Head Pressures, rushing feeling, Upper back pain, unable to catch breath and many more symptoms!

sarah.janebailey · Newbie Joined: 28 Nov 2006 Posts: 1

Can anyone out there help me?

About 7 months ago I began to get a chronic ache in my upper back (bra strap level) with associated problems catching my breath. I visited a doctor and was told it was a common problem that women have with upper back problems and to rest!. I then started experiencing some very strange symptoms which started with pressures in my head and a very odd feeling that something was not right and that I was going to pass out. I then began having problems going to sleep as every time I close my eyes, I get a rushing feeling (like shivers) that goes all the way through my body and into my head and the only way to stop it is to open my eyes. I have visited the doctors on endless occassions and they have carried out all standard blood tests which were all negative. On top of this, I often experience loud ringing in my ears and my blood pressure spikes up and down. I am now on atenalol but this does not seem to keep it stable. The other associated symptom is severe depression which is something I have never before suffered from. I have had a test for Phynochromcitoma (tumour on adrenalin glands) but this was negative. They have discovered an intolarance to Insulin and I am taking metformin for this.

It is now 7 months on and I go through a week or so feeling OK and thinking I am back to normal and then out of the blue I wake up in the morning and my brain feels like it has become curdled in the night! My doctor has now referred me to an Immunologist as I had an undiagnosed problem 5 years ago that left me with Reynaulds Disease.

Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

Guest · Guest

I have been going through this and more. I was made to feel that I was imagining it all. I new all along that there was something there. After 5+ years of going to doctors I believe that the cause has been discovered (by accident). After a serious bout with horrible stomach acid, a CAT scan found a benign tumor on one of my adrenal glands. I suspect that it is a pheochromocytoma. When active the pheo causes symptoms identical to panic attacks. Whatever you do, DO NOT get on benzos, klonopin, xanax, etc. as they are almost impossible to quit. If you think what you are experiencing now is bad google "benzo hell".
I recommend that you ask your doctor to do a CAT scan of your abdomen especially your kidneys and adrenal glands. A urine test or blood test may not be accurate. Hope this helped.

Guest · Guest

I had something very similar 14 years ago. The jerking awake, the back fullness and the head pressures...plus a few other things. It coincided with the onset of Lyme disease. (possibly Lyme was an initial vascular insult?) After antibiotic treatment for many years most of the symptoms either went away or got a lot better. Initially I was cat scanned & ultrasounded to kazoo and a perfectly good gall bladder was mistakenly removed as a probable cause.

BUT, now I am just starting a resurgence of the mid back fullness (need bra extender when really full) & pains...and RUQ fullness with dull pain and some edema thru lower thorax when at its worst. Plus nocturia when at its worst. Everything waxes & wanes: sleeping in a recliner seems better than lieing flat, early AM feels really good until I get up and start moving, but being really active seems to help relieve it.

So is it some sort of vascular spasms due to ???? a cytokine, enzyme, hormone????. Or some insideous vascular back up due to vascular damage or other?

My best ideas.

Guest · Guest

Elise8 · Newbie Joined: 22 May 2007 Posts: 1

I also have head pressuer at night...ear ringing/ pressure/ feeling like I will faint. only happens at night.. during the day my ear feels full rings and sensitive to sound am being worked up for menieres disease...

Guest · Guest

My husband is 30 years old and has some of the same symptoms that have been described above....only worse....
it began three months ago.... he felt like all the blood in his body had rushed to his head within a second...his face was blood red and he said he felt it in his nose at first. We went to the ER to get his blood pressure checked and it was high... they checked for the adrenal tumors through a 24 urine test and a CAT scan... they also did loads of blood tests.... so everything came back looking "normal". His heart was racing. they gave him some anxiety meds... sent him home and told us to contact our cardiologist. He has had a slow heartbeat since he was 15 (at lest that is when it was detected during a routine sports physical) so now the racing heart beat seemed even more scary than it would be for the normal person.
We went to the ER around 8 times before they decided to keep him.
They kept him for a week and then we were transferred to another hospital where his cardiologist worked and he was told he needed a pacemaker and that he had sick sinus arrhythmia.... He was put on two types of blood pressure meds... Ateninol and Lisinopril (I think I am spelling those wrong).... neither one have been working like they should because he has still been having the same problems...blood rushing to his head, red faced, weight loss, lightheadedness, face heart rate, waking up in the middle of the night feeling adrenalin jolt through his body, chest pain, high blood pressure and anxiety attacks (which happen AFTER he starts feeling weird from the other stuff!)
they RX'd Klonopin and upped his blood pressure meds.... still not working!!! We are so weary from this... it is ruining our lives, he can't work and has missed numerous days!!! WE NEED HELP QUICK!!!
T.

Rachelgirl74 · Newbie Joined: 12 Jan 2008 Posts: 1

I can tell you that these symptoms are not normal. I have severe hypertension, perhaps the most severe case that doctors have ever seen in their careers. I have been experiencing atrial fibrillation, flutter, uncontrolled sinus tachycardia for years. My head rushes, and chest hurts tremendously bad on a recurrent basis. I have recently started to feel numbness and weakness on the left side of my body when my head starts to rush. I think that this is a precursor to a stroke. Perhaps a mini-stroke called a TIA. Nothing else fits. I last had my blood pressure checked at 210/148. I am still here. My body is used to the extreme blood pressure readings. I have forgotten what it feels like to feel well. Anyhow, just letting you know my opinion. I would have a MRI done of your head if you feel this way. It might not show anything, but again it might show something. Nevertheless, it is no doubtedly a wake up call to alarm you that you are at risk for stroke.

Head Pressures, rushing feeling, Upper back pain, unable to catch breath and many more symptoms!

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