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nail_in_my_eye
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New and Need advice!
« on: Oct 30th, 2004, 5:03pm » |
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Hi. I'm new here and I hope you guys can give me some advice since you all seem to know more than the doctors (at least the doctors I've come into contact with)!
I'm a 25 year old female living in the Washington DC area. When I was 19 and in college I started getting excruciating headaches. It feels like a nail in the back of my right eye. When this happens, my right eye tears, my right nostril runs, and I drool out of the right side of my mouth. It feels like I've been hit in the right cheekbone with a hammer. I often have to feel the right side of my face to make sure that my cheekbone hasn't been shattered to bits. The pain is ridiculous--and I am terrified at my reaction--I push the palm of my hand so hard into my right eye I'm afraid I'm going to push it into my brain. Some times I press it against the corner of a wall--I'm afraid I'm going to cause damage to my eye.
I first got the headaches in October (about three or four a week), and they would last for six weeks and then disappear until the next Fall. They usually happened late morning or early afternoon and lasted about an hour and a half. They returned almost every year (one year I was studying in Italy and I didn't get any), and occasionally I'll get a few in January or March.
I never saw a doctor because they would go away, and because I'm terrified of doctors. I know, I'm a wimp, but I also know that headaches are hard to diagnose and treat. I was often afraid that I had a brain tumor or something, and considered going to the ER, but then they would go away for a while.
Anyway, it's October again, and I've gotten two headaches so far. One woke me at four in the morning and I was reduced to a ball on the floor of my apartment screaming in pain. Now the headaches last more like three hours. I missed two days of work and figured enough was enough.
I saw a doctor yesterday--decided to start with a general doctor (I've considered seeing a neurologist, but I wasn't sure if I could just walk right in without seeing an internist first). He told me this pain was probably caused by stress or that perhaps I had a sinus infection. I just wanted to punch him. I went home and cried because I just can't deal with this pain any longer and now it's affecting my job. He scheduled me for a CAT scan of my sinuses next week, and recommended I see an ear, nose, and throat doctor.
Anybody have any advice for me? If this pain is caused by a sinus infection, then I am a serious wuss. Should I follow things through with this doc or move on and find someone who will take this more seriously?
Anyone know of a good headache doctor in Washington DC?
 I just want to cry...any advice anyone can give will really be appreciated.
Thanks!
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EmpressJMB
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No Brain, No Headache
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Re: New and Need advice!
« Reply #1 on: Oct 30th, 2004, 5:26pm » |
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Hi Nail in my Eye! Welcome and sorry your here. I was wondering how you ended up at this site since no one has diagnosed you with cluster headaches. It sure sounds like CH but you really need to find a Neurologist. I have had CH since I was 15 and I am now 42. All the Dr's told me I had sinus infections, stress, anxiety, etc...Until, ready to commit suicide, I found a Neurologist who told me it was Cluster Headaches. He said I wasn't diagnosed properly because it's mostly men who get this. Seems to be the general consensus in the medical community, but is not correct. There are plenty of women here who will tell you a similiar story. Anyway, read all the information you can, the buttons to you left are a great place to start. Take the quiz and see if it fits your symptoms. I think there's a link to find a Dr. but I'm not sure where. Someone will be along to tell you, I'm sure. I know that for me, it was very difficult not knowing what's wrong. Best of Luck and let us know how you make out! Janet
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...sometimes at night I think I understand. Brother to brother, man to man, face to face, hand to hand, the shadow dance that never ends. Shadow boxing the silent war within...yet again. Weir/Barlow
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Ronny
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Re: New and Need advice!
« Reply #2 on: Oct 30th, 2004, 6:14pm » |
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Hi there,
I guess you're not on any medication right now. You should, as empress said, see a neuro who is aware of CH. For now, you can try an ice pack, frozen veggies, or a hot or cold shower.
Ronny.
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Count your rainbows, not your thunderstorms.
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PerryGR
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Re: New and Need advice!
« Reply #3 on: Oct 30th, 2004, 6:33pm » |
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Hello,
Welcome to the board- sorry you have a reason to be here though. You've been given good advice- read all you can and find a good doctor that's willing to work with you.
