to ask if anyone knows what's wrong with me? I feel like I'm dying.

[Alibubba]

Apologies for the dramatic title but I'm really feeling awful and would appreciate any advice.

I began getting a headache on Saturday. It got steadily worse and was absolutely awful by Monday so I started taking paracetamol which I hardly ever resort to. It made no difference. It was excruciating to bend down, cough, climb or go downstairs. My brain feels swollen and throbbing and like I'm being smashed over the head with a hammer. It was so severe by Wednesday that the DC were late for school because I was struggling so much to even move around. I got an emergency GP appointment and was referred to hospital, particularly as I'm pregnant.

My blood pressure was fine and I had an MRI scan which came back clear. They checked my eyes but there was nothing wrong there so I came home. Since then, the pain is absolutely terrible as soon as I wake. I take paracetamol immediately but still can barely move around for an hour because it's so painful. It remains excruciating until after lunch time then calms down a bit and I can function again.

Today I've also started getting cramp in one of my calf muscles but I don't feel sick or dizzy or anything so I really don't know what it could be. I'm reluctant to go back to the doctors/hospital as they seem clueless too and it's more comfortable being in pain at home with DH not having to take time off work.

There was talk of a lumbar puncture if it continues but I don't see what that will establish. I feel okay right now but I'm dreading the morning because I know I will be in tears and in agony. Has anyone had anything similar or have any idea what could be wrong? I'm not usually bothered by pain (I managed childbirth drug free several times!) but this is appallingly bad.

If it's high pressure it does tend to be at it's peak in the morning and eases off when you become upright. Is the pain at the back of your head first thing in the morning? Glad you are seeing gp tomorrow, it's better to be cautious.

Yes it's the back and sides. When I go up stairs or over bumps when in the car or walking it feels like my brain is going to burst through the top of my head.

A symptom checker just showed up cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, intracranial hypertension and viral meningitis - all of which the headache sounds applicable to. Looks like I'm going to have to have the lumbar puncture to find out what it is. Does anyone know what the procedure/recovery is like?

Alibubba Best bet is to get yourself off to hospital so this cam be investigated further. Please don't believe too much you get of Google! These things need experience and diagnostic tests some symptoms can be interpreted as almost anything, its not till you have all the evidence in front of you that you can diagnose the problem.

An instance meningitis would have brought you down very quickly the mere fact your still lucid and moving around;!

And sometimes you might just have to agitate to get the attention and treatment you deserve.

Good luck OP, hope you get to the bottom of it. I suffer migraines and know how terrible they can be so can't imagine how dreadful you must be feeling.

You must stop trying to diagnose yourself, you're putting yourself under extreme stress which really won't help at all.

Confused123 what pain meds were you given for cluster headache when you were pregnant? The neurosurgeon ruled out every effective medication for me when I was pg.

I hope you're feeling better OP. FWIW I don't think it sounds like cluster headache but it's different for everyone I guess.

*Not neurosurgeon, neurologist.

I had an lp few months ago, I have had a few of them. Recovery is usually straight forward enough but my most recent experience was hell. I was admitted again due to low pressure headache and not keeping fluids down. The procedure itself is fairly simple and painless. You are best to get checked by a professional and not rely on advice here. Best of luck. Stop googling for your own sanity.

This is exactly how my head is when I have sinus infections. Especially the pressure, not behind eyes necessarily but the pain bending over, going over bumps etc. I used to suffer badly and mornings were worst from the pressure building up lying down, wore off during the day from being upright. Antihistamines help keep them at bay now, think hay fever was setting them off.

Hopefully you're going to seek actual medical advice as opposed to doctor Google which only ever gives you life threatening and scary results. Migraine in mid pregnancy is very common, as are leg cramps. Google mid-pregnancy symptoms and you won't get things like meningitis coming up. If it was anything super serious that DIDNT show up on and MRI you would be very unwell indeed by now. I can't go on the Internet when I have a bad head.

Doctors have to go to medical school for five years for good reason, OP. Diagnosis is a science and an art.

You're running the risk of either missing something important, or diagnosing yourself with something serious when you don't have it. Either way, please go and see a doctor.

Please don't self diagnose! I have done this a lot and caused no end of anxiety etc

Op thought I'd come back after I read my post again, it looks quite frightening. That was not my intention at all. Lps are fine, it's more the thought of the procedure which makes people anxious. You feel nothing as the area is numbed beforehand. Honestly that is the truth. Recovery afterwards is grand you need to drink plenty of fluid and lie down for a few days until your body restores itself. If you are an idiot like I was and think you can go to work the next day thats when you run into problems Hopefully you are being assessed by health professionals now but don't be worrying about lps because they are routine for doctors.

I've had a LP (unrelated issue) but I was put under GA for it. I think they try to avoid anaesthetic as much as possible in pregnancy.

When I had surgery during this pregnancy I was allowed gas and air and a spinal instead of sedation and a GA, from what I can gather they are quite rough going but you need to get to the bottom of the pain it sounds horrendous.

Lumbar puncture for me was very easy, not nearly as bad as I thought. As long as you can curl up so they can easily get between your vertebrae, it was just like an injection for me. I think there can be difficulties if you are very overweight. I'm 3 stone overweight and it was fine.

I made sure I didn't do much but lie down the couple of days afterwards and I was absolutely fine. Slightly sore where the needle went in but nothing really - like a tiny cut or spot.

What I would say though is I had to wait 11 hours for the lumbar puncture in MAU. So take a sandwich and a good book.

OP make sure they do blood tests for B12, folate, ferritin, fbc and full thyroid panel.
Write these down - it's very important!

Do not take any supplements or even an energy drink in the 4 months before testing!
www.b12deficiency.info/what-is-b12-deficiency/

I've had sinus infections before and so I know they're horrid but the pain this time isn't anywhere around my sinuses and my nose isn't blocked or runny.

You've described exactly how I felt when I had sinusitis. I thought there was something seriously wrong with me, couldn't sleep because of the pain, couldn't eat! They did an X-ray and my sinuses were packed!

I didn't have a blocked nose either OP. Didn't feel otherwise ill at all.

Did you get checked out?

Yes. I was prescribed codeine and told to go to A&E if it doesn't improve by Friday.