Just firstly, yea, I know, this isn't a "diagnosis help forum" - but I've seen quite a few topics and people asking so meh (edit: hmm, maybe it should be put else where?). And even if I get nothing I figure it might be good for me to put it in writing anyways - some ruminating if you will.
Some background. So for at least a decade now (since I was at least 12/13 (24 now), possibly longer), I've had many and constant headaches, during which I usually (not always) feel apathetic and fatigued. Up to ~23 yr I'd done little about it having basically just slept through life - failed school and tertiary educations multiple times - didn't care/couldn't be bothered, etc.
Finally hitting rock bottom (broke, severely depressed, etc) I went to a psyc and he diagnosed me with ADHD, put me on Ritalin, and bam, I'm in Uni getting High Distinctions in all my courses.
~10 months later, late second semester, it feels like it's getting worse. Even if I take an extra Ritalin, it feels like it has absolutely no effect (just want to sleep), so while I feel crappy, I just watch some movies or something and usually end up doing nothing for the next 4-5 hours. This is problematic in that my course load is getting bigger/harder - I can't afford to do that ~2-3 times a week. So I said, no more movies until exams are done.
The problem is now without movies I've noticed that during these little "downers" I can't do *any* work at all. I feel so brain dead - now I know why I always turned to movies or something.
I've been to multiple GPs, a Neurologist and most recently an ENT specialist - whom has now sent me to an Allergist. I frequently have a blocked nose (usually only 1 passage) and the current theory is allergy headaches. I am asthmatic, and I have had bad hay-fever at times (though as of late not - I take 24h antihistamines daily and it has stopped a lot of allergy related issues).
Symptoms:
-Medium/Strong constant dull headache "behind" eyes (pretty much guaranteed).
-Eyes flicker/flash (happens ~33%) (<- this makes me think hypertension - high pressure in the eyes or something - not migraines; had that ruled out)
-Heart Palpitations (~50%)
-Shaking/Tremors in hands and legs (esp legs) (~50%)
-Cold Sweats (~33%)
-Extreme Fatigue (not always with the headaches) (~50%)
-Apathetic/Depressed (~66%)
edit:
-I sometimes get extremely thirsty, and drink many litres of water with no appeasement, and also the completely opposite - constant urination with no water intake. - so some of these headaches might be dehydration? (Ritalin probably wouldn't help, but not the cause, only possibly exacerbation).
-Nausea - (~33%) (esp when extremely thirsty from drinking so much water.)
But it goes away almost as quick as it hits me - I just can not for the life of me narrow it down to a source. I've tried logging everything - my food intakes, sleeping patterns, times of day, durations, days, weather, I tried certain foods types in cycles hoping to find a culprit, but there is absolutely no consistency.
There will be multiple days where I feel top of the world - I can do anything I set my mind to with no problems at all. Then there are other times were just randomly and for no apparent reason, I get smacked in the face with a bat or something. And sometimes it feels like it lasts for *days* - I'll wake up feeling horrible, like I haven't slept at all.
I've got (another) GP appt in a couple of days and want to bring up some other ideas (going to ask for blood tests for hyperthyroidism)
After reading around for hours on end, all over the Internet, I've come up with a few possibilities - if someone could rules these out that'd be helpful.
Could it be hyperthyroidism? Is that something that could be intermittent like this?
Hypertension? I don't do much in the way of exercise (this will be changing soon - next on my list of things to test. And my dad has it as well - he is overweight though).
Depression? I don't feel depressed as such, but people keep telling me it isn't about being "mopey", and that long term depression can cause all sorts of issues.
Anxiety? Could the Ritalin just have exacerbated it? (<- possibly in all cases - but I don't care about exacerbated, I want the source).
<Insert Something>
Bah, I don't know - I don't expect anyone to read all of that, or even reply (just some confirmations or something would be helpful), but it's a useful summary for myself in any case.
Edited by AlexInf, 20 October 2009 - 12:06 PM.
