Hello all! I hope you are well.
My name is Yuyo, 34yo male and this is my story that took me to this forum.
5-4 years ago I started developing chronic fatigue. It started worse in the mornings, waking up lethargic and unrefreshed, but it would get better in a couple of hours. Drinks and parties in the evenings also became less often as I started to have less and less energy by the end of each day.
Sleep studies and other tests were done with nothing showing.
Now I am in a point when I am basically constantly tired. This includes body ache but also brain fog, which made me quit working last October, as it is very difficult for me to concentrate.
On top of that I started to have more and more headaches since around that time. They don’t respond to otc medication. Now the headache is a 24/7 which radiates mainly from the temples. I can feel the headache location “react” sometimes to postural movement, but nothing like I have seen described by people with elevated intercranial pressure.
I wanna add that mornings are still the worse. Not necessarily the most intense headache, but definitely the worse in overall symptoms like body ache, confussion, general shittiness, it is hard to describe. (I bought a wedge pillow to elevate my sleeping posture and see if that helps. Thanks @Isaiah_40_31 for the recommendation)
Because around October I was also having some neck pain I got an mri done, that showed mild cervical stenosis. My gp said not to waste my time with a spine surgeon, but I wanted to see dr Rao, who it is not only recommended in this forum for Eagles but also in other forums of chronic fatigue.
Dr Rao did some tests, and found that I had the Eagle - bilateral severe IJV compression (shown in neck mri venogram and ct venogram). He proposed surgery with dr elliot (c1 shaving+styloidectomy). i would have a venogram(catheter I assume) done to confirm
Dr Elliot disagrees with the symptoms aligning the condition, and he thinks surgery will not help, and after reading most people symptoms I understand why my symptoms are on the grey area. He referred me to a neurologist that did some testing and also agrees with dr Elliot. She didn’t even want to do a lumbar puncture. She recommended instead antidepressants, which although I was resisting at first(i had a very bad experience trying them before) I am now willing to try, as apparently they can help with pain, fatigue , anxiety and headaches.
Now I don’t know what to expect. Another doctor suggested a lumbar puncture to check for elevated intercranial pressure, but I suspect that’s not going to be an issue as per my symptoms and the neurologist assessment. Also, I found some information saying that normal intercranial pressure could be presented with outflow problems from the brain, which could still explain some of my symptoms.
I will try the antidepressants, and monitor my symptoms until I see dr Elliot again in October.
Thank you if you read this, if you have any feedback, comment, insight, I would highly appreciate it!
May all be happy, may all be as healthy as possible, may all embrace any lack of health with patience and wisdom.