As some of you may know, I was diagnosed with a 7cm prolactinoma back in March of this year. My prolactin was originally through the roof at around 2,000. After surgery, it was down to 1,000, dropped to 23 when I had my blood tested in May and finally way down to 2.6 as of my last blood test a couple weeks ago. I've been on 0.5mg of Cabergoline twice a week and Pentoxyfiline for eye circulation (to help repair optic nerve damage from tumor pushing on it) since leaving the hospital at the beginning of April and as of my last MRI at the end of June, the tumor has been receding.

With the exception of right after surgery, I was relatively headache free between April and the last couple weeks of August. Prior to surgery, I used to get these horrible pulsating cluster headaches on my left side (right in the temple). Advil would usually relieve the pain temporarily but it always came back daily. Those were almost debilitating.

Now, headaches can be caused by one of many many different things and there's no definitive evidence that headaches are the sole cause or symptom for a real medical problem, but I'm sure those particular cluster headaches were at least somewhat related to the tumor.

As of a couple weeks ago, I started having minor headaches again, but they seem to occur on my right side (temple). They're not nearly as intense as the ones I used to get before surgery and those years prior but they do linger and ache a little bit. They're not debilitating but they are scaring me because I can't help but associate them with the prolactinoma.

I'll be having another MRI at the end of this month and although things are looking very positive, I am still totally freaked. Prolactin is down, tumor appears to be receding after 80% of it was removed via surgery, but would there be a particular reason that headaches would return after 4 months relatively headache free? Should I be super concerned that I have minor headaches? I don't like relying on extra strength Excedrin or Advil to get rid of them and I usually just try to live with them but sometimes I just need to take it but I'm always concerned when they come back. Again, they're not horrible like they used to be, but they're still consistent.

I plan to ask my endocrinologist about this, obviously, but do any of you experience headaches still, even during treatment with Cabergoline? Could Cabergoline and Pentoxyfiline cause headaches after 3-4 months of not causing them?

I will say that there is a lot of stress to my days with financial worries, family, and everything like that, but that's always been constant. Also, some people just have a natural propensity to headaches, even if there's nothing particular causing them. Any thoughts?

--Jeff