Amphs

Pete M: My jaw seems to be more of a warning sign that things are going to happen headache wise. It is hard to tell how many separate headaches there are in a span, they all kinda mesh together and I haven't had very many headaches to get good conclusive data on that. They seemed to have remit, but I feel on edge, like if I drank a few drinks or did something counter productive for these headaches, I would kick a cycle off again. All in all I had a span of 5 days, with 1-3 headaches per day. The headaches would start with a tightening of the jaw. The pain during them doesn't feel like my eyeball hurts, but definitely my left head, cheek, temple, mainly top jaw, jaw hinge area hurts. These waves of headaches would last 4-6 hours each day. Edit: by "mainly top jaw" I mean "more my top jaw and less my bottom" opposed to "the pain is mainly centralized in my top jaw." The pain was the most intense in the cheek and head.

CHFather I got imitrex in pill form. As far as trying an energy shot, next time I have one I will, but I've been in the clear the past 3 days so I haven't had a chance to try it out. Hurtsmyhead: I only just started getting them last week so I'm still trying to figure out the triggers. I usually take a 4-5hr nap on Wednesdays to switch to nights, so I will see how I am doing after that nap.

Guess I'll get cozy. Went to a doc, he listened to my issues and said "yep sounds like clusters, take imitrex for the headache and tramadol for the pain." No CT scan, no MRI. But I guess his series of questions rules out brain bleeding? I dunno. Anyhoo I'm supposed to go back in a week if I still have them. I haven't had one since Sunday night, but Sunday night was bad, really really bad. I know I don't have to explain these to people here, but these headaches are new to me and these are new levels and types of pain I am not used too. It seemed to keep getting worse until Sunday night, but since then I haven't had one. So 2 full days with no headache, which was an amazing relief. I am still concerned I'm not out of the water. While I didn't have them the past 2 days, I did have a tightening in my left jaw. This tightening is kind of like a trigger or a warning sign that a headache in imminent for me, but the past 2 days they didn't turn into headaches, or mild ones if any. The tightening of the jaw doesn't hurt too bad so that's tolerable as long as it doesn't explode. I am also worried because 1/2 the week I am days and 1/2 the week I am nights. Sunday through Wednesday I wake up during the day so I can spend time with my family and do stuff during living hours. Thursday through Sunday morning, I switch to nights so I can work 7pm-7am, and sleep 9am-4pm. So my week completely flip flops midweek. I've been doing this for 3 years. My headaches only triggered on days where I was at work, awake during nights. I've read the area of the brain affected during these headaches is the area that controls sleep cycle and circadian rhythm, and if so, I can see some correlation between my weird hours and my headaches. I suppose I'll find out tonight. I take a long afternoon nap on Wednesdays to switch to night hours. If I recall, it was after this nap last week I first started noticing these headaches. I guess we'll see. Oh and one more note, the community here is absolutely awesome. Really I appreciate this forum a lot.

Got an appointment with a doctor tomorrow. Last night was also bad. My mom came over today to see how I was doing. She then told me that my grandma had "some sort of nerve issue behind her eye that was so bad doctors called them suicide headaches" Awesome. Now I know that my direct grandmother had them, and from what I've read there's some supporting evidence of them being hereditary. I guess I'll know more tomorrow.

CHFather I'll give it a go. Energy shots have lots of niacin and taurine while coffee doesn't so you may be onto something. Pete, I'll try a headache calendar/journal as well. Thanks for the tip.

Hey Pete. Yeah when I was reading up on cluster headaches, the term "most painful" was used so naturally I wanted to try to compare it to something I've had before that was absurdly painful. Pilonidal seemed like a good candidate. I've only been awoken from sleep with a headache once. (I'm only on day 5 of having symptoms so who knows I may have more) The headache attack definitely was what woke me up, it wasn't a bathroom break gone awry, it was going from peaceful slumber to stumbling around out of bed clutching my head wondering what the hell is happening. Thanks for your help

Thanks again for taking the time to read what I have to say. A lot of it is just mental spew, with me trying to figure out what is going on. CHFather I have not. For some sneaky reason I think caffeine might be triggering them, or helping too. I haven't tried drinking caffeine during one yet. This could just be completely coincidence though. I could be just drinking coffee and then getting them, and the coffee had no impact. This might be an indication that I don't have them, which I'd be OK with. MG No head trauma to note. As much as I would love for these attacks to stop, I'm not too sure I'm going to try shrooming without a neurologist giving me a prognosis. I'm worried about shrooming out to fix CH when I could have a tumor or swelling or something.

