Weird pain in my head...am I dying?

Factual Questions
1

(Yes, we’re all dying every moment of every day. But besides that…)

Obligatory disclaimer: I am not attempting to solicit medical advice. I have an appointment with my doctor on Wednesday and will bring this up with her then.

I’ve had a headache nearly every day of my life since I was about eight years old. Headaches run in my family. I’ve told several doctors about it, and they’ve all told me to just take whatever pain reliever works for me. I take Excedrin for the minor headaches, which usually either clears it up or at least makes it barely noticeable. I also get occasional migraines (maybe once every three or four months), for which I have taken a variety of prescription medications, all of which have worked with minimal side effects. I’m a 27-year-old female, in reasonably good health.

This morning, about 40 minutes after I got out of bed, I experienced a weird pain in my head. In my right temple, I felt a sharp pain that came and went very fast, and left no lingering ache. I’d had similar things happen before, and I’ve always just brushed it off as a misfiring nerve.

This time, however, it has continued to happen throughout the day. I’ll get a quick flash of pain in my temple - painful enough to startle me - and then it will disappear. It happens more frequently if I’m standing up, and tends to come in clusters - it’ll happen three of four times in a ten minute period, then nothing for a couple hours. Excedrin has had no noticeable effect on it (though it did clear up the headache I had “in the background.”)

If I had to describe the sensation, I’d say that it feels like a slightly-too-large object moving through a slightly-too-small tube, but I’m afraid that may just be my imagination running away with me. I’ve had no problems with my hearing, vision, memory, motor skills, or ability to speak.

Any idea what the problem could be? Just a weird form of headache? A misfiring nerve? An aneurysm? A stroke? A tumor? I have to imagine that if it were anything serious it would have had a more dramatic effect by now (eight hours after the first pain this morning,) but you never know.

2

That sounds very migrainous to me; I get this too as a precursor to a worse migraine, a few days later. Migraine symptoms can develop and change over the years. That said, go and see a doctor ASAP. Get a second opinion.

3

IANAD, but it sounds similar to something I had as a kid. If I recall it was some sort of sinus infection. Medication cleared is up.

Did I mention, however, IANAD?

4

Sounds like an “ice pick headache” Google that phrase for more detailed descriptions, and then talk to your doctor about it.

They’re horrible, but at least they’re brief

5

Along with all the soothing encouragement, allow me to relate the story of my nephew. For about 3 - 4 days last summer he’d been telling folks what an awful headache he kept having. One day he didn’t show up for work. His sister found him, dead, in his apartment. He was 38 years old.

I’m glad you’re seeing a doctor.

6

Thanks, all. Ice pick headache sounds about right.

And MLS, I’m so sorry about your nephew. That’s terrifying.

7

Try Googling “cluster migraines.”

8

Don’t take “aspirin” for an answer. This is a long-standing problem and you want the scary stuff ruled out, not dismissed.

9

I get these too, it’s very possibly a migraine symptom. Do some research on cluster headaches, or ice-pick headaches, and make sure to bring the possibility up to your doctor. You may also want to get an appointment to see a neurologist, who will have more experience with this type of thing and can get you on some medication that can prevent it in the future.

10

Were they able to find out what killed him?

11

It was most likely a stroke. There were traces only of antihistamines (like you’d take for a sinus headache) found in his system.

12

You’ve definitely got “ice-pick” headaches, which are appropriately named. The problem is that they’ve already gone away before you can take something for them. I’m interested in hearing whether your doctor prescribes something that can be taken preventatively.

And yeah, I get tension headaches and migraines too. Sometimes simultaneously. Join the club.

13

Just chiming in as another ice-pick headache victim. I don’t get 'em a lot, maybe once a month or so–but I’ve had them as long as I can remember.

14

Just hope it’s not going to turn out to be a weird case of trigeminal neuralgia. I went through 2 months of sheer pain when I was 10 and it warped me for ever. Now I hate all of you. cold glare

15

I get sharp shooting pain every now and again in virtually all parts of my body (I haven’t looked up the ‘ice pick’ links yet, but it sounds appropriate). It only lasts for a second or less but it is a very intense pain. I always just assumed this was normal, but in talking with people, it seems I am unusual in this sense. The ones in my head and chest are the worst, but I just cross my fingers and hope I don’t collapse from a stroke or heart attack. I’m still alive and kicking.

16

FYI - you don’t have a tongue piercing, do you?

Teen’s tongue piercing linked to pain

17

Demons. You got demons in your head!

I gets 'em all the time, never bothered none with pills since they’re gone before I could figure out where I left 'em.

Well, I get something similar to what’s described and doctors love it when you start talking about demons. I also come from a headache family get occasional migraines, but I’d send the demons after a doctor who told me to take Excedrin without offering a migraine specific remedy. Those things at $10/pill are worth it for a real honest-to-Og migraine, but I’ve never heard of anything that’ll help the ice-pick thingy.

Looking at the date of the OP - should have been to the doctor by now and hasn’t posted since the 7th. Maybe Kairos really was dying. Yikes!

Weird note - Kairos and I both are in the Denver area, both have migraines, both potentially have ice-pick headaches (unless Kairos had something else, of course) and our birthdays are a day apart…

18

Could it be AVM? I’m hoping not, but…it stands for something veinous malformation. I should remember it since my brother has it, but the first word slips my mind right now. Anyway, it can be congenital and causes headaches.

19

The exact same thing happended to both my Aunt and several years later my Uncle.

In both cases it was a ruptured Berry Anuerism. These aneurisms can be detected by a scan (an MRI I think). Our whole family had to be scanned after my Uncle became ill.

Kairos this does not necessarily mean you have one of these aneurisms. There are many things that can cause headaches, but it might be worth your doctor sending you for a scan anyway.

20

The berry aneurysm you mention is related to the AVM–arteriovenous malformation–that I had mentioned. I also wish to reassure the OP that it may not be these things at all, but it should be checked out, because treatment is available.