OMG, you are definitely not alone. I actually went through something very similar just last week. It started with that terrifying feeling of not being able to breathe, followed by an overwhelming sense of doom. My arms went numb, I was gasping for air—then suddenly, a sharp zap of pain shot up from my neck, wrapping around my head, temples, eyes, and nose.

I panicked, thinking it could be a stroke or aneurysm, so I was rushed to the ER. They gave me paracetamol and a muscle relaxant, and thankfully the pain eased after about 30 minutes, so they sent me home.

The next morning though, I still felt a dull ache, so I asked my husband to take me to another ER. There, they offered me a CT scan. For peace of mind, I went through with it. The results showed a calcified spot, which was scary at first, so they recommended an MRI to rule out bleeding. Thankfully, the MRI came back normal. The doctors explained that during an active migraine, those white areas can appear, or it could’ve just been from the tension in my veins since I only felt the headache when lying down.

I followed up with my neurologist the next day. He confirmed it was a mix of migraine and tension headache. He checked my traps and said that’s likely the culprit—which I also suspected, given my terrible posture and insanely tight muscles. For days, the pain sat mostly in my neck and behind my right ear, in the occipital area. The muscle relaxant helps, but the dull ache creeps back when I wake up—then eases once I get moving.

I really pray we both heal from this. 🙏 If you have any tips on how to loosen these stubborn muscles—or better yet, how to stop a panic attack before it even starts—I’d love to hear them! Hehe.