[txdave35]

Hi guys,

2013 has become my worst year ever for suffering with headaches. I've dealt with headaches all my life, but most of the time, I could knock em out quickly with advil or a hot shower. But this year has been different.

Starting in late June, I became having sinus headaches almost every day. I've been to two doctors and they have both treated it like a sinus infection, but antiobiotics did nothing. Now I am into September with the headaches even more frequent and painful. I never get a full day of relief anymore. I started on prednisone yesterday and my headache only got worse! Nothing seems to be working. I've tried nasal sprays, steam showers, headache masks, and only get temporarily relief at best. I just can't figure out what is triggering the pain.

My best guess is there is something in the air that I'm allergic too, and this hot dry summer is causing my head to get inflamed and very painful. I notice when I go outside for lunch and come back, the headache gets worse. I also noticed that my head can't handle suddenly temperature changes. I had horrible headaches all weekend, and that was the weekend were the temps fell into the 80s. At this point, I'm just hoping that it is due to the summer and I can finally be pain free when fall temps kick in. My girlfriend has also been experiencing more frequent though mild headaches.

Anyone here been having the same thing? This would definitely help my weather theory.

[ArkansasTgirl]

I've been back and forth between Ozark and Fort Smith a lot. Went to Eureka Springs once earlier this summer and been to NWA a couple of times.
My allergies haven't been bad at all, even without any medicine.

You should probably see a doctor.

[nmnita]

I didn't have as much trouble with allergies this year as I have in the past. I do take a pill, but not daily. I usually take one 3 or 4 times a week. In the spring I will take them daily. Otherwise, I don't think there is anything weather related that would cause more headaches this year than any other year.

I do have to ask the OP, something cause I am confused: 1st you talk about the hot dry summer as a cause and then a few sentences later you mention the weather cooling off is a change; you think that might have something to do with it; let me also add, though we are suffering from a drought, as we all know and would love to see more moisture, for the most part this summer hasn't been nearly as hot as the past 2 were. I think you need to talk to your primary care doctor and see if he/she can find a cause. To give you a positive diagnoses you will need to have tests run.

[DC at the Ridge]

I would consult an allergist. They can pinpoint what triggers your allergies. Even if you've done this before, I would recommend doing it again, because you may have developed a new allergy. For me, this year has been a little worse than last year, because my trigger is oak mold, and since this year has been wetter than last year, my trigger has been a little more prevalent. But I've popped two coricidin all year, and otherwise an advil has taken care of my pain, so I think my allergies are much milder than yours.

[txdave35]

Originally Posted by nmnita

I didn't have as much trouble with allergies this year as I have in the past. I do take a pill, but not daily. I usually take one 3 or 4 times a week. In the spring I will take them daily. Otherwise, I don't think there is anything weather related that would cause more headaches this year than any other year.

I do have to ask the OP, something cause I am confused: 1st you talk about the hot dry summer as a cause and then a few sentences later you mention the weather cooling off is a change; you think that might have something to do with it; let me also add, though we are suffering from a drought, as we all know and would love to see more moisture, for the most part this summer hasn't been nearly as hot as the past 2 were. I think you need to talk to your primary care doctor and see if he/she can find a cause. To give you a positive diagnoses you will need to have tests run.

I mentioned the hot summer as a cause because the problem really started getting bad when the heat and humidity kicked in here mid summer and has been especially bad this month. I know that my head is very sensitive to changes in humidity. I can remember two years ago going to the Oklahoma aquarium and I immediately got a headache out of nowhere because of the humidity levels being different with all the tanks.

The weird thing is last year was brutally hot and dry, and I didn't have any problems at all with headaches, but in 2011, I had a lot of sinus headaches from the end of July through August which fits into my weather theory. Now I'm starting to wonder if this isnt allergies at all, and maybe it's migraines, but the pain does hit me in the sinus areas mostly.

I'm suppose to go back to the specialist in a couple of weeks and probably get a cat scan.

[Luvvarkansas]

You say your girlfriend has been experiencing more frequent headaches also. Could it be something in your home? Mold, maybe? Does she live with you? If not, that could explain why hers are not as bad.

I feel for you....I've never experienced frequent or severe headaches, but I do have other chronic pain, and I can imagine that it's miserable.

[rmissourimule]

I think the mold is definitely a possibility as well.

If I may recommend something that might help, try irrigating your sinuses with "Nel-Med" saline solution. You can buy these kits at Wal-Mart for about $12 or so. You'll need some distilled water.

I have noticed even less problem with allergies this year than in previous years. Maybe just lucky.

[ArkansasSlim]

Migraine? Even if the Docs have not mentioned that, it should be considered. Daughter and Granddaughter are migrainers and a weather system (front) will cause a headache for them. With the many high and low systems that have come through this year, they have really had a hard time with them. Just a thought.

[Sophsils]

I've suffered with sinus problems and my husband with severe allergies forever no matter where we've lived throughout the country. We've both tried over-the-counter and prescription medications in the past with no relief whatsoever. We both started taking Quercetin about six months ago and it's worked wonderfully. We order it online from MegaFood. (I mention that because we've tried other brands and this works the best for us.)

[Jukesgrrl]

Whatever it is that causes the Texas Ranger (or Texas Sage) bushes (Leucophyllum frutescens, an evergreen of the figwort family) to bloom is the same thing that causes my atrocious headaches. I've lived in Arizona for eight years now and it didn't take me long after moving here to figure out that my nausea-inducing headaches correlated with the flowers appearing on these bushes.

In most years, the Texas Rangers in my neighborhood only bloom a few times a year (sometimes for a couple of weeks at a time, but most often the blooms last for only a couple of days, a few times a year). But THIS YEAR! Yikes. Off and on. Off and on. All summer long. At first, I thought I was allergic to the blooms (the way I am also allergic to the palo verde, the state tree of Arizona, for example). But after awhile it became apparent that I can tell in advance WHEN the Texas Rangers are going to bloom. My headache usually starts the night before and when I wake up in the morning, bingo, the Texas Rangers will be flowering.

I have heard people say the blooming is caused by humidity. Others claim it is due to barometric pressure. Some people even call the Texas Ranger the Barometer Bush. I tend not to believe the humidity story because if humidity caused my headaches, I'd have offed myself by now because I've lived in FAR more humid places than Arizona for most of my life. I've heard doctors say barometric pressure doesn't cause headaches, but my personal experience everywhere I've lived belies that.

I know my experience doesn't help the OP, but I'd be interested to know if txdave sees any correlation between his headaches and the txsage. If you do, my friend, you can tell yourself that this has been an usually bad year and it's not likely that this situation will repeat with such a vengeance next summer. BTW, what I call the Texas Ranger is also known by the names Texas Sage, Purple Sage, Phoenix Sage, Wild Lilac, Texas Silverlea, Senisa, Cenicilla, Cenizo, Palo Cenizo, or Hierba del Cenizo.

I feel for you, buddy. These headaches are GAWD-awful! The one I had yesterday actually sent me to bed for awhile.
Leucophyllum frutescens - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia