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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

DH says I’m wasting NHS time. AIBU?

448 replies

Tulipelle · 14/03/2022 11:45

For the past two weeks I’ve had a persistent headache which is absolutely relentless. It’s an excruciating sharp shooting pain in one side of my head which just will not go with OTC painkillers and it’s been present non stop all this time. Contacted my GP last week who thought it could be a migraine (no other migraine symptoms, not made better by darkness etc) but the maximum dose of migraine medication doesn’t touch it either. Noticed the pain is getting more intense over time and tried my GP again, who can’t fit me in for another appointment for another week. I’ve barely had headaches before and certainly not a persistent one for this length of time and I’m seriously concerned about the fact it’s getting worse rather than better and is impacting me both mentally and with my work (I’ve barely been able to work since this came on 2 weeks ago).

Spoke to DP this morning as I’m at my wits end and considering contacting 111 for some urgent help/investigation. DP says it’s clearly a migraine and I shouldn’t waste time contacting an emergency number and should wait out my GP appointment. Would appreciate your thoughts, I don’t want to waste anyones time but I really am at my wits end with this pain Sad, surely this isn’t normal?

OP posts:
colouringindoors · 16/03/2022 18:57

Really hoping you're ok OP

Jellykat · 16/03/2022 19:03

I'm so relieved you went to A&E OP, i had a friend this happened to.. out of the ordinary persistent headaches should always be investigated!

Hope youre ok..

Superdyke66 · 16/03/2022 19:07

I really hope you’re okay.

GenderCriticalTrumpets · 17/03/2022 06:54

I hope you are ok, OP

Snuginagrobag · 17/03/2022 06:59

Hope you are ok OP, I'd be interested to hear what happened

I have had this type of pain of varying severity for six months plus now. I saw the GP who suggested returning in a month as at that time it felt like it was easing. It has since come back albeit not so badly and has been for a couple of months so I'm considering going back but I'm pretty sure it's nerve related in my case like occipital neuropathy

justasking111 · 17/03/2022 07:25

This is OPs first post they maybe have lost their password so can't log back in

Lalliella · 17/03/2022 08:25

Hope you are ok OP

WhyIsEverythingSoHard · 17/03/2022 09:56

@justasking111

This is OPs first post they maybe have lost their password so can't log back in
Or they have namechanged (quite a normal thing to do when talking about such a personal subject) and don’t want to update the whole world on their health issues?

They don’t have to tell anyone what’s going on, however invested some people are.
They might well be dealing with some serious news that they need to process.

I don’t understand this pressure put on the OP to update.

Oneeata · 17/03/2022 10:38

Sounds like trigeminal neuralgia. That was the only way I could describe the pains I felt was like an electric shock in my head the initial pain of the "shock" lasts about 20/30 seconds and it debilitates you completely, feels like your heads going to explode, you cry out in pain and hang on to your head for life and wait for the next shock usually every 10 mins or so. The slightest breeze touching your hair makes you wince, it's just a constant ache in-between the "shocks". I have had several episodes over the years and each last anywhere from 3-6 weeks nothing works whatsoever. Painkillers numb down the pain but doesn't take it away, you're in a constant fog, heat hurts, cold hurts, brushing your teeth is murderous, you have constant pins and needles in your head, neck and down your shoulders - it drives you crazy with sheer frustration and people do not understand the pain as you just can not describe it. My DH would initially get annoyed with me and think I was being dramatic as I can literally fall to the floor in pain with it. Touch wood my last episode was around 5 years ago so classed as in remission but they can trigger at any time and mine are nowhere near as bad as some people as some have this all day every day. People have taken their own lives it's that debilitating. Not to trigger anybody but it's known also as Suicide disease. It's just awful.
Sending lots of love and well wishes OP. 💐💖🤗

hedgehogger1 · 17/03/2022 10:51

Hope the OP is ok! I'd have done exactly the same

RockinHorseShit · 17/03/2022 12:24

Oneeata, Trigeminal neuralgia can stem from a dental problem. I was told years ago that mine was due to an inflamed lymph node pressing on the Trigeminal nerve, probably due to fighting a minor virus. Years later it turns out I have a problem with old root canal work & it's now coming up as a clear infection & this is what is causing my TN. got to admit I agree with your DH about the over dramatics though, it's nasty, it's painful etc, but dropping to the floor in pain is ott

me4real · 17/03/2022 12:46

got to admit I agree with your DH about the over dramatics though, it's nasty, it's painful etc, but dropping to the floor in pain is ott

@RockinHorseShit My sister had neuralgia and she described it as an 'I want my mum pain.' She had to go home to be looked after for a couple of weeks (in her 30s.) I suppose she is a bit like that though. But it is supposed to be one of the most painful conditions you can get.

