Posted by Worriedwife34 (209.43.66.76) on July 04, 2001 at 17:00:23:
Three days after I married my husband in 1997 we made
our first of several trips to the ER with him being
nearly comotose after several series of what he calls
"head pains". We have been to several doctors and
neurologists without a confirmed diagnosis. He has had
MRIs with and without contrast that did show a "SPOT"
on the basal ganglia, but was determined to be inconse-
quential, and most recently an MRA. This found that
there were occasional "extra signals" being emitted in
his brain, but not outside the normal parameters.
His pains have no pattern, come on without warning,
and can last for seconds, or minutes, and sometimes
come in rapid succession. They are always in the left
basilar scull region, and usually radiate down the left
side of his neck, sometimes to his shoulder. After a
severe attack, he is left confused, sometimes has numbness in his arm or face, and has had blackouts causing him to fall. After lighter episodes, he is just left with a residual headache.
His doctor has tried several migraine medications with no relief. These episodes are worse in the summer, and at night when he is trying to go to sleep.
I did check out the cluster headache site, and
took the quiz for him, and many of the symptoms do
apply. However, there are some that don't.
He also has a daughter who is now 11 that has
experienced these same severe pains since the age of
4, but on a much smaller scale(thank God).
I have heard of a condition that causes spasmodic
constriction of the blood vessels leading the brain that can cause this kind of pain, and if left untreated
can cause neurological damage later in life, but do not
have a name or treatment. Unfortunately, his doctors
have not heard of it and diagnose him with migraines
or stress. Oxygen does relieve the residual headache,
and sometimes lessen the severity of the attacks if he
tells me in time. (He doesn't want me to worry)
This is very debilitating for him, and very frust-
rating to try to cope with every day. We have exhausted our finances, and all of our options. If
this sounds like something any of you know of or are
dealing with yourselves, please help us. Thanks.