BFS and Headaches: My Story

Hi again,I've been searching around, and wondering how many BFS sufferers have problems with headaches? My BFS symptoms started to occur at the same time as my headaches, so I'm just curious. I personally suffer from so many (seemingly) different kinds of headaches that it worries me to no end.I have tension headaches (dull ache all over my head) accompanied by neck muscle pain, ever since I had a sinus infection I've had sinus headaches from time to time with pressure in my forehead and face, I get occasional sharp pains that only last a very short time, and they appear all over my head- sometimes in the same spot and sometimes not. And the weirdest thing of all is that I get tender spots on my head- sort of like when you bump your head and it leaves a tender bump behind- except without the bump. It's all very worrying, and I've gone through periods of thinking I have a brain tumor or something like that. Anyway, I'm just curious to see if I'm not alone in this.

Hi,how well do you sleep? Sleep deprivation (which seems to be frequent in BFS/CFS sufferers) can cause all kinds of headaches. I haven't been able to sleep well for years (I can sleep for 10 hours straight and when I wake up I feel like I haven't slept at all...) and have gone through periods of constant headaches. About 5 years ago I had tension headaches that lasted a full 4 months. Last year I had a very weird headache on the right side of my head. It was posture-dependent (which scared the heck out of me) and got worse when I pushed on the spot that hurt. I ended up getting an MRI for it because these kinds of headaches can be caused by pressure in the head (which can be caused by all kinds of things). After the MRI was clean, I was able to calm down and the headaches were gone within a week. My advice to you: if you have strange new headaches, go see a doctor. Unless you're able to relax, they won't go away.dawizps: brain tumors are VERY rare and almost all headaches are benign and treatable!

I've had BFS symptoms for over 3 decades (started in my early 20's) & I've had headaches, I kid you not, almost every day from my early teens until now---although they've certainly been less intense somedays than others. I've been told that I have tension headaches, fibromyalgia, migraines, sinus, culster, etc. They have gotten less intense with age though, (inderal also helped with intensity). I'm the only one in my family with this frequent of headaches, (although some family members suffer occasional migraines.) I'm also the only family member with BFS. I can't help but to think that the frequency and intensity of my headaches are somewhat related to the BFS. When I'm having "jaw and throat symptoms" due to BFS my headaches are particularly severe. Usually, an over the counter medication is helpful, if they start to get to a point where I think they're starting into a full blown migraine, I take a prescription medication. This routine has allowed me to maintain a normal lifestyle, (with the exception of a few bad days), over the years. Hope this helps. Denise

p.s. I've had MRI's but my headaches started long before MRI's were available. I would definitely request one if you're concerned or run it by your neuro, (he/she should be able to tell by a good neuro exam if you need one.) Denise

This is really weird. Because I was going to come on here and post just about the same question today. I have been getting this migraine headache the last three days and was wondering if it was related to BFS. Which I was not to concerned about it because I thought it was. Anyway thanks for the replys to the original question, they helped me also.

I have had the "tender spot" sort of headaches. I think it may be where certain muscles on the scalp are tense and get very tender. I actually have twitches on my scalp at times.Cindy

I also get headaches that coexist with my twitching, sort of dazing headaches like I've whacked my head hard on something. My neuro calls this a complicated migraine, likely. Likewise, Inderal helped me somewhat.-Dave

I was diagnosed with BCFS a little over two years ago. I'm happy to report I've learned to live with the vagaries of this condition. However, a couple of months ago I experienced strange episodes of visual distortion when driving at night. I saw an opthamalogist and was told I was having ocular migranes. I've never had any type of headache that could even remotely fall into the "migrane" category so I was very surprised. I'm seeing my neurologist next week and will let everyone know if there is any BFS connection.