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        New Message Board Archives >> 2004-2005 Getting to Know Ya Posts >> Hi new person here!
        
(Message started by: AlieKatt on Mar 4^th, 2004, 8:15pm)

Title: Hi new person here!
Post by AlieKatt on Mar 4^th, 2004, 8:15pm

Just wanted to say I was rushed to hospital lastnight with severe pain, numbness down the left side and shoulder as well. My blood pressure had shot uo to 221 or 115. YIKES! I know heart attack /stroke right? Apparently not.
I have been getting this intense pain 2 daily on the left side of my head. As fast as they come is as fast as they leave... General get one in early part of day ... then late evening.
I figured just a sinus infection perhaps ear infections though I couldn't actually find or pinn point where the pain actually was, I'd say my cheek was most intense.
As fast as my blood pressure spiked it fell again and within and 1.5 I was back to normal. Pian was gone in 20 minutes from the cheek area.
All tests done- all test ekg, blood , urine, ct come back normal?
I was diagnosed with cluster headaces.... Never had a headache last in total 20 min before and happen twice a day.. and needless to say in my cheek, ear area...
So I guess I'm a little confused and new to this. I first want to say I'm glad you are here because I'm scared and 2 has anyone experienced numbness heart attack/stroke symptoms? I thank you.

Title: Re: Hi new person here!
Post by EL on Mar 5^th, 2004, 9:53am

Hi Aliekat.. Sorry to hear of your stay in the hospital :(
I hope its not clusters but if it is please read all the info availible to you at this site. Im a newbie like yourself and have been diagnosed with clusters 3 weeks ago. I have been on preventatives so far and have been doing very well..Good luck to you and dont hesitate to ask questions whenever you have one..
EL

Title: Re: Hi new person here!
Post by Tiannia on Mar 5^th, 2004, 12:05pm

Hi Alie,

Hope it is not clusters, but it could be. Read as much as you can and get into see a headache specialist as soon as possible. There are times that I feel a numbness on the side of my HA (I am always left sided in my pain) In my face and shoulder. That is how I know the HA is coming, I feel the tingles and then I get the sweats. There are many people who get High BP when an attack hits which is why the Tripans (Imitrex, etc) that the docs give you can be bad for anyone with heart trouble. Taking Trex makes my heart race while it is working on the HA.

Welcome to Clusterville. We are crazy, prtective and insane, but we are good people who can offer a lot of advise as there are people who have been dealing with these for over 25 + years.

PF (Pain Free) Wishes to you,
Tiannia

Title: Re: Hi new person here!
Post by amen on Mar 5^th, 2004, 1:50pm

Sorry you have to be here :'( But welcome. You will find lots of great info. here.
Andrea

Title: Re: Hi new person here!
Post by Margi on Mar 5^th, 2004, 4:23pm

Hi AlieKatt - wow, no wonder you're scared! Left arm and shoulder pain isn't common with cluster, but severe headache with cardiac events IS. My mother had a heart attack 2 years ago and she says she had the worst headache of her life that lasted about half an hour. Pain down the left side, just as you described.

What meds did they give you in the hospital? If that pain doesn't go away, I'd sure get a second opinion. Kind of ironic that the med they will give you for cardiac trouble is the only officially recognized trigger for clusters - and that is nitro glycerine. My mom carries around an inhaler of nitro and it's like kryptonite to my clusterhead hubby.

Keep digging for your answers, Aliekatt and join us over at OUCH Canada whenever you want.

Title: Re: Hi new person here!
Post by tnpruby on Mar 10^th, 2004, 12:27pm

Hi there,oh my gosh , same thing happened to me , I was already diagnosed w/Ch though. The reason stroke symptoms occured are because the C/H happened on the left side which controls your motor skills. :o. I feel for you and know the experience all too well. Hang in there hopefully your series will end and that was the brunt of it. When I had experienced that fear that I was having a stroke at 30 years old. God cant even explain it but I kow you know how I feel now. Take what is prescribed and get your rest...

Title: Re: Hi new person here!
Post by Prense on Mar 10^th, 2004, 12:31pm

on 03/10/04 at 12:27:50, tnpruby wrote:

The reason stroke symptoms occured are because the C/H happened on the left side which controls your motor skills.

I have never had this happen, and in all my reading I have never seen this as a symptom for CH. I would be extremely concerned if I had "stroke-like" symptoms.

Chris

Title: Re: Hi new person here!
Post by tnpruby on Mar 10^th, 2004, 12:57pm

Let me make myself clear here, I had slurred speech, numbness just as explained. doesnt me I was having one , just similiar symptoms. Very concerned indeed and scared out of my witts... :o

Title: Re: Hi new person here!
Post by Robert the....... on Mar 10^th, 2004, 2:49pm

Sorry to hear of your hospital spell :'( and a sad but happy (can that be possible?) from me.

Welcome to the board.

I hope you find some if not all of the awnsers you need.

Keep posting
Scott

Title: Re: Hi new person here!
Post by pubgirl on Mar 10^th, 2004, 2:55pm

AlieKatt

I assume the hospital checked you out for the conditions that could have caused those symptoms.

If they did, it may be some consolation that a doctor here who is a CH expert (Goadsby's research registrar) told us in a lecture on CH that a proportion of both migraine and CH sufferers experience numbness, some loss of motor control and sometimes difficulty in forming sentences prior to or during an attack.

Hope that might alleviate some of the fear.

Wendy

Title: Re: Hi new person here!
Post by Charlie on Mar 10^th, 2004, 4:30pm

Welcome and I too hope you're having something more treatable than clusters.

If these headaches wake you out of a sound sleep, they are very likely clusters. I hope all doctors ask this question.

Good luck and let us know how you're getting along

Charlie

Title: Re: Hi new person here!
Post by pubgirl on Mar 10^th, 2004, 6:26pm

to add to Charlie's, another key diagnostic question is:
Are you restless during attacks, or do you lie in the dark and quiet?
It has recently been added officially to the official International Headache Society 'list' for doctors to help them in differentiating between migraine types and CH.

It would be a good starting point to do the cluster quiz to your left if you want to dig around the diagnosis and satisfy yourself

Wendy