I'd not consider shadows as anything more than a possible signal of an impending full blown attack.

Personally, shadows have come for as long as 2-months before full bore attacks but always episodic. But it doesn't follow that shadows will always lead to an active period and so it's  useful to consider these as discrete experiences.

==============

Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2001 Feb;5(1):55-9.  


Premonitory symptoms in cluster headache.

Raimondi E.

Catedra de Neurologia, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, 9 de Julio 3826, Rosario 2002 PKP, Argentina. raimondi@cablenet.com.ar

Cluster headache is one of the most excruciating headaches affecting human beings--especially the male sex. Most of the cluster headache cases are of episodic nature, with active cluster periods lasting generally between a few weeks and 2 or 3 months. A still undetermined percentage of patients report nonpainful sensations preceding the onset of the pain attack for a variable period of time. If occurring only a few minutes or a few hours before the onset of pain, such symptoms are called prodromal. When occurring for several days, weeks, or months before the pain, they are termed premonitory symptoms. The author believes that premonitory symptoms have not been properly diagnosed and emphasizes the need to investigate their presence, because by knowing them advances can be made in the understanding of the physiopathology of this particular cephalalgia. Furthermore, it can also allow the physician to be ahead, by giving preventive treatment and stopping or diminishing the intensity and duration of the pain attacks.

Publication Types:
Review

PMID: 11252138  

I have almost constant shadows all the time - I consider a shadow to be on a 2-5 scale. I use energy drinks and coffee to shoo them away so I can think and function. Anything over a 5, I consider to be a hit. Because of the daily pain, I'd consider myself chronic, but there will be others here who wouldn't think so because I'm not having full beast attacks everyday.

I also find after a hit, I don't notice my shadows so much for a little while, but then the nagging comes back.

I don't take any meds other than melatonin and o2, so unless it's rebound from the caffeine... I assumed it was shadows. I had it before I was dx as well.

Em
x

Hi Laurie,

I'll send you a pm now!

Em

I get shadows often.  Most are no big deal, and I had probably just shrugged similar ones off before my first real cycle.  On occasion, I'll get a harder hit, but very very brief (minutes).  It seems that my body is doing something to keep the beast at bay.  That was as bad as it got last year.

I started getting more serious shadows last week.  My cycles usually run April-June.  I'm scared half to death that these are "a possible signal of an impending full blown attack", and hoping (please, please, not again!) that I can "consider these as discrete experiences."

  I get alot of shadows too but nothing ever over a 4. The CH is so much differnt than the shadows, It even takes me a minute or two to relieze its even happening with a shadow, but That ole Ch feeling is instant. Great Post.


                           Challening, More assertive.. Coach Bill

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It means that he's a time traveler or he fat finger types like me