Boil In The Head?

“If your body is not right, the rest of your day will go all wrong. Take care of yourself” This remains one of my favorite quotes by V.L. Allineare. In 2017, before I moved to the USA, I had persistent headaches accompanied by eye pain and very bad hormonal acne. I went to the hospital several times and all I was given were pain killers, Acetaminophen for the headaches. This had been going on for the most part of 2016 and 2017. At a point I resorted to self medication because if I went to the hospital, I knew what I would be given… Acetaminophen and nothing new.

Until after I moved to the US and complained to my PCP, I was scheduled for a dermatology appointment and a brain MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). The latter came to me as a shock because my Primary Care Provider (PCP) did not have any form of discussion with me prior to scheduling me for the brain MRI scan. My initial thought was, am I having a brain damage or there’s a boil in my head causing these headaches? This did not sit well with me as I had sleepless nights, spending most of my time on the internet trying to read why and what an MRI scan is. Upon watching videos on how MRI scan is done, my fear and anxiety heightened due to the scary stories I read about MRI scans online; also I am clusterophobic.

Lo and behold, the day for the scan was near, I mustered courage and went in with my sister for the scan. The experience was not as bad as I thought. I was given an IV medication (contrast dye) through my arm, after a few minutes, I was directed into the machine, with headphones on, a heating blanket and a neck rest to make me very comfortable. In less than 30 minutes, I was done and ready to go. After a few days, results were ready and I went in to see my PCP. She mentioned I had a swelling on my pituitary gland that is located in the brain, called the Pituitary microadenoma and that could be the cause of my headache. If this tumor grows big, it can cause stress on some eye nerves and cause eye pain.

Fortunately, early detection is curable through medications but late stages requires surgery. I was given some medications to help shrink the benign(non-cancerous) tumor. Not all headaches are “normal headaches”. Get yourself checked or speak with your PCP if they are persistent.

**Priscilla Agbale**