Here's a link to the page of recommended doctors by OUCH (Organization for Understanding Cluster Headache) http://www.clusterheadaches.org/doctors.htm
As for pain management (until you see a doctor), OTC drugs are generally useless for CH so you might want to try some home-remedies that have been proven somewhat successfull for other sufferers. Here's a link to some home-remedies: http://www.clusterheadaches.org/resources/non_script_treat.htm
Stick around, other more experienced sufferers will be around later.
PFDAN to all,
Perry.
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Haven't posted in a while so let me re-introduce myself... Male, 25y.o., CCH sufferer for a little bit more than 5 years. Verapamil and Lithium seem to work well at the moment.
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nani
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Re: New and Need advice!
« Reply #5 on: Oct 31st, 2004, 12:54am » |
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welcome and I'm sorry you are here. Go for your cat scan it never hurts to have one done to rule out any other possible causes for the pain. A sinus infection and sometimes even enough stress can TRIGGER a cluster headache( at least for me), but it is not the source of the apin you are describing. Read everything you can here and go to a dr that has a clue. Good luck and hang in there. 
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Others may come and go, but MY power is MINE.
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nail_in_my_eye
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Re: New and Need advice!
« Reply #6 on: Nov 1st, 2004, 6:08pm » |
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Thanks everyone for all of your advice. It's amazing how much better I feel just knowing there are others out there who understand!
Anyway, now that I've admitted to a bunch of strangers that I drool, I guess I should properly introduce myself...
My name is Rachel, and I'm an architect in Washington, DC. I was born and raised in Northern Virginia, and I came back here after graduating from college (I went to Syracuse).
I've got my CAT scan this week, and then I'm going to go back to my GP and demand a neuro referral. That was a good point someone made about stress or a sinus infection triggering an attack, but if the doc blames this pain as the cause of one of those I'm really going to show him something to stress about.  Also, thanks for the advice about the ice pack...I never would've thought to put it on my neck. I'll try it next time...
To answer the question as to how I found this site...I've been doing research on HAs for quite some time (when I realized mine weren't just regular HAs) and quickly ruled out everyone's common explanation: migraine. When I read the description of CH, it was like Bingo! So while I still don't have an official diagnosis, I hope to find a doc who at least won't blame this on stress.
Anyway, a couple more questions...recently when I get an attack, in addition to the nail in my eye, and the hammer on my cheekbone, I feel like there's a drill in my ear...I can feel the pain all the way inside. Anyone else get this? (There are a lot of tool analogies going on here!)
Also, I've read that none of you can lie down during an attack. I do choose to lie down, but I don't stay still. I pretty much thrash around on the bed, crawl to the floor, writhe around on the floor... but I don't feel like I can stand up. When the pain drains out of me, I feel like the life has been drained out of me as well...I'm usually so exhaused after an attack that I pass out as soon as the pain lifts and can easily sleep for four hours afterwards during the day. Anyone else do this?
Ok, I've talked all your ears off enough for now. Thanks for listening and all the support!
--Rachel
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nani
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Re: New and Need advice!
« Reply #7 on: Nov 1st, 2004, 6:32pm » |
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Not everyone is unable to lie down, and most of us who can lie down don't usually lie still. One thing you will see here is that we are all very different. We don't all get relief from the same meds, some are chronic and some are episodic, some dance and some don't. Some of us are witty and charming like me-some are not like don. It's a crazy and diverse place, this Clusterville. Most of us are just happy that it's here for us to visit. 
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thebbz
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Re: New and Need advice!
« Reply #8 on: Nov 1st, 2004, 7:49pm » |
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Houdy NIE,
Insist on a referral . Hang in there, another site to check out is OUCH more CH info. good luck with the neuro. 
BB
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EmpressJMB
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No Brain, No Headache
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Re: New and Need advice!
« Reply #9 on: Nov 1st, 2004, 8:03pm » |
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Hi Rachel! Yes, I get the pain in my ear as well and it usually runs down the artery in my neck too. Like Nani said, we are all different (yet the same). Good Luck! Janet
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...sometimes at night I think I understand. Brother to brother, man to man, face to face, hand to hand, the shadow dance that never ends. Shadow boxing the silent war within...yet again. Weir/Barlow
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