste in my mouth regardless of how much I brush or floss. My teeth are fine, no canker sores or any inflammation in my mouth, and I've already had my tonsils removed.
And just to be clear, I am not anxious, depressed, stressed out, or anything like that—so I really doubt this is psychosomatic.
Does anyone have any idea what could be going on? Thanks!

darkpuma58 said:I don't want to start a whole new thread, so I figured I'd just ask here. I'm 41, generally healthy, though I've been dealing with these recurring headaches for years now that doctors just can't seem to pin down—even after a full neurological workup including an MRI. They actually calmed down a bit once I stopped taking birth control pills. Other than reaching for some Tylenol every now and then when the pain hits, I'm not on any medication.
Over the last few days, things have taken a weird turn. I've lost my sense of taste, and there’s this numbness creeping across my face—around my mouth, my nose, stretching toward my cheeks—and even the tip of my tongue and my palate feel numb. My sense of smell is totally fine, though. The headaches are hitting hardest right before dawn and immediately after I wake up, usually accompanied by some light nausea and dizziness that eventually settles down. Then, throughout the day, I get these intermittent bouts of dizzy spells paired with brief waves of nausea, which actually lasts way longer than the loss of taste or the numbness. I've also got this dry cough and a strange, lingering taste in my mouth regardless of how much I brush or floss. My teeth are fine, no canker sores or any inflammation in my mouth, and I've already had my tonsils removed.
And just to be clear, I am not anxious, depressed, stressed out, or anything like that—so I really doubt this is psychosomatic.
Does anyone have any idea what could be going on? Thanks!

If you haven't looked into it yet, I would definitely go get your cervical spine checked out.
Was the MRI done with contrast?

So, I went in for some functional imaging on my cervical spine, and apparently, there are some lesions sitting on my C2 and C3 levels. The doctors aren't quite sure what caused them yet—it could be anything, maybe even something old from a fall back when I was a kid. My General Electric test came back fine, and while the IBM showed some higher voltage readings, everything still falls within the normal range. They did an MRI, but they didn't use any contrast this time.

darkpuma58 said:I don't want to start a whole new thread, so I figured I'd just ask here. I'm 41, generally healthy, though I've been dealing with these recurring headaches for years now that doctors just can't seem to pin down—even after a full neurological workup including an MRI. They actually calmed down a bit once I stopped taking birth control pills. Other than reaching for some Tylenol every now and then when the pain hits, I'm not on any medication.
Over the last few days, things have taken a weird turn. I've lost my sense of taste, and there’s this numbness creeping across my face—around my mouth, my nose, stretching toward my cheeks—and even the tip of my tongue and my palate feel numb. My sense of smell is totally fine, though. The headaches are hitting hardest right before dawn and immediately after I wake up, usually accompanied by some light nausea and dizziness that eventually settles down. Then, throughout the day, I get these intermittent bouts of dizzy spells paired with brief waves of nausea, which actually lasts way longer than the loss of taste or the numbness. I've also got this dry cough and a strange, lingering taste in my mouth regardless of how much I brush or floss. My teeth are fine, no canker sores or any inflammation in my mouth, and I've already had my tonsils removed.
And just to be clear, I am not anxious, depressed, stressed out, or anything like that—so I really doubt this is psychosomatic.
Does anyone have any idea what could be going on? Thanks!

When was that MRI done—was it before or after these new symptoms started kicking in?

Have you ever had an MRA, or maybe at least a CT angiography?

