Clusterheadaches.com Message Board


    
      
        Clusterheadaches.com Message Board
        (http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi)
      

        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Cluster Headache Specific >> BURNING SENSATION 
        
(Message started by: BB on Sep 2^nd, 2006, 9:43am)

Title: BURNING SENSATION
Post by BB on Sep 2^nd, 2006, 9:43am

Hi all

First of all I have good news to report on DH's CH. With a combination of Verapamil, Lithium and Lyrica for preventive and 02 and Imigran for abortive, plus magnesium, multivitamins B complex supplements and melatonin , he has had 4 nights in a row pain free and the attacks during the day have gone down from 3-4 bad ones to 1 or 2 milder ones. YAY !! :)

But on the other hand, he is experiencing more burning sensation in the head, mostly on the left hand side ( his cluster side ) but sometimes can involve the whole top half of the head. Its varying in intensity, ranging from a mild dull burn to a very hot sharp burn during a cluster attack. There is also often pressure sensation with this burning also.

He often wakes up with a mild degree of this and if he gets a cluster attack then its intensified for a while, sometimes for most of the day. Normal pain killers dont seem to do anything for it.

Is this what people refer to as a " heavy shadow" ? Is this a common feature of CH? Does anyone else experience this type of burning pressure that lingers on after a cluster attack?

Thank you very much for you input.

Painfree wishes to us all.

Annette

Title: Re: BURNING SENSATION
Post by Bob_Johnson on Sep 2^nd, 2006, 10:13am

Some folks experience a facial flush and sweating during an attack. I'd guess your experience is a variation on this theme since both types of reaction involve the same nerves.

Title: Re: BURNING SENSATION
Post by starlight on Sep 2^nd, 2006, 1:16pm

I don't know it this helps but for me, my clusters take on more of a burning sensation/character during the peak of cycle and this burning quality seems to remain a feature of the headaches until the end of cycle (which I am still waiting for). As for it lingering and building throughout the day, I have not experienced that--my guess, and this is ONLY a guess is that maybe the meds are keeping the pain from "exploding" into a full-blown headache but in a sense "stretching" the burning sensation out throughout the day. This is only a guess. He should probably ask his doc--maybe he can change dosage of meds?

Title: Re: BURNING SENSATION
Post by BB on Sep 2^nd, 2006, 4:18pm

Thank you very much Bob and Starlight.

The amazing thing about CH reading this Board is how it can manifest with different sets of symptoms in different people and how it can "morph" during a cycle as well.

Rather annoying sometimes!

Annette

Title: Re: BURNING SENSATION
Post by Katherinecm on Sep 3^rd, 2006, 1:11am

I've read that one of the b-vitamins, niacin, causes flushing, burning, and/or itching in some people, especially if they take too much. I think this is usually within about 20 minutes of taking it, but it's possible that the niacin in the b-supplement might be making it worse. You could try stopping that for a few days and seeing if it helps.

Also, imitrex causes burning sensations in me- if I take a full dose it seems to make the attack worse instead of fixing it. Some sweet soul here told me my bad reaction to trex was a sign I was taking too much and to try the imitrex tip on the left side of the screen. With 1/4 dose it helps much better. In me it causes bad rebounds so I rarely use it, but I think a lot of people find with a smaller dose they have minimal side effects. You might try that too.

Title: Re: BURNING SENSATION
Post by BB on Sep 6^th, 2006, 7:08pm

Hi everyone,

Just an update.

It has been a tough but interesting journey for us both learning about CH.

It is now clear that my DH has 4 forms of headaches, attacking him at different times of the day.
They all feel different to one another and they need different medications to work. He has now learnt to differentiate them, although sometimes at the start of one its hard to tell which is building.

1- Classic cluster: the classical drilling behind the eye with a flamed stick, pushing his eye out. This causes the worse pain and he has to "dance" with it. 02 and Imigran work well as abortive. He is down to 1 every 2, 3 days now with those. Thank God !

2- Classical trigeminal neuralgia: left sided pain more on surface of face, no pain behind eye, triggered off by eating, chewing hard food and shaving. This only happens if he chews too much or shave. Nothing stops this pain when its in full swing, not even morphine. The only things that helps are Lyrica and Valium. So he needs to avoid triggers for this one.

3- Possible Hemicrania Continua: a lower grade constant burning sensation left top part of head, present all day even when not in attacks. Occasionally flares up to pretty bad level but still not as painful as cluster. With this pain he prefers to lie still and whimper. If it goes on long enough it can trigger a cluster. He has started on Indomethacin to see if it helps. This one is not yet confirmed. Waiting to see how the Indomethacin will work and to be reviewed by the neurologist.

4- Rebound headaches: caused by too much narcotics and sumatriptans, they were constant pressure type of headaches, lower grade but the pressure builds up with one of the above types of attacks making them worse. He has been weaning off medications so they are improving.

All in all, it seems like his cluster cycle is comming to an end, or at least the combination on 02, Imigran as abortive and Verapamil, Lithium and Lyrica as preventive is working well.

Now just need to get the others under control too !

It would be interesting to hear if other people have several types of headaches along side CH as he does?

Thanks for all your guidance, support, help and information given to us. Much much much appreciated :-*

Hope we can give back the same and as much.

Painfree wishes to us all.

Annette