Herx Headache or ?

[hapl808]

I always have baseline headache and brain fog, and occasionally I'll get more pressure headache or migraines.

But also occasionally I'll get extremely painful 'neck headaches' where my entire neck seizes up in a way that doesn't feel muscular. In the past I've found the most helpful thing has been high dose antibiotics or high dose allicin. Although sometimes taking allicin or abx will worsen that feeling for a few days until it makes it a lot better.

I'm a bit out of it at the moment so not sure this is making sense. I don't think this CCI (although haven't gotten an upright MRI) because ice doesn't help, heat makes it worse, lying down doesn't improve it at all. The headache is brutal and constant and makes me feel incredibly out of it.

Is this herx? I was recently taking the Samsara tick herbs, a bit of extra knotweed, low dose monolaurin, and garlic. I always feel like I have a low grade infection that I can't get rid of, but I have no idea if that's really the cause.

Anyways, not sure what I'm asking. Any suggestions?

 

[Judee]

I know this is going to sound odd but what are the dew point levels like lately where you are? Anytime, I have dew points here above 52, I get the swollen brain, neck ache, head in a vise feeling.

I'm not sure if it makes molds in the air worse or what. I use a local allergist's office to check the levels here. Pollens are low today and molds are only just moderate.

I'm also not sure if it has anything to do with barometric pressures. For some reason, it seems to correlate more with those high dew points.

???

Edit: My neighbor said the same thing about dew points yesterday. She has MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivities) like I do. I didn't prompt her; she just brought it up herself so IDK. (shrug)

 

[hapl808]

Interesting. Never looked at dew point. It says 59F, humidity is 52%, pressure is 29.9Hg. I don't know if that is high or low, but looking at the last 3-4 days when this neck headache started, I don't see any major changes in temp or pressure.

This feels different than my migraines. Migraines seem more in my head, more nausea, etc. This is more neck pain, even worse brain fog, etc. Similar visual problems, though.

 

[Judee]

Yep...neck pain...especially where the skull meets the neck. Like someone karate chopped me right there. Thinking is really difficult today.

Edit: The dew point here today is 65*
The dew point is separate from humidity. I'm fuzzy about how it corresponds to barometric pressures though.

 

[Judee]

I just remembered other things that can cause this type of headache in me and thought I should mention them just in case: yeast, sulfur/thiol foods/supplements, and cinnamon.

Cinnamon actual has a toxin in it and I'm chemical sensitive so I do wonder if that's why I react to it but ???

Plus, everyone is different so these might not be your triggers but again I thought I would mention them.

I tried to look for a list for you on sulfur/thiols. He lists one on the middle of the page here: https://drjockers.com/cbs-mutation-low-sulfur-diet/ Although, I seem to do okay on sheep and goat dairy.

This page also lists them but the font is getting lighter and lighter so I can barely read it: https://livingnetwork.co.za/chelationnetwork/food/high-sulfur-sulphur-food-list/

(I wonder if that has to do with my vision or websites going lighter: https://www.vcstest.com/ (@Hip mentioned this test in one of his posts a while back. @Hip, does that livingnetwork page look almost too light to you or is it just my eyes? Just curious. )

 

[Violeta]

Do you know if your blood pressure is involved?
I looked at the ingredients of Samsara herbs for ticks, and it looks very strong. Cats claw gives me terrible headaches.
Some herbs lower blood pressure because they increase nitric oxide. You might be able to tell if nitric oxide is involved, the veins on your hands pop out.
Knotweed and sarsparilla are estrogenic, that bothers some people.
I hope you get relief quickly, that sounds very painful.
Does the headache extend around to your forehead?

 

[Hip]

But also occasionally I'll get extremely painful 'neck headaches' where my entire neck seizes up in a way that doesn't feel muscula

I have a thread somewhere about my use of trimetazidine to treat these stiff neck muscle headaches. Works very well for me.

 

[hapl808]

I have a thread somewhere about my use of trimetazidine to treat these stiff neck muscle headaches. Works very well for me.

Do you get them frequently? The part I find really weird is that usually the thing that helps most in the past were strong antibiotics, sometimes allicin or artemisinin, or stuff like that. Although ibuprofen and large amounts of caffeine also help take the edge off temporarily. Different than my 'normal' baseline stiff neck headache which never goes away but is much lower intensity.

I haven't taken antibiotics in a couple years, though - always a tradeoff with new digestive problems in exchange for some symptom reduction.

 

[Hip]

Do you get them frequently?

Not much these days, but in the past maybe once every week. Without treatment, they would last 3 days before dissipating. With trimetazidine, they are gone within 12 hours. Nowadays I catch them at an early stage, when I just begin to notice the muscle tension and the head tension. Then I take 40 mg of trimetazidine, and they never manifest as a full headache, they are treated before the headache appears.

 

[hapl808]

Do you know if your blood pressure is involved?
I looked at the ingredients of Samsara herbs for ticks, and it looks very strong. Cats claw gives me terrible headaches.

I've taken much higher doses of the individual Samsara herbs before - knotweed, cat's claw, skullcap, andrographis, etc. The Samsara is strong, but since each capsule is probably just 500mg, they recommend taking 16 per day. I'm only taking 6 at the moment. My blood pressure is the same as usual - around 105/78. I did check it because I also occasionally get awful headaches if my diastolic goes much above 80, but that's usually part of my PEM headache and not the same neck involvement.

Such fun discussing 'which' headaches you have, as opposed to them ever possibly going away for even a day.