support for those w/ head pressure

[[BJ...]]

I was dry needled yesterday....I had some trigger points in my traps, SCM, and facial muscles, but it didn't relieve much.  I'm actually a patient of one of the top trigger point therapists in the country, and believe me the needling works.  Myofascial massage works well on the surface of muscles, but not deeper in.  I have a two year history of severe issues, which took a long time to get under control, and I don't think it would have happened without needling being a part of the treatment plan. 

 

I also got the results of a CT scan on my sinuses: negative.  Using all the sinus treatments, including netipot, really don't help much.  I never had these issues before, so I may be starting to be convinced that it's withdrawal-related.  If the muscles are so tense, these symptoms would indeed manifest themselves.  I'm also wondering now how much chemical anxiety can contribute to the muscle issues, because when I focus on trying to completely relax my muscles, the head pressure eases up substantially, including the sinuses.  Right now, the sinuses feel completely clear and I've had no meds today.

 

I also wonder about histamine over-stimulation from this process contributing to things.  The theories are plausible, but there's not much in the form of meds that can do anything for it since it's a CNS-related problem.

[[...]]

That dry needling was soooooo painful!  I had it done 3 times and was black and blue in pain afterwards.  Treating pain with more pain ... hmmmmm?  I'm glad it helped you though, because it didn't touch sides with me.

 

I think one really has to be in the hands of a specialist who truly knows about trigger points.  One would tell me I had many "latent" trigger points, another would tell me I didn't have any, another this, another that ... it became ridiculous because I could tell they were all just groping in the dark.

 

100% the muscle tension contributes to all the crazy head symptoms.  I used to do a lot of body scan and self hypnosis relaxation and it helped a lot (albeit temporarily), but since getting my "rocky boat" sx, it's become too hard to meditate.

 

Also worth mentioning, my muscles will tense up on one side or the other and alternate from day to day.  Does this happen with you too?  So I agree, it does appear to be a CNS problem.  Had various MRIs, ultrasounds, etc and nothing structurally wrong! 

 

I hear ya.  It's hard.  It's very, very, very hard! 

[[Na...]]

I woke with just bearable anxiety this morning that quickly faded and then maybe two hours later the wonderful head pressure came back. I too feel that just trying to calm myself and try to relax my tension seems to be the only thing that somewhat helps. It just looks like something orchestra would help some but i haven't read anything to support my wishful thinking. All this is so aggravating but not much i can do. I really hope that relief comes to us all soon.  We are in this together and i just want healing for everybody.  ~ Bless y'all. Terrain

[[mi...]]

Hi... glad to see everyone this morning....is dry needling acupuncture? Does anyone know if these feelings are in our scalps or is it coming from our brains....I am not sure why I care....I just hate to think it is in my brain.

 

Bjames....for me I felt the acute was fading at about 6 wks..I was still so very sick, but things improved some. During what I considered acute, I could do nothing aside from survive each day. Then at about six wks. I was able to do some cleaning etc., my ability to do things has continued to slowly improve. I think that since some of your s/x have let up you are no longer in acute...just my humble

opinion. I also have the sinus pressure, my nose feels strange inside and out and stuffed upped alot. My forehead seems to move. Oh the joy of all of this!! I hope you get some relief soon.....m

 

abcd....hello.....yes going to the gym is huge for me, I have been able to do one or to rounds on the machines and a few minutes on the treadmill. I had alot of  heart racing eary on, so since that has calmed down I am not so afraid I will have a heart attack lol. I was really in fear of that though!! I am sorry you are having so much muscle tension. I guess that is what all of this is, my stomach and back pull alot to, that causes alot of pain, that one can take me down. My head is so weighted right now, it feels like there is something heavy in my brain and my ears are ringing, the party goes on and on and on....I am sorry you have the rocky boat that must be awful.....feel better my friend.....m

[[BJ...]]

For me, the sinuses seem to open and close at will.  There's no pattern.  When I'm stressed, then one side closes up.  I hate this symptom.

[[mi...]]

Yes Bj my left nostril is the worst....this morning nothing.....but last night my nose was running like a faucet for about a half hr....I thought it was some sort of allergy. I bought some allergy meds. yesterday and they did not help. It has to be w/d for me as it is new since w/d from benzos. This is all so strange....I keep thinking that if I did not have it pre benzo then that is the cause and it will end......I hope you are doing well today....m

[[BJ...]]

Yeah, I never had issues pre-benzo with the sinuses.  I had all the tests run, so it has to be withdrawal.  I've just been in denial.  If it weren't for this, I'd say I've entered into a mini-window....not feeling bad, all things considered.

 

A lot of people seem to develop some sort of allergies while on withdrawal.  Hopefully this symptom subsides soon.  It's gotten a little bit better over the past week, but not enough for me to be satisified.

