Jeepluv77 Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 My boyfriend's mother was recently seen for severe headaches and jaw pain. They said it's probably tmj, but could be something that can result in sudden death. They did an ekg(normal) and her bp was 118/78. They told her what they were looking for but she can't remember. Said it was temporal something. The pain is bilateral, no evidence of bruits. They told her it was an arterial problem and she seems to remember them saying something could rupture. I would think it was an anuerysm, but she said they are doing blood work to rule out the disorder they are looking into. She does have a family history of heart disease, with several family members dying suddenly from heart attacks before age 65. Most recently was a brother not quite a year ago. She said they are doing two blood tests. The first is either ESP or ESR. The second is CRP. She isn't sure of these initials though. You know doctor's handwritting and apparently this one fits the stereotype. Anyway, she wants me to see if I can get more info on the condition as she is understandably scared now. If anyone may know what it is they are looking for, your help would be greatly appreciated. Even if it's just the name of it I can take it from there as far as research. And if you have any more questions I can see what info I can get. P.S.- Sorry if this thread doesn't go here. I wasn't sure where to put it. Feel free to move it if necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doczilla Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 "Temporal something" and "problem with the arteries" and "could rupture" is not much to go on. Here is the short list of life-threatening causes of headache that I can think of that does not include tumor, acute stroke, or meningitis: Temporal arteritis (not life-threatening so much as vision-threatening). An erythrocyte sedimentation rate and c-reactive protein, both blood tests, can rule this out. If positive, a biopsy is done. It does not rupture, but can cause blindness. Others: Carotid artery dissection Berry aneurism Sagittal venous thrombosis Cavernous venous thrombosis MRI/MRA can rule these out. 'zilla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ERDoc Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 It is difficult to say for sure, but I would guess Temporal Arteritis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeepluv77 Posted June 3, 2009 Author Share Posted June 3, 2009 We went in today for the blood draw and it is temporal arteritis they are looking for. Thank you so much for your input. She'll get the results on Friday and hopefully all goes well. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard B the EMT Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 When in doubt of what the doctor said, ask the doctor,even if it is a case of the patient themselves asking for the doctor speak with a friend/relative, and pass the phone to that friend/relative. Best bet is a relative in the room with the patient, second best is the ever popular method of bringing a pad of paper to write down what the doctor said, and then have the doctor review it to confirm what was said. Good luck on the outcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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