Dr. Syeda Laila Alqadri

Yes, find a good neurologist. True cluster headaches have a high rate of complete resolution (aka these can be cured) with treatment options that have zero oral medications involved.

I would recommend seeing a Pediatric Neurologist for your 11 year old daughter. Surgeons typically will assess if it is related to the surgery itself. However, Pediatric Neurologists can make sure nothing concerning gets missed. We at Hope Neurology see Pediatric patients as well, both in clinic and through our telemedicine services nationwide. So, if any concerns that are not alleviated from when you see the doc, we are also here to help you.

Excellent question! If this is just a plain CT of the head, then, there is no reason for you to not eat or drink anything. You may want to speak with the doctor and double check what the exact reasoning is for this recommendation. They may want follow up blood work or some other procedure done to you. I would recommend communicating with them to ask the why. There likely/hopefully are more logistics involved than just getting a simple CT Head. However, nothing by mouth recommendations are typically given for when your cholesterol is being checked (in archaic institutions where they don't have updated testing related to this), or your thyroid levels being checked via lab work, or if you are going in for a procedure/surgery. I can go on and on about scenarios. However, I don't know your specific history or management plan, thus, cannot give you an exact answer of "yes" or "no" recommendations. Always best to communicate with the doctor getting the testing and have your questions answered properly.

Your story is complex and the symptoms are extremely concerning. I would recommend being evaluated so you can have some testing done to make sure you are not having these brain events. You could really end up getting hurt and permanently damaging your brain on a larger scale if it's something serious.

Headaches in anyone above age 30 that are new headaches or headaches that are not their typical headaches in the past, warrant an MRI Brain with and without contrast automatically. There are several reasons that your doctor will have to rule out in addition to the testing above related to what you are experiencing. But start with that first. And most importantly get an evaluation before this gets worse.

Well that is a difficult question. There are several situations where this is potentially possible and several where this is simply not possible with our current technology. There are several logistics that go into me stating "yes" or "no" and providing guidance. I would have to evaluate you and then determine that.

I'm sorry that you are dealing with this. Honestly, I have seen this before, especially in your age group. So I can understand how frustrating and debilitating these symptoms can be. There are a few disorders that come to mind. However, I will need more information. My best suggestion would be to find a Neurologist, who focuses on Autonomic Disorders. This can be either locally or even via telemedicine, which we offer at hopeneurology.net. But I would recommend getting this addressed before these symptoms lead to even more serious issues.

At least from the brief description you're giving me, yes, this can be a possible reason why. However, what I have learned from decades of experience seeing hundreds of such presentations is that it is never just one reason, but overlapping issues to create this type of clinical picture. The way you are describing the pain pattern, this pattern can be seen in radiculopathy (where spinal nerve roots are affected). The "lump" you are describing can occur when the nerves are irritated and lead to the muscle either "guarding" as a protective mechanism, and given enough time becomes "dystonic", which is a over compensatory sustained contraction or "guarding" mechanism. However, if you go to an experienced Neurologist, they will be able to examine you clinically to truly see if that is one of the multiple reasons why you are having these manifestations or not. I would not recommend trying to figure this out without consulting the right medical expertise. They should hopefully also be able to give you several effective non invasive options to help heal and prevent this, and/or determine if you truly warrant surgery. I would not take any surgery to the body lightly, especially when it comes to the spine. There are short term consequences and then there are long term consequences one should weigh before committing to such decisions. Keep in mind that doctors and patients are like Cinderella and the glass slipper. Go with one who feels like they are the best fit for you and with whom you feel confident enough to develop that trust. You can have the "best" doctor, but they may not be the best doctor to help you in your journey to healing. Honestly, I love patients, like yourself, who are proactive in caring about their health because those are the patients that ask questions. I hope this was helpful. Thank you for reaching out. -Regards, Dr. A

Well, your story can range from anything as minor as migraines at your age versus a mild concussion. Yes, I would still recommend going to your primary care doctor to look at it and see what they suspect. If they need to further refer you to a Neurologist, they are pretty good at deciphering that. -Regards, Dr. A

Well depending on what else you tell me about the headache, it will give me a better picture of what type it may be. Not all headaches are the same and not all headaches are fixed with Tylenol, Ibuprofen, and Excedrin Migraine. Some headaches are even caused by using those medications, which is referred to as a rebound headache. You just need a good Neurologist, who can work with you to help figure out your headache type and then treat it accordingly. I hope that helps answer your question. Regards, Dr. A

Depends. I can't do anything unless I have the opportunity to learn more about your unique headache. Not all headaches are migraines and not all migraines are benign. In addition, you may be having a combination of headache plus a migraine. I honestly don't know unless if I am evaluating you. You are more than welcome to reach out to our clinic at hopeneurology.net and we can work with you to get you on a path to healing.

Honestly, this would require more information. These types of findings can occur in an array of disorders that span from Cardiac issues all the way down to Neurological issues. However, I would recommend getting this addressed by a Neurologist. Regards, Dr. A

As much as I have seen a good variety of unusual rare Neurological Disorders, including brain eating microbes, common things being common, as long as you are not experiencing symptoms then I don't see fresh rain puddle water being an issue. If you experience any related symptoms, please go to your Primary Care doc. I once had someone with rabies spinal fluid squirt into my eye. That was definitely not fun since Rabies shots are extremely painful. Great question though!

Depends on the cause of the migraine and if it is a migraine or something else.

Generally speaking for true migraines, yes there are several options, many of which don't even involve pills.

Regards,
Dr. A

Not by themselves. However, it might be a good idea to communicate your concerns to your doctor. Good questions to ask are size and if they think they are "symptomatic" and/or suspicious for bleeds. This will help determine what we refer to as the "grade" of the aneurysm. Doctors such as neurointerventionalists (a type of Neurology specialty) and neurosurgeons use a grading system to determine how serious a brain aneurysm is. Always good to have one evaluate you if you are concerned about this. Regards, Dr. A

You won't believe how many reports I've seen stating exactly what you're saying and then I evaluate the images and there is something disturbingly abnormal. In fact, despite the images of your scan you posted being small for my old eyes, I can still point out a few not normal things. You are more than welcome to contact us at hopeneurology.net and we can try to help.

Regards, Dr. A

Depends on the type of stroke, age of the patient, other co morbidities they have that may prevent or delay healing, and if they are compliant with their treatment regimen. There are a multitude of factors and the combination is unique to each individual. Regards, Dr. A

If this has been going on for one month, I would recommend seeing a Neurologist who can evaluate your individual case further and treat accordingly. I understand that most might be booked out for several months and access may be an issue. If this is the case where you live, please feel free to reach out to our clinic at hopeneurology.net. I would not recommend waiting for this to get worse and then seeking medical attention, thus, potentially leading to something very serious.

Regards,
Dr. A