 

Be well, minnie.

[[Na...]]

Hi everybody. According to what i have read it is our brains repairing themselves that causes these crazy symptoms.  Read Parker's post on what is going on with the sxs . Its an excellent explanation.  ~Terrain

[[...]]

Jeez, our poor brains.  TG they are able to heal themselves is all I can say!

 

Minnie, dry needling is nothing like acupuncture ... except that needles are involved, lol.  They stick this thin needle deep into the muscle where there's a knot (that some like to call a trigger point) and kind of twist it or whatnot, and there should ideally be a twitch response.  Had it done in different places in my traps/neck.  It was extremely painful for 24 hrs afterwards.

 

I was thinking of joining Curves.  May consider it again, or just maybe spend some time doing my own thing on the machines.  I used to play a lot of tennis and jog a bit, but I can see myself literally tripping and falling, it's so hard to look sideways, I feel I'm looking straight ahead as much as possible and even my vision is affected by all this ... somewhat wavey and a feeling of being out of it.  Yes, that heavy, weighted head feeling is so horrible.

 

And so ... on we go.  Let the healing continue to do its thing for all of us. 

[[Co...]]

Bjames...yes I actually think the Bonnie helps.  I don't know why,  but I think Bonnie is more helpful than Drammamine. I am trying to research them both to see if there are differences between them....I only take half of the Bonnie ( 12 mg) and that seems to be helpful for me...I just don't want to take anything. ......I hope this improves...fast for all of us.. coop

[[Co...]]

Yes...the sinus s/x...I don't get the drippy nose,  but my left eye tears ...

 

[[Co...]]

Minnie...did you get moments of relief...only to have it come back?.... did your face sometimes feel flushed ....for me,  sometimes just moving from up to down or down to up will cause a surge of pressure....did anything help?....I feel so desperate and frantic with this....I am sure that only makes it worse. ....thanks Minnie ....coop

[[mi...]]

Hi coop......I am so sorry, this is so distressing....if it helps I know for sure it is the w/d causing all these weird feelings in our heads, no doubts...It is so hard to live with on a daily basis though....I do not notice a difference in the pressure when I get up or down. It just cycles between about a 2 and a 8. Ten being the worst, it used to be a 10 in acute that was almost unbearable. I think you said you were worried that it was something more than w/d. I do not want to sound like I know it all, but after I have read about everyone here that has the head stuff, I feel certain for myself that that is all it is. That does not make it easy, but at least I know it will not kill me or any of us TG.

 

I know how this feels I have had it for 6 mos. and I have never had a window. I know how terrifying and uncomfortable it can be, I have wanted to bang my poor head on a wall, I have cried, begged God to take it away, stomped my feet, etc. etc.. Mostly I just try to go about my life with it, because it will just go on until we heal....The more I fear it and stomp my feet the more my anxiety amps up, and of course my head gets worse. I absolutely hate the feelings in my head, sometimes I just want to run and run until I fall over from exhaustion. You get the point, I have to settle myself down every time a desperate thought comes to my mind or I will go crazy! I wish none of us had this...... I hope this helps a little, I just wanted to convey how desperate it has made me feel at times, and that it is from the benzos. We all have almost the same issues in our head, so that to me is reassuring, I hope it will be to you.....hang in there coop, you have had such a rough time, so it can only get better from here on out.....m

[[mi...]]

hi native....

[[mi...]]

Hi coop....I did not answer your question about the flushing....but yes, I get a really warm feeling all over my head and face, then I break out into a sweat  all over my body....it truly is so tiring....hope that helps....m

[[Co...]]

Thanks Minnie.. you are a life line tonight. I don't think I could take this for 6 months...my head just pulses and I can feel my pulse in my ears...under my eyes it feels tight ...and my anxiety is way over the top...bordering on panic...in fact I have had mini panics throughout the day....could you feel it in your face too..?. My cheeks get pink ...probably the fear?....thank you again Minnie...I am about 1 step away from going to er....I totally get the banging your head and crying...I truely do not know how you managed with this....I had it in June and it went away...I am begging God too. .so far your post is the only thing that has been reassuring. Did you take anything for it?...Did you imagine horrible health things?....6 months...unbelievable...you are a stronger woman than me...thanks again Minnie..

[[mi...]]

Hi native.....I have read these are healing s/x, I do believe that they are. I am used to the normal feelings of healing say a cut, or a burn , these feelings are just so creepy and foreign to anything I have ever felt that it is hard to accept and go with it. That is all we can do though......just keep going....hope you are feeling ok....m

[[Co...]]

