Headache Question - Dr Viking or other?

[stevechicago]

Dr Viking (and others at this board) helped me a few months ago with trip info, etc. You were all great and I am deeply thankful for your help. Here is a huge medical conundrum I am having. I wonder if it could be dive related? Early June I started getting headaches. Not migraine at all, just slight pain and moderate feeling of "pressure." They have not gone away for almost three months now. My great primary care Dr. has been with me from the start trying to figure this out. He started me in July with anti-inflammatories (Naproxen) - no help. Then few weeks later beta-blocker/neurotransmitter (??) Depakote 125mg up to 250 mg, no help. Then, on my third visit, I had just developed a terrible ear infection - last Wed-Fri (which I think I got from a Divemaster training dive I did over a weekend ina quarry in Illinois). Not sure, but either way, he put me on ugmentin, said the nast ear infection is on top of the ongoing problem. So he sent me to a specialist on Fr. This specialist turned out to be an innapropriate and rude egoist who put me on two patches of duragesic (narcotic, 25 mg each) along with twice a day Viox (50mg each) and Remeron (mirtzapan) 30 mg, and tons of other meds for the nasty side effects. Well, he almost killed me, and I have been "out of it until yesterday." My primary care Dr. took me off all thos terrible meds as of yesterday (Fri) when I last saw him. Problem, I am still having the headaches. I realize this may be a long process to figure all this out. My question to you, Dr. Viking or any otehrs that can help, could this be dive-related. I went diving in beg of June to key West and Grand Cayman (the trip you helped me with info on). I dove 3 dives in Keys (3 days) and 8 or so in Grand Cayman (6 days). I dove my Uwatech O2 computer and dove well within all safety limits. Question is, is there ANY dive-related illness that shows itself as constant moderate headache/pressure? I have NO other symptoms. My body and my mind feel great. The only thing is a bit of lethargy and frustration at feeling "ill" every day with no let up. And the real weird thing is, I never really get headaches much and tehse arn't really 'pain" they are more "pressure" - and the best way to describe the pain/pressure is "the same feeling I have when I get done diving" which always goes away in my head and ears very shortly after every dive. ANY thoughts. I am searching every avenue. Steve Matuszak

 

[DocVikingo]

I'm sure this is a frustrating & unpleasant experience.

Although an apparent temporal relationship between diving and the appearance of symptoms is suggestive, I am unaware of any dive-related illness that would manifest with moderate headache/pressure, last for a continuous period of 3 months without any meaningful change despite treatment with antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, Depakote & other drugs, and be entirely unaccompanied by other signs or symptoms.

You may wish to ask your physician about a complete evaluation by headache specialist. If the specialist whom you saw on Fri was such a person, then referral elsewhere would seem appropriate. Chicago has several highly regarded headache centers, including one at the Finch University of Health Sciences/The Chicago Medical School.

This is educational only and does not constitute or imply a doctor-patient relationship. It is not medical advice to you or any other individual, and should not be construed as such.

Best regards.

DocVikingo

 

[stevechicago]

Doc VikingThank you immensely for your thorough rsponse. I figured it couldn't hurt to look under every corner. I am being referred to another headache specialist. If this does not work out, i will make my first stop be at the Finch headache center you mentioned.

You have been extremely kind and helpful. Thank you for your advice. I do understand it is advice and not "official doctor care" It is still amazing and such a blessing for so may of us to have a KNOWLEDGEABLE person to turn to for advice and helpful, effective, practical answers.

steve

 

[Saturation]

stevechicago once bubbled...
Doc VikingThank you immensely for your thorough rsponse. I figured it couldn't hurt to look under every corner. I am being referred to another headache specialist. If this does not work out, i will make my first stop be at the Finch headache center you mentioned.

You have been extremely kind and helpful. Thank you for your advice. I do understand it is advice and not "official doctor care" It is still amazing and such a blessing for so may of us to have a KNOWLEDGEABLE person to turn to for advice and helpful, effective, practical answers.

steve

I hope you feel better, Steve. Did any of these docs get a simple sinus x-ray? It would help immensely at this time to get imaging of your sinuses then middle ears and later the brain just to insure all bases are covered medically before prescribing medications for headache lasting this long.

Its very possible a dive could have triggered a headache so long ago, but its unlikely to be the culprit today. Commonly a small amount of barotrauma may cause the sinuses to bleed which then gets secondarily infected, and if improperly treated, developed into a chronic sinusiitis, but it has other symptoms beyond a headache.