39wks, splitting head and paracetamol doing nothing. Tips?

[LouM10]

Arrgghhhh. Woke up at 3am with splitting head. Took 2 paracetamol which helped a bit after an hour. Woke up this morning, taken 2 more, but my god it's not going away. Lying down in darkish room, tv on very low and still feel like I want to behead myself. Anyone got any tips which might help get rid of it?

oh poor you, that sounds awful. Have you tried drinking more water? sipping slightly warm water. I got really dehydrated towards the end and couldn't physically drink enough. There is also a pressure point between your eyebrows that might give you some relief, press it with your thumb for 3 mins. If all else fails I swear by acupuncture during pregnancy, if you can face it. Good luck and massive sympathies.

OOh thank you. I think I'll try drinking a bit more water. You don't think of something as simple as that. And I might get the husband to rub my pressure point. lol

Is there a possibility you may have preeclampsia? That is one of the symptoms: a headache that just won't go away. If I were you I would ring the midwives at the hospital and see what they suggest. (Happened to me last week at 38 weeks gone)

Hopefully it's nothing, but at your stage of pregnancy definitely worth checking out.

Is your baby still moving the same? What is your vision like? I would be inclined to go to hospital and get yourself and baby checked.

Agree with auburnlizzy and pinkbasket Ring your midwife and get checked out as persistant headaches can be a sign of pre eclampsia.

Hopefully it isn't but IME always best to get checked out

Also agree with auburnlizzy, pinkbasket and emmab5.

Other obvious symptoms of pre-eclampsia are visual disturbances (flashing lights), sudden swelling, especially of the face, and a slight feeling of unreality, as well as extremely high blood pressure.

I'd go to A&E to get checked out - they can take your blood pressure and do a urine test to see if you have any proteins to establish whether it's pre-eclampsia.

If everything else is ok and you decide it is just a headache (and please note my use of the word 'just' is to be sure it's nothing else not to minimise the agony that headache's can cause) then I found 4Head stick very useful and midwife said it was ok to use x

Just adding another "get yourself checked" voice - honestly, they will take you seriously at a and e, and pre-eclampsia can come on very very quickly.

Hope everythings ok LouM10 - I'm not pg, but I suffer with headaches/migraines quite a lot too, I find a damp flannel across my forehead and eyes helps... drink lots of water too! Not gulping, it needs to be sipped. Good luck and let us know how you get on with MW.

Hey. Had to ring the midwife today. The day before I got the headache which I have still got, my hands started to swell which I thought was normal. This afternoon, I got a strange 'thing' in my eye. it was almost like a rippling water effect in my left eye, and also yesterday, my eyelids were puffy. After looking at a lot of pre eclampsia websites and thinking, buggar, I've got a few of those, I thought it would be best to get checked out.

Going tomorrow morning to see the mw. Hopefully nothing, but better to be on the safe side. At least if it is, I am full term so there will hopefully be no probs with lo if induction or cs is needed.

Thanks for posting again. I was worried about you! You're definitely doing the right thing by seeing the midwife tomorrow - a quick pee test and blood pressure check will give you the answer straight away.

Good luck!

Yes very best of luck with it tomorrow - make sure you take your bag in case they decide to deliver! All will be fine x

Thank you! I'll keep you informed :)

Keep an eye on baby's movements until then.

Really glad you're seeing your midwife tomorrow. Good luck and let us know how you get on :) x

Good news. Urine was fine, blood pressure was a bit high so got to go back on Thurs for another bp check. Hopefully be the same or will have lowered by then.
Going to put my feet up I think and eat the ferrero rocher I've been saving. I'm thinking that will help :)

Take care. Glad all is fine.

Don't know if it helps if headache comes back but caffeine dilates the blood vessels so helps stop pounding if they are constricted -in both my pregnancies I got killer headaches for 10 weeks and took paracetamol extra (has 65mg caffeine in it - about the daily limit for pregnancy I think, if not lower) or made a strong filter coffee with sugar. This stopped the headaches within 15 mins - experience from migraine days! I found ordinary paracetamol fairly useless. Hope you're OK - and how have you managed to save chocolate at this stage of pregnancy?

Thank you pinkbasket:) And I might try a cup of coffee. And the trick to the chocolate... I get my husband to hide it and when I get really desperate, he fishes it out for me :)
Tesco-£3.50 for 30 ferrero rocher. 15 down, 15 to go. Oh yeah hehe

Hi, glad you've been checked and are ok. Have a chocci for me :)