I had a standard MRI done back in the fall of 2010. I distinctly remember bringing my urea and creatinine lab results along just in case they needed to use contrast, but it turns out they didn't need it. That was all handled over at the Mayo Clinic.
Aside from these chronic headaches, I haven’t experienced any actual neurological episodes—it’s mostly just been them escalating into full-blown migraine attacks. But like I said, nobody has found a cause or a cure yet. I tried the whole routine of cutting out gluten and lactose, but the headaches didn't budge. The only thing that actually seemed to help was when I stopped taking pills containing ethinyl estradiol.
The symptoms actually started with this weird sensation, like there was a hair stuck in my mouth. After that, I started getting occasional tingling at the tip of my tongue and even some numbness in the area below my lower lip. Then, about three or four days ago, I lost my sense of sweetness—not entirely, mind you, because I can still recognize things like chocolate or strawberries—but the sweet taste itself is gone. My sense of smell is fine. I'm also dealing with frequent dizziness and feeling really unsteady on my feet. Vision and hearing are totally normal, though.
I don't drink, I don't smoke, and I stay away from fast food. I have one cup of coffee a day, maybe two if I'm lucky. I usually get about 7 to 8 hours of sleep, though the headaches tend to wake me up in the middle of the night, especially right before dawn.

I’m leaning toward it being a cervical spine issue, and honestly, things seem to be trending downhill because a nerve is likely getting pinched somewhere.
Maybe a standard X-ray of the neck could shed some light on what's actually going on. Regardless, if I were in your shoes, I'd go see a physical therapist for a proper evaluation immediately.

darkpuma58 said:I had a standard MRI done back in the fall of 2010. I distinctly remember bringing my urea and creatinine lab results along just in case they needed to use contrast, but it turns out they didn't need it. That was all handled over at the Mayo Clinic.
Aside from these chronic headaches, I haven’t experienced any actual neurological episodes—it’s mostly just been them escalating into full-blown migraine attacks. But like I said, nobody has found a cause or a cure yet. I tried the whole routine of cutting out gluten and lactose, but the headaches didn't budge. The only thing that actually seemed to help was when I stopped taking pills containing ethinyl estradiol.
The symptoms actually started with this weird sensation, like there was a hair stuck in my mouth. After that, I started getting occasional tingling at the tip of my tongue and even some numbness in the area below my lower lip. Then, about three or four days ago, I lost my sense of sweetness—not entirely, mind you, because I can still recognize things like chocolate or strawberries—but the sweet taste itself is gone. My sense of smell is fine. I'm also dealing with frequent dizziness and feeling really unsteady on my feet. Vision and hearing are totally normal, though.
I don't drink, I don't smoke, and I stay away from fast food. I have one cup of coffee a day, maybe two if I'm lucky. I usually get about 7 to 8 hours of sleep, though the headaches tend to wake me up in the middle of the night, especially right before dawn.

These new symptoms definitely need a quick follow-up with a neurologist or a neuroradiologist, and it's entirely possible you might need to loop in a neurosurgeon or an ENT as well.

So, I finally dragged myself to my primary care doctor today because my head has been absolutely pounding and I’ve been feeling super dizzy. Turns out, most of it is just from being a total shut-in at my desk—I spend way too many hours hunched over my computer, and when I'm not doing that, I'm basically glued to my phone playing games with my neck bent at some ridiculous angle. On top of that, there's this fungal infection in my mouth that's driving me crazy, though honestly, I have no clue how I even caught it (maybe because my diet is basically just an endless stream of carbs?). They prescribed me some Red Bull to help deal with things, and they told me to head straight to the ER if I notice any weird neurological glitches. Does that sound about right to you guys? Thanks!

Update: Now my sense of taste has gone totally haywire—I can't even taste anything salty anymore. Honestly, should I just bite the bullet and head to the ER tonight?

darkpuma58 said:Update: Now my sense of taste has gone totally haywire—I can't even taste anything salty anymore. Honestly, should I just bite the bullet and head to the ER tonight?

Honestly, go sooner rather than later.

