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Strange pain on left side head
Hi All,
I have been experiencing a very strange kind of pain on the upper left side of my head, just above the ear.
It started about 4 days ago. The pain was quite intense during the first two days, and since then it has changed into a radiating, throbbing, or “zap-like” pain that comes and goes.
Two days ago, I woke up around 5:00 AM because of neck pain along with pain in that area of my head. However, I was able to go back to sleep later without any issues.
Unfortunately, I searched Google and read that headaches that wake you up from sleep can be a sign of a brain tumor, which has made me extremely anxious.
This morning, I also experienced some dizziness, although I’m not sure whether it was due to stress and fear or something else.
The throbbing/zap-like pain continues to come and go. I have tried taking a vitamin B12 tablet and a painkiller, but I haven’t noticed much relief.
Attached photo
I have a history of health anxiety (hypochondria), so this has significantly
Answers (14)
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A pain fixed to one spot on the upper left side of the scalp is usually not coming from inside the brain. In my OPD this pattern is most often occipital or scalp nerve irritation, tension-type headache from neck and shoulder strain, or a migraine variant - all of which can feel odd, tender or electric rather than a typical headache. Screen time, poor pillow position and stress are the usual triggers at 37. Red flags I would worry about are pain that wakes you from sleep, vomiting, vision loss, weakness, or a scalp artery that is tender with jaw pain. Nothing you describe suggests a tumour.
Next Steps
Fix sleep timing, take screen breaks every 30 minutes, do gentle neck stretches and check your BP, haemoglobin and vitamin D and B12. Keep a two-week diary of when the pain hits. If it is worsening, waking you at night or coming with any neurological symptom, we do imaging - not before. Book a consult with me and I will examine and decide whether you need a scan at all.
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Throbbing, zap like headache is classical of SAH.....
You symptoms are associated with dizziness and pain actually woke you up from Sleep and not subsiding with pain killers....
If at your have high blood pressure or even spontaneous SAH is a possibility. Please get yourself evaluated from a neurologist. You will need a CT scan brain to diagnose SAH.
Vitamin B12 won't help at all .
Don't delay your evaluation. Things worsen very fast in neurological conditions.
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It could be related to a bad tooth or ear disease or tempero mandibular arthritis.cervical spondylitis causes pain at the back of the head .check for sinusitis with extension of infection
Next Steps
If no improvement go to neuro surgeon and do ct or mri brain
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