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        New Message Board Archives >> 2002 Posts >> Newbie; not sure if it's cluster headaches
        
(Message started by: Mistory on Aug 13^th, 2002, 7:42am)

Title: Newbie; not sure if it's cluster headaches
Post by Mistory on Aug 13^th, 2002, 7:42am

I'm new to this site, but far from new to headaches! I am going in for my third CT scan in six months, this time because my pain has abruptly and srastically changed. I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this?
I have suffered for several years with severe headaches that come and go, (mostly come, I'm afraid). I have been diagnosed at different times with sinus and migraine headaches (imitrex and several other drugs have failed to help.)
Last week, I experienced a sharp pain, like a chisel hammered into the top of my head. It only lasted a few seconds; whew! Couldn't take much more of that!
Then it came again. And again.
For six days that chisel chipped away at me, day and night, no more than two hours between bouts, each time no more than a few seconds, but often with much less than a minute between each. My doctor gave me Vicoden to get me through until the CT scan, fearing that anything else might cause more problems. She suspects cluster headaches; have any of you ever experienced anything like this?

Title: Re: Newbie; not sure if it's cluster headaches
Post by markdavid on Aug 13^th, 2002, 8:01am

Hi Mistory,
sorry to hear about your headachs, this site has gobs of good people and info, take the cluster quiz on the left.
PFDAN's
markdavid

Title: Re: Newbie; not sure if it's cluster headaches
Post by ChristineL on Aug 13^th, 2002, 8:12am

A Chisel with a hot poker added to it sums me up pretty well. Does your nose get stuffed up, your eye tear? Are they just on one side of your head? Do you teeth even hurt?

My symptoms are pretty classic ..........if yours are Clusters then get thyself to a headache center or a good neuro who understands them. I find the biggest aggrevation (besides the pain) is the lack of understanding and knowledge of these damn things. The support you get here will be fantastic but it also helps to have Drs. and their nurses who understand what you are going through.

Chris L

Title: Re: Newbie; not sure if it's cluster headaches
Post by Mistory on Aug 13^th, 2002, 8:25am

Having feedback from someone who clearly understands IS helpful! Thank you!
My doctor suffers migraines, which helps, I think; at least she doesn't think I'm exaggerating!
I've been reading everything I can find on this site and the links; I'm still not sure if what I'm experiencing qualifies.
Yes, the pain is on one side of my head, but also it is in one specific spot- I can literally put my finger on its origin, although it shoots all the way down to my ear at times. But the episodes are too brief to produce head pounding in my case, which is what I'm trying to figure out; does the pain of a cluster headache normally last a full 2- 15 minutes at a time, or do others have the rapidly reptitive jabs?
My poor kids (teenagers) are convinced I have a tumor or something, in spite of my constant reassurances that it is no such thing! Hopefully the CT scan today will prove that to them!

Title: Re: Newbie; not sure if it's cluster headaches
Post by catlind on Aug 13^th, 2002, 8:30am

Mistory,

I can take my finger and point to the exact spot on my right temple where the icepick is shoved into my head and trying to pop out my eyeball.

It also sometimes follows down behind the ear or down to my jaw. It seems that clusters follow the trigeminal nerve and that is why it will hurt behind your ear and jaw.

My experience from this board is that the pain can come in many different patterns and many different time amounts. I will get sharp kip 3-5's in the a.m. that last up to 5 min. but usually only 1-3 min. then in the p.m. I get them lasting anywhere from 15min. to 4 hours.

If you have migraines as well, that can be an irritating factor. I'm no doctor, but I was told that the clusters can trigger migraines after the cluster actually ends.

Check out all the info on this site and keep asking lots of questions. :)

Cat

p.s. Clusters as a rule don't pound, it's more of a boring pain.

Title: Re: Newbie; not sure if it's cluster headaches
Post by Bob P on Aug 13^th, 2002, 8:31am

I'd say they are definately not clusters due to the short duration.

Look into CPH - chronic paroxysmal hemicrania. Have you tried Indocin?

Title: Re: Newbie; not sure if it's cluster headaches
Post by Mistory on Aug 13^th, 2002, 10:15am

I haven't tried anything yet for this new round of pain; my doctor is afraid to give me anything until I get yet another CT(3rd in 6 months, but this time with contrast. Yuck.)
At the risk of sounding morbid, or worse, making all you good people think I am a total nutcase, may I admit that a tiny part of me almost wishes the test will show a small tumor or vascular anomoly (preferable operable) as the cause of this pain, because at least then I might have hope of cessation?