And I get what you mean but we can't necessarily judge whether someone's being OTT, because everyone has different degrees of pain or severity of any condition etc. We don't even know what's happened with OP yet.

Hopefully she got the all clear and it's just one of those things.

RockinHorseShit · 17/03/2022 12:52

Oh I'm not saying it isn't excruciating @me4real, it definitely is & I've hit A&E with it myself a few times in the early days & had scans etc. I just can't imagine dropping to the floor grasping my head though.

pinkyredrose · 18/03/2022 08:50

I just can't imagine dropping to the floor grasping my head though

Well aren't you lucky.

RockinHorseShit · 18/03/2022 09:33

Well aren't you lucky

Hardly lucky with Cluster Headaches, maybe I'm just not a drama llama 🙄

Undermyblanket · 18/03/2022 09:36

One of my friends fell to the floor with excruciating pains after a couple of weeks from headaches.
An ambulance was called. It turned out to be 7 anurisums in her brain.
2 were operated on straight away. 2 more were done last week.
She after 28 days in hospital has come home for a rest and build her body up for the rest to be done.
She is having to learn how to talk at the moment.

comfortablyfrumpy · 18/03/2022 10:11

OP I hope you are feeling better, and have got a diagnosis or an idea of what might be wrong.

implantreplace · 18/03/2022 10:27

@RockinHorseShit

Oh I'm not saying it isn't excruciating *@me4real*, it definitely is & I've hit A&E with it myself a few times in the early days & had scans etc. I just can't imagine dropping to the floor grasping my head though.
But then reaching for phone to start a thread on mumsnet about it Grin
RockinHorseShit · 18/03/2022 11:12

But then reaching for phone to start a thread on mumsnet about it

I don't have a problem believing someone could do that @implantreplace, headaches are weird & can be minor, but very debilitating & painful & we are made to feel we shouldn't waster medics time, that's if you can even get an appointment. I can see someone posting for reassurance & then realising that perhaps they need to take it more seriously

RockinHorseShit · 18/03/2022 11:13

@Undermyblanket your friend was incredibly lucky. This happened to a friend of ours too, but sadly she died

ClinkeyMonkey · 18/03/2022 12:31

Sometimes people do fall to the floor in pain. Maybe their pain ... wait for it ... is worse than someone else's. Or maybe they feel pain differently or more acutely. My sister didn't fall to the floor in pain, but soldiered on with the brain aneurysm that killed her. Imagine if she had and I'd called her a 'drama llama' ...

implantreplace · 18/03/2022 12:41

So no one can ever say anyone is being a bit of drama llama In case it transpires that tummy pain was a burst appendix, that ear pain was brain cancer and that itchy eye was uveitis resulting in blindness?

ClinkeyMonkey · 18/03/2022 13:04

Well not quite @implantreplace, I just think it's best not to jump to the conclusion that everyone feels pain in the same way. I get excruciating migraines. My way of dealing with them is to pace around (at least for the first hour or so). I don't assume that someone who collapses onto the nearest soft surface is being dramatic. They just react to/process their pain differently from me.

WhyIsEverythingSoHard · 18/03/2022 13:12

I don't have an issue with someone doing that @implantreplace very simply because headaches and migraines often varry in intensity during the day.
I've just spent the whole of january with daily headaches. There was times when I needed calm and darkness, times when it was bearable and i could get on with things, read, post on MN and times when I had hardly any pain. All that in the same day, let alone over several days.

As for judging the intensity of the headache....

I had one like that where I ended curled up on the floor at work. It was due to high blood pressure (due to medication). A few minutes before I was still working and having a chat with my colleagues.

me4real · 19/03/2022 01:00

@RockinHorseShit Maybe some people have experienced something more painful than you have.

@Tulipelle Hope you've got the all clear, please update if you can.