So, I ended up in the ER, and they ran a CT scan which apparently came back clean, so the official diagnosis is just a massive headache. They’re recommending I get an MRI and follow up with a specialist at a headache clinic.
Honestly, things aren't getting any better—I still can't taste anything sweet or salty, and my entire left side feels completely numb, from my face and the back of my head down to my tongue and palate. On top of that, I'm feeling nauseous and dizzy as hell. Yesterday, the pain actually let up a little thanks to some Tylenol and a Normabel injection, but today? It's right back to square one. I have no clue how I'm supposed to show up for work tomorrow; there's nobody to cover my shift, and I seriously can't afford to take sick leave right now.

darkpuma58 said:So, I ended up in the ER, and they ran a CT scan which apparently came back clean, so the official diagnosis is just a massive headache. They’re recommending I get an MRI and follow up with a specialist at a headache clinic.
Honestly, things aren't getting any better—I still can't taste anything sweet or salty, and my entire left side feels completely numb, from my face and the back of my head down to my tongue and palate. On top of that, I'm feeling nauseous and dizzy as hell. Yesterday, the pain actually let up a little thanks to some Tylenol and a Normabel injection, but today? It's right back to square one. I have no clue how I'm supposed to show up for work tomorrow; there's nobody to cover my shift, and I seriously can't afford to take sick leave right now.

Everything is numb and they're calling it "just a headache."🤔 Honestly, with symptoms like those, I think your job should be the absolute last thing on your mind.

darkpuma58 said:So, I ended up in the ER, and they ran a CT scan which apparently came back clean, so the official diagnosis is just a massive headache. They’re recommending I get an MRI and follow up with a specialist at a headache clinic.
Honestly, things aren't getting any better—I still can't taste anything sweet or salty, and my entire left side feels completely numb, from my face and the back of my head down to my tongue and palate. On top of that, I'm feeling nauseous and dizzy as hell. Yesterday, the pain actually let up a little thanks to some Tylenol and a Normabel injection, but today? It's right back to square one. I have no clue how I'm supposed to show up for work tomorrow; there's nobody to cover my shift, and I seriously can't afford to take sick leave right now.

I don't know which hospital you went to, but as a layman, it sounds completely insane to discharge someone from the ER who is experiencing neurological deficits just because they labeled it a headache.
If I were in your shoes, I would have expected to be hospitalized until they could dig deeper into what's actually happening.
Honestly, if I were you, I’d find a way to get to a different hospital immediately.

I was out at Rib, which is where I truly feel at home.

darkpuma58 said:I was out at Rib, which is where I truly feel at home.

Take a look at this. Unfortunately, there isn't an American version, but the symptoms seem to match—losing your sense of taste, headaches, facial numbness, and things like that. It’s especially likely if you’ve been spending time outdoors and recently dealt with some ticks.
Just to be safe, how does your forehead feel? Any stiffness there?

I’m really not one for the great outdoors or anything like that; my whole routine is basically just house-car-work-mall. I was actually headed toward getting a lumbar puncture, but they ended up calling it off because my blood work came back clean and I don't have a fever. My face looks perfectly symmetrical to me, but there's this weird sensation of surface numbness, kind of like when the local anesthetic from the dentist starts wearing off. What’s tripping me out is how this numbness is strictly confined to the left side, which honestly seems to support what Angela Wright was saying about it being a cervical spine issue—like some nerve is getting pinched somewhere and it's hitting the nerves that control the left side of my face and the back of my head.

darkpuma58 said:I’m really not one for the great outdoors or anything like that; my whole routine is basically just house-car-work-mall. I was actually headed toward getting a lumbar puncture, but they ended up calling it off because my blood work came back clean and I don't have a fever. My face looks perfectly symmetrical to me, but there's this weird sensation of surface numbness, kind of like when the local anesthetic from the dentist starts wearing off. What’s tripping me out is how this numbness is strictly confined to the left side, which honestly seems to support what Angela Wright was saying about it being a cervical spine issue—like some nerve is getting pinched somewhere and it's hitting the nerves that control the left side of my face and the back of my head.

Facial and tongue sensations usually aren't tied to the spine; they point toward the cranial nerves. We could be looking at something involving the trigeminal nerve.