Title: Re: Newbie; not sure if it's cluster headaches
Post by ChristineL on Aug 13^th, 2002, 10:20am

I discovered this website yesterday..........try it

http://www.neuroland.com/ha/cluster/htm

Chris L

Title: Re: Newbie; not sure if it's cluster headaches
Post by oringkid on Aug 13^th, 2002, 1:28pm

Chris, that site seems to be gone now...got a 404.

Sherry

Title: Re: Newbie; not sure if it's cluster headaches
Post by Bob P on Aug 13^th, 2002, 1:50pm

that's because the end of the link should read

cluster.htm instead of cluster/htm

Title: Re: Newbie; not sure if it's cluster headaches
Post by Drk^Angel on Aug 13^th, 2002, 4:04pm

Welcome to the board! Sorry that the beast is hammering a large, rusty, acid coated chisel into your cranium. As Bob P already pointed out, if your attacks only last a few seconds, or 2 to 15 mins, then they might not be specifically clusters. They may still be another type of Trigeminal-Autonomic Cephalgia. SUNCT has similar symptoms as clusters, but the length of attacks are only 10 - 120 secs. Paroxysmal Hemicrania (either chronic or episodic) also have similar symptoms, but with attacks lasting 2 - 30 mins. Paroxysmal Hemicrania is treated very effectively with indomethacin in most cases (and many of the other TACs may also respond favorably to indomethacin) Hope this info helps. Good luck, and welcome to the family.

PFDAN.......................... Drk^Angel

Title: Re: Newbie; not sure if it's cluster headaches
Post by Linda T on Aug 13^th, 2002, 4:19pm

Dear Mistory: Sorry you had to seek out this place but welcome.

I can't say for sure that what you have is CH. I know that when I was discussing them with my neuro we also discussed CPH. CPH has the same symptoms of CH but the duration is between 1 and 15 minutes and in order to be diagnosed with it (at least clinically) you must have a minimum of 15 attacks per day. This is definately something I would look into if I were you.

Good luck. Hope you find relief soon. PFDAN to you all, Linda T.

Title: Re: Newbie; not sure if it's cluster headaches
Post by Drk^Angel on Aug 13^th, 2002, 4:21pm

By the way... If you want to read up more on the International Headache Society's diagnostic criteria on TACs, here's the link for the revised criteria that they are currently considering:

http://216.25.100.131/ihscommon/classifications/pdf/03_cluster.pdf

PFDAN................ Drk^Angel

Title: Re: Newbie; not sure if it's cluster headaches
Post by don on Aug 13^th, 2002, 4:29pm

Not morbid at all. I think most CH suffers have hoped something would show on a CAT Scan. That would be something tangible that could be removed, nuked or in some way manipulated. Ch seem to originate from some deformity of the hypothalmus (sp) gland. Cant do much about that.

Good that your Doc suspects CH. At least that shows that he/she is somewhat familiar and you may be able to recieve proper treatment if that turns out to be the Dx. Is your doc a neuro?

Title: Re: Newbie; not sure if it's cluster headaches
Post by Mistory on Aug 14^th, 2002, 6:55am

Thank you for all the feedback! Hearing from so many others who have faced this beast lessens my fear somewhat, if not the pain. (which returned after a twelve hour hiatus.) Last night, along with the return of the demon with the ice pick trying to dig its way out of the left side of my skull, I got the first pressure/pain of the beast I am more familiar with: migraines. I will feel that monster creeping in every afternoon for the next 3-5 days until finally it fits its whole damned self in the space behind my right eye and spends 2 or 3 hours squirming around looking for a comfortable position while I writhe in agony and pray for a quick death.
I've tried Imitrex, Amerge and Axert for those with no effect whatsoever; I now have a headache more often than not.
My doc is not a neuro, but she has mentioned sending me to someone else if she can't get a handle on this.
In the meantime, I will bring up the info you have provided; I am fortunate to have a doc that doesn't take offense from a patient asking questions!
Thank you all again! I feel like I have been empowered, at least in a small way, to fight this beast!