Posted by Dianna on February 12, 1999 at 10:33:26:
Background info: I've been getting clusters for 12 years; I'm now 30 years old. I've been anticipating a cycle for about 6 months now, and it still hasn't started (who's complaining?) My cycles usually run for 4 weeks every 12-18 months, the last one was August of '97. This is the longest I've been between cycles yet.
Since about October of last year, (right around the time I started anticipating the start-up of a new cycle) I've been getting an all new completely different kind of headache. This one is on the left side (clusters are on my right) and the pain is different. I would describe my cluster pain as an incredibly intense "ice cream" headache (you know, the headache you get when you drink a slurpee too fast). This new pain feels more like, oh, I guess the pain is similar to hangover pain, but in a different spot. It's completely on the left side, sometimes it even goes down into my neck on the left side, and from the front of my head to the back, especially intense over my ear. These can last for days at a time. They come on without warning and when they go away it's like someone flipped a switch.
Is this what a migraine feels like? They started right after I got a new pair of glasses, could this be related? I haven't kept a very good journal of them, but I've noticed lately they coincide with weather pattern changes. Does anyone have any advice for me? I'm hypersensitive to going to the doctor too much, because I think they don't take me seriously and won't be able to do anything for me, so I haven't asked my doc about them yet.
I guess I have to do something about these new headaches, but I wanted some feedback from my buddies on this site first. Thanks for any answers anyone has for me.
Peace
-Di