Headache doesn't go away

acgendron
acgendron Member Posts: 1
in Brain Cancer #1
Hello, I'm not sure if this is the correct board to post this on, but I have a family member who has gone through and survived through different cancers (bladder, liver). She is currently fighting her most recent battle (stomach) and was told that the cancer was almost gone (with chemo). The problem is that she has recently come down with a headache that won't go away. She has been in the hospital for the past two weeks and the doctor's don't have an answer for her yet. They have done numerous tests, cat scans, MRI's, x-rays but we still don't have an answer. I'm only posting to see if anyone has had a similar experience? Ideas on what it could be? We are at a loss and it is very discouraging.

Thanks in advance.

Comments

  • cindysuetoyou
    cindysuetoyou Member Posts: 513
    #2
    headaches
    I'm assuming that the MRIs and CTs were of her head? I would be concerned if the drs didn't do those tests to rule out a brain met, just in case...if they did those tests, and they were clear, it could be that your relative has headaches from an unexplained origin. I've been told that sometimes people have headaches with no known cause. My son saw a headache specialist (we knew what caused his headaches) and they tried to treat it by giving him all different kinds of medicines. When one didn't work, they switched to another one. My son gave up because he hated trying all the different medicines. Some of them had unpleasant side effects. We learned later that headaches are tricky to treat and that they don't know what medicines might work, and what ones don't work. So it's a standard practice to keep trying different medicines until you find one that works. Everyone responds differently to different medicine. What works for one person may not work for another person, and vice versa.

    I don't know if this is much help...but that's what our experience with headaches has been like. My son manages his headaches now with extended release morphine, taken on a regular basis, with Dilaudid taken as needed for breakthrough pain. I don't think your relative would need such drastic medication. My son is battling a recurrence of an aggressive brain tumor.

    I hope you can find something to help your relative. Keep searching, asking, researching, and picking everyone's brains until you find the help you need for your relative.

    Blessings,
    Cindy in Salem, OR

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