My Ongoing Headache Journey – 2 Months and Still Searching for Answers
I wanted to share my experience over the past two months in case anyone out there has gone through something similar.
It all started about two months ago. I was under a lot of stress from work—feeling anxious, angry, and depressed. Around the same time, I developed gut issues, including acid reflux, and went through a few weeks of what felt like phases of panic attacks. I couldn’t quite pinpoint the cause, but I remember one night going out, feeling dizzy (maybe from hunger), and things just spiraled from there. The panic came back, stronger.
A couple of days later, I started having severe headaches—mostly on the left side of my head. It was constant, day and night. That’s when the real chaos began. About a month later, the pain shifted to the right side, especially around my temple and temporal muscles. Since then, I’ve had this ongoing pressure in my head, especially when walking. I've also felt extremely thirsty all the time.
This has been going on for two months now. I’ve had two MRIs and an MRV—everything came back normal, which is a relief but also frustrating because I still don’t have answers.
One thing I’ve noticed is that simple carbs—anything that spikes my blood sugar—seem to trigger the headaches. I can feel it even in my eyes, and it sometimes worsens my astigmatism. Thinking about all of this, trying to analyze it and find patterns, sometimes makes it worse.
At this point, I don’t know if it’s stress, my gut health, or something else. But I wanted to put this out there in case it resonates with anyone. If you've had a similar experience or any insights, I'd appreciate hearing from you.
Hello
, thanks for reaching out, and welcome to the community. First off, I just want to say that I'm sorry to hear about all that you're going through. I can hear how distressing your sudden symptom onset has been, and the frustration that it's been difficult to get answers. I hope some of our community members here can share any information or experience they have that is similar to yours.
I'm just curious, has your doctor run additional tests or blood labs? We are not doctors, but some of the symptoms you mention make me think of diabetes. I'm just wondering if whatever is causing your symptoms could be determined from a metabolic (and other blood test) panel. Of course, as I mention, only your doctor can make a determination, but it sounds like, if they haven't already, some further investigating is definitely needed.
I do hope that you can get some helpful feedback here. And please, if you're comfortable, keep us posted and let us know how you're doing! Sending you gentle hugs. -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)Hi Christine, thank you so much for your kind message and support. I really appreciate it. I just wanted to let you know that I’ve already done all the tests, including a metabolic panel, and everything came back normal. It’s been a relief, but also a bit frustrating not having clear answers yet. I’m continuing to work with my doctor, though, and I’ll definitely keep the community updated. Thanks again for your concern and support
, I thought you might've already had all the labs run, but wanted to mention it all, just in case. While I'm glad that they came back normal, your frustration is completely understandable given your symptoms. It is so hard to be experiencing symptoms and being told, "everything looks normal" because you know that your body is telling you that everything is not normal. Do you have any upcoming appointments with your doctor to discuss further steps? -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member) 
Hi. What an ordeal you've been through! I'm glad you've done your due diligence and had lots of testing to rule out other factors. That can be both a relief and a frustration -- you're obviously glad to hear that they didn't find anything, but then...what IS it, right? I would also add in an eye exam, if you haven't already. just to make sure things are OK there, too.
Migraine is a neurological disorder that becomes "switched on" at some point in life -- though the details of how it all works are still fuzzy. You didn't cause this and it's not your fault. Many of our members have experienced a traumatic injury or illness that marked the beginning of their migraine journey. I'm not an expert, but all the stress you've gone through would put you in a good position to start having migraine attack. Gut problems are a common issue for folks with migraine, too. Every person is unique, so what triggers or helps can vary a lot. It can also take a lot of trial and error to find the best treatment for you.
Here is an article that explains a bit about why migraines happen in some people and not others:
https://migraine.com/migraine-causes
Your best bet is to work with a neurologist or, better yet, a certified headache specialist. Neurologists tend to treat a wide variety of issues, so they don't always have the depth of knowledge that a headache specialist would. Keep that in mind for the future if you're not finding some relief with your current doctor. There are directories on the headaches.org website and also at the American Migraine Foundation:
https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/find-a-doctor/
I hope some of that is useful for you! It sounds like you're doing everything right so far, and educating yourself can make a huge difference. We're here to support you if you have questions or just want to vent. Take good care of yourself. -Melissa, team member