Minnie...was there ANYTHING that helped?...my Dr prescribed 20 mg of propsnolol but I researched it and it crosses the blood brain barrier ( as do benzos) so I am afraid to take it...but if it isn't better tomorrow I am thinking of taking it...but would rather know if anyone took anything otc that was helpful. I took Bonnie the first few days but it was beyond that today.  I know I am just harrassing you to death with questions...you are what is keeping me out of er tonight...I can not thank you enough...and yes., knowing that you flushed and got sweaty too eases my mind. You have to be a saint...or Mother Mary Herself to get through 6 months of this. I notice in your signature that you did a c/t in Feb.. you must be made of steel. ...I just wasn't cut out for this.  ....this thread is a very good deed....coop

[[Co...]]

* 10...10 mg of propanolol*...

[[mi...]]

coop....I know you are struggling to hold it together... just hang in there I am right with you. I know the panic feelings you are speaking of, the fear, it can get so out of control....the muscles in my forehead are moving right now, the back of my head feels like it is pulsing and causing some pain. My face gets red from the flushed feeling. I did imagine awful health things when this started, but look at me coop, I am fine after 6 mos. of this, terribly uncomfortable at times, but nothing worse has happened. I truly do not believe anything is going to happen to either of us, you will be okay. I know how the thoughts keep coming, followed by PANIC, then the er. I went 3x in the begining, it did help, only because I thought I was having a stroke, or something I certainly would not live to talk about so I felt safe there, they could revive me if my worst fears came true. So while there I would calm down and then realize there was NOTHING they could do for me. We are so used to the thinking that there has to be something we can take anything so we do not feel so desperate and terrified. I was desperate for any relief. I just felt I CANNOT do this alone, but somehow I have and so will you. I am not stronger than you, I have been right where you are and felt the same desperation you are feeling, and the realization that NOTHING we or any dr. can do to make this go away, is the bottom dropping out from under our feet....free falling...the only thing is time...I finally accepted that. I still do not always accept it, as I said, I kick and scream and make a huge mess of my emotions, but I know where that gets me, so IF I am able, I just stop and think as rationally as possible about what is happening and settle in as best I can. You can do that to, you have made it thru so many other awful s/x I know you can do it w/ this one.....I will stay up a little longer if you need to talk a little more if not......I pray this has helped, it is such a struggle.....m

[[Co...]]

Thank you Minnie...you have no idea how reassuring your post has been. I am settling a bit...You are right I have made it through a bunch of s/x...I was better with the mental/emotional s/x than the physical ones. With the physical ones I go right to panic...thanks again Minnie...and sleep well...coop

[[mi...]]

coop.....I take metroprol for the racing heart and my b/p was going up and down.That stuff has calmed down now, but my pharmacist said do not rush getting off, it will not hurt you. I trust him, he was the only one who told me to expect all of this craziness, and he said it could take 12 to 15 mos,. So, to answer your question, no I do not take anything, except aspirin, occasionally when I get a headache. I just do not think there is much we can do, medicine wise that will help. I sure wish there was....I would be the first to take it...well as long as it was safe.....lol right, so were the benzos. If you can coop, I would just keep on going with trying to be as calm as you can muster, and let our brains heal alone. If you take something, and you are like me, you may worry that what you took could have some other bad effect, I truly do not believe any meds will relieve the s/x in our heads........we just have to endure this, I to wish there was an escape... only that word I have come to dislike.... time... time....maybe by morning it will let up for you, I pray it will......m 

[[Mo...]]

I have the sinus pressure and headband feeling but am not even close to jumping currently at 95 librium and just recently put on doxepin 25 mgs.  This is scaring me guys if I have all these symptoms on this high a dose how bad will it be when I lower or jump?  Or post jump?! Mo2

[[Co...]]

Minnie..do you take it every day?...I believe it is similar to propanolol...I am probably going to take it...10 mg is not much..with anxiety my b/p jumps to 160/90...then I get even more freaked.....thanks for telling me that it makes it easier for me to think about taking it until this is over. My Dr did assure me that I could easily and safely taper off the propanolol after w/d is over and it is not at all like benzo w/d. ...great to hear that your pharmacist was benzo wise..12-15 months is consistent with the Ashton Manual...4-5 more months for me...who ever would have thought a year or more to get off a drug......well,  here is hoping tomorrow is a better day for all of us....coop

[[mi...]]

Hi coop....so happy you sound better today....yes I take 25 mg. 2x a day. I was only taking 12 mg 2x a day but it was not enough to calm the  heart racing. My pharmacist said it was much better for me to take that than for my heart and b/p to to be unstable, I agree, the heart thing makes me extremely uncomfortable. It seems to me that it would make things so much easier for you to take the p as your dr. said, then when the head issue makes you start to panic your b/p will remain stable, it also helps with adrenalin rushes.

 

Hope you have a good day......m