Yet ANUTHER medical question! :)

[Topless In Texas]

Okay: medical question for the month.....
For all you Medic Wizzes out there!

When i finally woke up this morning, and went to brush my hair, I noticed i could not feel the brush on the back of my head. Its almost completely numb. I can feel very little over about 75% of it. Still is. And kind of sore on the back of my neck and a little higher..Its bugging the CRAP out of me. I dont think I hit it...I have a PRETTY good recollection of my New Years Eve , and actually, I did not get THAT trashed. Also have had a headache, took 2 Tylenol and 2 Aleve to shake. And alot of laying around.
I dont think its hangover related...been there done that, and I've NEVER had it do this before. Any ideas? Looking on the internet, and having no luck....
THANKS
TNT

[HotRoddin]

Geeze TNT, what a numb skull ! lolol j/k
Seriously, i've never heard of that one ? but i think i'd go have it checked out if half your scalp is numb ... may be another spider bite ? Is the sore place on your neck red or swollen ?

[Topless In Texas]

Originally posted by HotRoddin
Geeze TNT, what a numb skull ! lolol j/k
Seriously, i've never heard of that one ? but i think i'd go have it checked out if half your scalp is numb ... may be another spider bite ? Is the sore place on your neck red or swollen ?

LOL!!!! Too funny! Your lucky I have a good sense of humor!!!
No, no bite. Cant tell if its red, cuz its under my hair. Closer to the bottom of my head. Kinda on the bone, so its hard to tell if its swollen. Just REALLY REALLY wierd. I'll be curious if its any better when I get up for work tomorrow....Gonna crash here real soon. Got some sleep to catch up on! Maybe I need a lobotomy....

LMAO! that REALLY was funny!

[HotRoddin]

Originally posted by Topless In Texas
LOL!!!! Too funny! Your lucky I have a good sense of humor!!!

Sorry lol i tried to resist the temptation but that pitch just hung there so long i had to take a swing at it ! lol

Maybe you hit it last night ? I raised up under a steel beam and hit my back really hard about 6 years ago, and i have a place off to the side of my backbone about 2 or 3 inches in diameter thats still totally numb ?
I would still keep a close eye on it though, and if it don't go away soon or gets any bigger i'd go let a doc look at it.

[MEDIK418]

I'll give a go! Here's two offers that I've seen that mimic the symptoms you describe. Infected hair follicles and I have reservations about this since the only person I know who was diagnosed with this (having exactly the same numbness and painful feeling you describe) actually had my second offering. . . shingles.
Have you ever had chicken pox? Have you had any stressors higher than usual?

I'd check it out with a doc if it persists.

[chuck88]

I alway go by the three day rule and that is if it still bothers you after three days get it looked at.

A bit of advice though: I had a numbness in my arms when I would drive for more then an hour. I thought it was from wieght lifting it got progressivley worse then the headaches came and I was up to nine to 12 asprins a day. Thought it was the wisdom tooth, thought it was the sinus operation I needed, thought it was the cigarettes (Good news is I quit smoking in 88) it was none of these. I went to the chiropractor and he said with extreme confidence heres your problem your neck is bending the opposite way and you have a compressed disc.

Now the advice part, had I gone to the chiropractor or at least not tried to diagnose the problem myself I would not have a permanently comperessed disc. After three days get your head examined LOL (sorry I could not resisit) by a doctor or chiropractor whatever you think is best. I can only tell you what worked for me. YOU must decide the best course of action yourself. I am a battery man from NJ not a doctor. LOL

The good news is every 2 weeks of chiropractor treatments keeps the pain down I take 2 or 4 asprins a MONTH now. I have to ice my neck EVERY night or I will be in pain the next day. I cant lift wieghts anymore I can climb under the car for brief periods and I cant strain myslef underneath, I must be careful for the rest of my life. I could only imagine how bad it would have got if I delayed further.

Good luck with ole "noggin"

Chuck 88GT

[Topless In Texas]

Hey Guys..
Thanks for your input... But..It has not gotten any better. Its so wierd. Its still sore in the bottom, and most of the rest is still numb. I honestly dont think I hit it....and I've slept in some really wierd postitions in my life, and have had a 'crick' in my neck, but never like this.

Medik...ya, I dont think its the hair thing...I'm a hairdresser. You wont find cleaner hair than mine! LOL!!!

SHINGLES????? yikes...ya, I've allready had chicken pox as a kid. I thought shingles was a painful rash on your body? Never heard of it being a 'numb skull'. LOL! um..ya, I've been a little stressed out lately...what does that have to do w/ anything? I really dont know anything about shingles...I've had a couple of clients over the years have them, and I know they were miserable, but it was diff. symptoms.

For a couple of years, I've had a problem w/ my fingers, especially on my left hand going bone white and going numb, Mostly when I drive and when its cold...I dont think it would be realted...especially since this just came up 'overnite' basically...or do you think maybe? Can a GP look at this? Or do you have to go to a Head Doctor? Sounds expensive. Gonna give it thru the weekend and see if it gets better...Lemme know what you think...

Thanks again ya'll for your input!!!!! IT SUCKS TO GET OLD!!!!!!!
TNT

[The Deuce]

Chuck, get yourself to an MD. Seriously you shouldn't have to live with the amount of pain you are describing. Get an MRI from a Neuroligist. Sounds like there is something wrong and it will only get worse with time. Trust me, you don't want to not do anything about it.

