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Headaches for almost a year

Hello, I have been having almost daily headaches since the last week in August 2015. I was 15 in March and female if that helps.
I mostly have tension headaches but sometimes migraines (being sensitive to noise).
Let me start from the beginning.
After 3 months of having headaches, I thought something wasn't right. So we went to the doctor and he said there wasn't much he could do except try to take painkillers to help. I also had some blood taken.
So, I get the results. Everything comes back fine.
I go back to the doctor so say that I am struggling with feeling down all the time so he refers me to a school nurse.
We come back from school holidays and miraculously the headaches have gone. I start sessions with the counselor and she really helps me (I had been feeling like this for two years). We get to March and the headaches are still fine but a week after I host my german exchange the headaches come back. I thought that maybe this was down to stress as I ended up being in tears one of the days because it was very stressful (my exchange was very shy and it was so much effort to do anything)
We go back to the doctor again to say they have come back to he refers me to a pediatric specialist but the waiting time is 3 months- that's the NHS for you.
In June my headaches are still there and I'm feeling very tired.
Now as this was going on I had got 'shin splints' in February but after treatment from a physio they still hadn't gone away. This was in June. She was bo longer sure what they are so I had an x-ray which showed nothing. I am still waiting to have an ultrasound.
I go to the specialist who does all the basic checks but everything is fine again. The only thing he says is that he can't quite see the back of my eyes so he recommends I go for an eye test. The next day I have an eye test and it turns out that my optic discs (particularly the right one) are slightly blurred around the edges. I also have to get glasses as my right eye is +0.75. My mum emails the specialist and he refers me to an ophthalmologist (So I have to wait until September). Now I am just waiting for appointments.
So to conclude, can anybody shed some light on my symptoms or are they just too vague? I am not sure if my ankle/ shin pain is related to anything. I have become increasingly aware that I am exhausted even though school has finished and I struggle to get energy. Maybe this is being paranoid but I sometimes get random pain all over my body, just aching. Since I have stopped running, as my ankle prevents me from doing so, I have noticed that my joints click which can be painful.
Please tell me if I am being a hypochondriac as my dad jokes about this but its hard not to take it as a joke. Many thanks.

  1. Hi Velvetcake,

    Thank you so much for your post. And thank you for sharing your experience with us. I am so sorry to hear about all your symptoms. It must so frustrating to experience so many symptoms and not have the answers you are looking for. It sounds like you are on the right path, with seeing various doctors and ruling out various diagnoses. Even though it also sounds like this process is also frustrating, it could potentially lead you in the right direction. It may be helpful to also see a migraine specialist, have you seen one? Perhaps there is one in or near your area that could shed some light on your headache symptoms? In the meantime perhaps you will find the following articles helpful - https://migraine.com/blog/possible-connection-between-migraine-joint-hypermobility-disorders/, https://migraine.com/blog/migraine-comorbidities-fibromyalgia/. They discuss various comorbidities with chronic migraine that are specific to joints and shins. Also, the following articles discuss various self care techniques for managing symptoms associated with migraines and headaches - https://migraine.com/blog/a-list-call-for-creature-comforts/, https://migraine.com/blog/community-responses-what-are-your-go-to-techniques-that-bring-you-comfort/. Hopefully you can find something helpful! Please keep us posted on your progress. We love hearing from you! Wishing you all the best today.

    Warmly,

    Meaghan (Migraine.com Team)

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