diyhealth.com

Diagnosing headaches: What should you tell your doctor

Do not neglect constant and severe headaches

Headaches are common occurrences in today’s hectic times. However, constant and severe headaches need immediate medical attention. This means seeking help from your doctor. While consulting your doctor, it is very important that you explain him/her the correct symptoms of your headache. A systematic explanation is required to enable the doctor to diagnose the actual cause of your headache and prescribe the correct treatment accordingly. To know the effect of the headache, your doctor also needs to understand the cause and kind of the headache. There are two kinds of headache; primary and secondary. Migraine, tension, cluster and other common headaches fall under primary. This means the headaches which occur because of a posture problem in the head or the back of the neck. This can range from bleeding in the brain, tumor, or meningitis or encephalitis. The person needs a complete diagnosis in such cases.

Hence it becomes very vital for you to explain your doctor thoroughly so that the latter can come to a correct conclusion. You must arrange your thoughts in a logical and orderly way which would make your doctor easy to understand. To explain better, you can note down some details like time, food intake, health condition etc when you have headache. Here are some points which you can consider while explaining your doctor regarding headache:

1. Character

Medical experts describe pain to be either sharp and biting or dull and aching. You need to know which category does your headache pain fall under. This can be resolved if you give a rating to your headache pain. Assign scores like 1 for very mild pain and 10 being the worst pain ever. Be very careful in analyzing the pain. If you rate it as 10, then it must be the worst pain you have undergone so far. The best strategy is to be honest to avoid an incorrect diagnosis.

2. Onset

You must thoroughly explain your doctor the situations when the headache occurred. The timing of the headache is very vital. When did it occur? How long did it last? Was if for a few hours or even days? You must also note the activities you were performing before the headache. This can help your doctor to detect the correct cause of your headache. The food consumed during that time and the amount of sleep would also inform the doctor a lot about your headache. These details are needed as stress, lack of sleep, changes in the environment and even food can give rise to headaches.

3. Location

You must obsere the exact location where your headache is occurring. This would help your doctor to diagnose better. Note if the headache has spread out in the entire head or just residing in one corner of the head. Tension headaches normally make you feel like a tape wrapped around your skull. Normally, such headaches begin at the base of the head where the neck meets with the head.

4. Duration

It is very important to note the duration of your headaches. Headaches can last for a few minutes but can expand to a day or two. Some headaches are short enough to arrive and leave frequently while some of them last for more than 24 hours. If your headache lasts for more than a day, it is time for you to consult your doctor as it can lead to something serious.

5. Exasperation or relief

Note down the things which make your headache worse and the things which give you relief. This analysis is very important for the doctor to know. Sometimes, dark and silent rooms help in erase migraines. Any medications taken for the headache should also be reported to the doctor and also whether they had any impact on your headache or not. A lot of times, blasting noises and bright light with excessive heat can also cause headaches. Hence your doctor needs to know every detail.

6. Radiation

Headaches travel too. Medical experts want to know where exactly the pain travels. This helps them to know the kind of headache the patient is suffering. There are some instances where a headache may start at one point and spread out through the sides of the head. A clustered headache begins at the eye and tries to send sharp signals everywhere inside the head.

7. Other related symptoms

You must also make your doctor aware of any other symptoms like nausea or lack of breathing which takes place with your headache. Note if you have any vision problems, difference in your bowel movement, or any part of your body becoming cold and tell the doctor. Change of the ambiance normally affects the vision and also flashing lights can disturb the brain a lot.

Warning signs

You must immediately consult your doctor if you experience the following signs:

  1. A sudden headache which gets severe.
  2. A headache that invites fever, seizures, rashes, or weakness; even difficulty in speaking, stiff neck and double visions.
  3. Head injury causing headaches.
  4. If headaches begin for the first time after the age of 50.

Today's Top Articles:

Scroll to Top