I don’t know. Going to the GP Monday morning.
For the last week, I have had intense pain just behind and under my right eyebrow every day at the same fucking time. For a few hours, at first, but Saturday I was pretty much useless for the whole day.
Right now, I can feel the pain, without poking at it, and I’m hoping I don’t get another one. When it hits. I can’t even think. It feels like someone has stuck in their thumb just above my tear duct, and is digging for my brain.
Nearly the same time every day.
Only on one side.
I’ve been a jerk when it happens.
My wife asked me why I only use nasal spray on one side. That’s what got me looking for info. She tells me my right eyelid gets doopy and my iris gets smaller.
According to the internet, I have Cluster Headaches. Which makes BLEARGH, since I’ve given up on painkillers already.
Now, when I go to the doctor, I’m going to be very clear that I do not want painkillers or opiates. I just want it to stop.
Fuck it’s happening again…
Wow. I’d get that checked out. Any pain in the head would make me scared I had a brain tumor, even though that’s extremely unlikely and irrational.
A doctor told me once that brain tumors don’t cause headaches, FWIW. It’s (probably) not a tumah! Good luck- if your PCP can’t help you, get a referral to a neurologist.
Yuk, sorry to hear about that. I get “icecpick headaches” that sound very similar to what you’re experiencing. I was diagnosed with migraine a few years ago but the icepick headaches don’t come with an aura, and I almost always have a twitchy eyelid to go with it.
As crazy as it sounds, it could also be a really bad sinus headache. You mentioned using nasal spray, if you use it too frequently you can really dry out your sinuses. The pain I’ve had from bad sinus headaches is excruciating and can be worse than a migraine or other headache.
No need to worry about serious things just yet, though. There are tons of reasons for headaches, and most of the time tumors and the like don’t present with headache as a major symptom. Good luck, and I hope they can find something to give you to ease the pain.
Don’t worry, Darth, if it is what you think it is they probably won’t give you narcotics anyway. There’s stuff – really expensive stuff – that works much, much better.
In the meantime, dark room, ice pack and as little sensory stimulation as you can manage. Feel better and let us know how you’re doing.
Darth, you have my deepest sympathies. I’ve had cluster headaches for over 30 years. What you’re describing does sound like it could be cluster headaches, but there is absolutely no substitute for the opinion of a physician, and particularly a neurologist, so hie thee post haste to the nearest headache clinic. A lot of GPs may not understand what these headaches are because they are fairly rare. (In my case, they always assume I have migraines because I am female and an atypical clusterhead.) Print out literature and bring it along with you if you’re seeing your primary care.
Painkillers and opiates have no effect on cluster headaches, so I think you’re safe from that particular bugaboo. What works for me as a preventive is verapamil at high doses taken during the 3 to 4-month course of the headaches. The only thing I’ve had any luck with as an abortive is 100% oxygen at high concentrations with a nonrebreather mask. Imitrex can be helpful, but most insurance plans will not cover it for daily headaches, and it really only put off the headaches for me.
Cluster headache pain is sometimes described as the worst pain experienced by humans. (On the positive side, nothing else ever really hurts in comparison. My pain tolerance is really, really high now.) While the dark room, ice pack thing can work great for other kinds of headaches, cluster headache patients are known for being unable to sit still during the headaches, sometimes even pounding their heads into walls to distract themselves from the pain. On the rare occasions I’ve had to experience them at their heights (stupid nurse, holiday weekend, no verapamil), I’ve spent the 3-hour duration of the headache walking rapidly from one end of the house to the other with a hot (not warm) washcloth on my head, muttering incoherently to myself, occasionally sitting on the couch and rocking violently for a few minutes. When the headache finally ends, I become very, very cold and fall immediately to sleep. Good times, man.
Gah. Now I’m going to have nightmares. Anyway, get to a neurologist, and best of luck to you.
OWWWWWW! Just reading the Wikipedia page on this makes me cringe for you 
My brother-in-law suffered from them and I remember he had some relief from high-concentration oxygen, as Purgatory Creek mentions.
Get thee to a doctory, (sorry, Shakespeare!) soonest!
Thank you, Purgatory Creek, for your help. Whatever it is I have going on is nearly beaten back into the normal level by heat. Chemical burn type heat. No electric heating pad works, but, both of those menthol and/or capsaicin pads that I thought were stupid placebo things really do work. It seems that the more I burn my forehead with mildish chemicals, the less pain I feel where it counts. And that’s great. It’s scary when you can’t think through a headache, and not I have that back, at least.
Last week, I was hitting myself in the head with large hardcover books to achieve the same results. And ice made things worse. Plus, I’m scary now.
Dude, go to the doctor! There’s no reason to dent perfectly good books when there are medicines that will help you out. Besides, you need an official diagnosis so as to be sure you’re not missing something.
