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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Cluster Headache Specific >> Strange symptoms
        
(Message started by: MadHatter on Apr 27th, 2007, 1:43am)
Title: Strange symptoms
Post by MadHatter on Apr 27th, 2007, 1:43am
I've been a sufferer for 21 years. For the past several months I have had the sensation of smelling smoke, as if I am in a room full of smokers. I don't smoke and don't hang around with smokers.
My Dr said it was probably a symptom associated with a sinus bacterial infection. Had a CT done and no infection or sinuitis at all.
He then said that it may be a false nuero-transmission associated with a migraine and associated with my clusters.
I've never been diagnosed with migraines but have had what feels like sinus pain for some weeks now.
I have nearly constant dull nerve pain in the temporal region of my CH pain, which has lasted for over 2 years and typical recurrant pain down the back of my neck, but this smoke smell and sinus pain is new to me.
Has anybody had similar experiences?
New to the site, btw. Glad I found you guys!
Title: Re: Strange symptoms
Post by ClusterChuck on Apr 27th, 2007, 2:52am
Welcome aboard, MadHatter!!!  I love your name!

Sorry, mate, but those symptoms are new to me.  I have had these wonderful attacks for 28 years, and that has never happened to me.

Maybe another one of these drain bamaged family members have.  Just wait, they will be checking in.

Chuck
Title: Re: Strange symptoms
Post by BB on Apr 27th, 2007, 5:02am

Hi Madhater

What you are describing sounds like olfactory hallucination ie a disturbed sense of smell.

It is an uncommon form of aura usually associated with complicated migraines. Its similar to the normal visual aura one gets with the typical migraines but this time the nerve activity is in the olfactory ( sense of smell ) centre.

Migraines and CH are 2 similar syndromes under the heading of Trigeminal Autonomic Neuralgia and they do share some common symptoms. Although auras are much more common in migraines, occasionally CHers may experience some too.

If it continues you should see a neurologist to double check to see if you have complicated migraines or not, as well as CH. Some people do have both. Complicated migraines with long lasting auras have an increased risk of TIA and stroke so its better to double check.

Take care and painfree wishes to you.

Annette
Title: Re: Strange symptoms
Post by cluster on Apr 27th, 2007, 7:24am
Dear Annette,

I perfectly agree with your message.
(Who would disagree with a doctor, would would disagree with a lady ?)  :o

Just to add:



Quote:
Headache. 2006 Sep;46(8 ):1246-54.

Cluster headache: clinical presentation, lifestyle features, and medical treatment.

Schurks M, Kurth T, de Jesus J, Jonjic M, Rosskopf D, Diener HC.

Department of Neurology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.

BACKGROUND: Cluster headache (CH) is a rare but severe headache form with a distinct clinical presentation. Misdiagnoses and mismanagement among these patients are high. OBJECTIVE: To characterize clinical features and medical treatment in patients with CH. METHODS: We established a cohort of 246 clinic-based and non-clinic-based CH patients. The diagnosis of CH was verified according to International Headache Society (IHS) criteria. We used standardized questionnaires to assess associated factors as well as success or failure of treatments. RESULTS: The majority (75.6%) was not treated before at our clinic-77.6% were males; 74.8% had episodic CH, 16.7% had chronic CH, in the remaining patients, the periodicity was undetermined because they were newly diagnosed. Cranial autonomic features were present in 98.8%, nausea and vomiting in 27.8%, and photophobia or phonophobia in 61.2% of CH patients. Most (67.9%) reported restlessness during attacks and 23% a typical migrainous aura preceding the attacks. The rate of current smoking was high (65.9%). Half of the patients reported that alcohol (red wine in 70%) triggered CH attacks. Eighty-seven percent reported the use of drugs of first choice (triptans 77.6%, oxygen 71.1%) with sumatriptan subcutaneous injection being the most effective drug for acute therapy (81.2%). The most frequently used preventive medications were verapamil (70.3%) and glucocorticoids (57.7%) with equally high effectiveness. CONCLUSIONS: Apart from the IHS criteria additional features like nausea/vomiting and migrainous aura may guide the diagnosis of CH. A large number of CH patients do not receive adequate treatments.


Source: PMID 16942468 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16942468)



Best Wishes,
Friedrich
Title: Re: Strange symptoms
Post by BB on Apr 27th, 2007, 9:38am

on 04/27/07 at 02:52:38, ClusterChuck wrote:
Maybe another one of these drain bamaged family members have.  Just wait, they will be checking in.

Chuck



Drain bamaged ? Now thats a new diagnosis !  ;;D

Annette
Title: Re: Strange symptoms
Post by cluster on Apr 27th, 2007, 12:43pm
Annette, MadHatter,

it is not just us "drain bamaged" krauts having CH with aura:  ;)

Quote:

"Occurrence of auras was mentioned by 20% of 109 responding patients: the aura was visual in 18 patients (positive in 11 patients, negative in 7), paraesthetic in 9 and/or aphasic in 1."
[...]
"Auras (visual, paraesthetic and/or aphasic) were also reported by 20% of our patients with chronic CH. This elevated figure is in striking contrast though to the previously reported rarity of auras among patients with CH or other trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias,[22, 23] while other reports did not even mention the existence of auras.[20] However, our observation of 20% of chronic CH patients experiencing auras tallies accurately with the frequency of auras (20-23% of patients) reported in two published series of 100 and 246 CH patients,  respectively.[10, 24] and is comparable to the proportion of 14% of CH patients with auras in the study by Bahra et al. (2002).[7] Information about auras, as well as about possible autonomic signs without headache (inter-ictal signs), has to be specifically elicited from the patients who generally do not spontaneously complain of them."

Source: A Donnet et al.: Chronic cluster headache: a French clinical descriptive study. J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry. (2007), PMID 17442761, (Link: abstract) (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17442761)


The refs out of this text are:

7. Bahra A, May A, Goadsby PJ. Cluster headache. A prospective clinical study with diagnostic implications. Neurology 2002;58:354-61.

10. Schürks M, Kurth T, de Jesus J, et al. Cluster headache: clinical presentation, lifestyle
features, and medical treatment. Headache 2006;46:1246-54.

20. van Vliet JA, Eekers PJ, Haan J, et al. Evaluating the IHS criteria for cluster headache. A comparison between patients meeting all criteria and patients failing one criterion. Cephalalgia 2006;26:241-5.

22. Silberstein SD, Niknam R, Rozen TD, Young WB. Cluster headache with aura. Neurology 2000;54:219-21.

23. Krymchantowski AV. Aura with non-migraine headache. Curr Pain Headache Rep 2005;9:264-7.

24. Graham JR. Cluster headache. Headache 1972;11:175-85.

btw: I've never had aura.

Aura: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aura_%28symptom%29

Best wishes!
Friedrich
Title: Re: Strange symptoms
Post by pieface_49 on Apr 28th, 2007, 10:48am
Hello Madhatter, welcome to the board.

Even though your symptoms are not described in this info, it may be helpful.  There is a headache called a "rebound headache".
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/rebound-headaches/DS00613/DSECTION=1

http://neurology.health-cares.net/analgesic-rebound-headache.php

http://www.headache.net/focus_article.asp?f=headache&b=headachenet&c=rebound_headache&spg=CSAI

Donnie


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