[MEDIK418]

Good advice Chuck. There are so many people out there who go to the doctor for anything that strikes their fancy and then there are those (me included) who wait too long to go. Muleheadedness I think it's called.
I've been in EMS for 12 years now, 9 as a paramedic and I got all these neat medical books at work that I can diagnose myself with. I had to quit looking at that stuff. I could turn a bunyon into heart surgery in just a few hours of studying up on ailments. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing in the mind of a parameathead.

[mustangII460]

My heads been numb for years, hasn't hurt anything yet.

[Topless In Texas]

ya, I hate to go to the doctor....Ive dealt w/ alot of **** over the years, w/ allergies/asthma, etc....and I go when I just really feel like I have NO other option. Specially now, cuz I'm STILL w/out insurance... so...I avoid it if I can....Im not a wimp when it comes to stuff...this is just wierd.
BTW...that bite on my leg, left a pretty good little scar!!! NEVER did find out what it was, but my leg did not rot off!
TNT

[MEDIK418]

One of the guys i work with whose wife is a hairdresser as well had the same thing you describe. Pain to the touch, a kind of numbness and tingling all at the same time. back of the head, from just behind the ear to the other ear. Turns out it was shingles and of all people his wife correctly diagnosed it. Shingles is a rash but it can crop up anywhere. I don't profess to know everything I should know about it but it's usually found in people who have had chicken pox earlier in life. It's kind of like a latent or weaker form of the chicken pox virus from what I can tell. anyway, it is usually brought on by a reaction to stress. not always but it's a frequent precursor to it. Like Chuck said, I'd have it looked at if it persists more than 3 days or if it gets worse.

[Topless In Texas]

WOW Medic... thats really wierd. Actually I've been majorly stressed out for the past few months. Especially the last few weeks. How do they diagnose that? Can my GP do that? I dont think I've been exposed to anyone w/ chicken pox...so, I guess thats why it kinda surprises me...(NOT that Im doubting you by any means....I do work in a service oriented industry, dealing w/ the public.) Is there any explanation why Stress is a factor? Is it contagious? I thought only REALLY old People got that...
TNT

[Topless In Texas]

Originally posted by mustangII460
My heads been numb for years, hasn't hurt anything yet.

MUSTANGII460<-------- THE ORIGINAL NUMBSKULL!!! ....lol....sorry, but you set yourself up for that one!
TNT

[MEDIK418]

I wish I knew more about it but here's a little of what I seen over the years. I don't think you have to be exposed to anyone with either shingles or chicken pox to have a flareup of shingles. For some reason, if you had chicken pox before it can cause shingles later in life but it's not a given that it will happen. The shingles cases I've seen look a lot like psoriasis but not as rashy looking. I know it's quite painful (just grab someone by an area affected by it to help them up) and yes they can diagnose it fairly easily. It is treatable, Gary's cleared up in a couple of days once the treatments startred and I cannot remember what they used to clear it up. He does look a little different now, especially where they sewed his butt to his head, the hair is the wrong color and shorter than his old hair. . I'm kidding! He still don't have any more hair than he started with.


Dont' get hooked into the shingles thing yet. It could very possibly be something else altogether. I would get it checked out if it persists though. You might look into some of the web sites and see if there are any remedies you can try over the counter. THe cure might be the same as many other skin ailments. Might be worth a try.

[MEDIK418]

It's a Tiger!!!

I just now noticed it.

See. . .that's what happens when you get old. you look. . .you stare. . . you become so fixated on anatomical parts you can't see the forest for the trees.
Talk about a tiger by the tail!

[Topless In Texas]

Originally posted by MEDIK418
He does look a little different now, especially where they sewed his butt to his head, the hair is the wrong color and shorter than his old hair. . I'm kidding! He still don't have any more hair than he started with.

ROTFLMFAO!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHHAHA! THAT was funny!

one question: is there always a rash? Someone looked today, and didn't see anything...

And, yes, its a Tiger....it was a Birthday present I got in July...my first tat! An original...came from a rectangular painting hanging in my room I took a digital of. The artist did a bang-up job making it look cool....I was REALLY happy w/ it. Considering the PAIN...

TNT

[MEDIK418]

I guess not because we were both trying to decide what he had eatin on his head and I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.

[Topless In Texas]

k....thanks Medic for all your input...I'll see how it does the next few days...and go from there. Just as long as it is not contagious, SHOULD it be that...
but like my bite, it will prolly take care of itself.....its just such a freaky feeling...
Thanks ONCE AGAIN for your help!!!!!!! (at least my ailment threads will keep your Paramedic skills up!!!)
TNT

[HotRoddin]

Don't quote me on this but i don't think shingles is contagious. I also believe its caused by the same virus as chicken pox (which is one of those viruses that never actually leave your body) so i believe you have to have had chicken pox at one time in order to get shingles. I also think sometimes the rash part is difficult to see. I have also heard that shingles most always start during a period of high stress, but they aren't sure why ? Nor are they sure why shingles manifests itself so differently than chicken pox when its the exact same virus.
All of the above is just stuff i've heard over the years from friends that have had it and such, so don't base any treatment on what i say. I'd feel really crappy thinking i was responsable for your demise !!! lolol

MEDIK SAID:
<<See. . .that's what happens when you get old. you look. . .you stare. . . you become so fixated on anatomical parts you can't see the forest for the trees.>>
I hear ya Medik, i think i told her almost the same thing awhile back The small of a womans back ... one of God's little gifts to man

CHUCK88 SAID:
<<I am a battery man from NJ>>
If you mean veh batteries chuck, i've had two friends that did that for a living and both had to quit because of disk problems ... to much stooping with to much weight for to long a time i'd imagine !!