February 1, 2003
Aches and Pains
Question from Sardis, Canada:
I am a 29 year old female who has had type 1 diabetes for about 17 years, and for the past three months, I have been having terrible headaches that started in the back of my head to start and now are throughout my whole head. Sometimes I have sharp pains, sometimes a terrible ache, and they do not go away only when I sleep. I am missing work and school and cannot function anymore.
I have been to the doctor about 10 times and the emergency room about four or five times. I had a CAT scan that was okay but cannot get a contrast dye done because they said it is risky with the diabetes. I had a thyroid test which is fine and a kidney test which is okay too. I went to the dentist, my eyes are okay, and I even bought a carbon monoxide monitor detector.
I am getting worried, but I don’t know who else to ask for help since my doctor is not helping me. Is there anything related to the diabetes that could cause this terrible headaches? I hope you have some ideas.
Answer:
You may want to consult a neurologist. This specialty is historically interested in treating headache pain. You could also have an MRI of your head that uses intravenous contrast that does not have the same toxicity as the CAT scan intravenous contrast.
There are a variety of vascular headache types. You may have one of these that can be prevented with medications. I would not except constant pain. Besides, it sounds like it is affecting your quality of life.
JTL