I have looked into that condition MG a little, even before coming here. I show less signs of that being the case, my skin isn't extremely sensitive in that area like it is for those sufferers. My jaw aches but that is more like a warning sign something is about to happen in my entire left-head. The actual pain I feel is hard to place because it is so, just, ridiculous. Tonight was worse. I got to work at 7pm and I was having full blown attacks from then until about 1130pm. There were times I was sobbing. I mean... I'm a guy, and not just any guy, I'm like 6'3" and built like a football player, I'm a big dude. I also kind of have a stern demeanor, and, it's just weird. My co-workers are being nice to me at least, I've had a kind of rough year this 2015. And again, during the pain tonight, I was just almost twitchy antsy, moving my chair around, rocking my body, rubbing my head against my arm and in the nook of my arm and clenching my fist. Pacing around semi helped. I am planning on seeing a doc soon MG. I'm getting through tonight at work. Tomorrow is Sunday so a doctor might be hard to find. I'm worried about the drugs they will want to give me though. I've read bad stuff about some of the shots and what it does to your heart. Besides, I may or may not have, uh, known about psilocybin for years now. If that's the cure then that's really no problem. It's 3:45am where I'm at, and my jaw got kinda achy around 1:15 but nothing happened. It's weird, these waves of headaches seem to be on a very tight 22hr cycle at the moment. Maybe not. Sorry for all the walls of text. I'm honestly kind of scared right now. 5 days ago I didn't show a bunch of symptoms for something nicknamed "suicide headache" and now, out of freaking nowhere, I do. At least they are just symptoms for now.

OK so I haven't actually cried from pain in over a decade. Until like 3 minutes ago. Anyone with this chronically, my heart seriously, seriously goes out too you.

This is insane, frigging ridiculous. This hurts, I hate this. Pain level is like between a 5 or 6, kinda hard to focus, but it will seemingly randomly spike to a good solid 7 for a minute or 2, subsiding back. By solid 7, I mean head down on my desk, rocking back and forth, unable to really focus. I'm not deliriously, moaning in pain, but if you are talking to me, I'm not hearing what you are saying, mind starting to not work right. Wish I could take some time off right now.

Well update: I slept all day today and I did not wake up in severe pain like I did yesterday at noon. So that was good. I woke up feeling great and refreshed, like I hadn't slept in a few days which was true. I felt pretty great for my 'morning' which was 4pm-630pm. Drank some coffee and drove to work. Jaw starts to ache about 1/2 way. Uh oh. Get to work. Log in, all that jazz, whole time my jaw is getting tighter and tighter. Left side of my head, top jaw, feels like where the bottom and top of my jaw hinges together, it feels like that area is reeeaaaly stiff and achy, getting more and more so, but I can move it freely without pain. Like it is super stiff without being stuff at all. It's now 732pm and my jaw is not agreeable with me. It feels kinda radiating into surrounding areas, starting at my left jaw hinge. Every CH I've read says it feels like an explosion of pain behind the eye. I don't have this, I don't think, or it I do, I've yet to experience a 14 on the pain scale as its called. I work 7pm til 7am so here's to hoping it'll stop.

I guess I'm not curious if they are the same thing. You said a sex headache triggered a cluster headache? Could you tell a definite difference between the 2 types of headaches? I just think it's interesting that psilocybin seems to be a non-conventional treatment for sex headaches as well, and when it happened it was basically thought stopping pain. I am curious if the 2 headaches are related.

Thanks for the reply MoxieGirl. You said you have had sexual headaches? The kind that go from the base of your neck upwards and the just explode in sheer pain? Those almost damn near kill me, and if these cluster headaches are worse I really hope I don't have this. Could they be the same thing or like a similar conduit of pain? From what I've read about them, shrooming is also a very affective treatment. I suppose I shall find out if I have them today. This is day 4 now, in the AM. I am about to sleep for the day so I can work tonight. If I get woken up around noon again today with intense headaches, I don't know... This disease is kind of terrifying.

I have a couple questions for you guys I bolded if you don't mind... Sure, no official word from any doctor saying I have it, but after doing a lot of research on my current symptoms I find myself here... Damn my jaw feels so achy and tight. The left, and only left, side of my brain/face/head has been going in and out of super duper pain mode, rapidly. Like, pain mode pain mode, is this even real life pain mode. I feel out of my freaking skin too like my hands are tapping and my toes are clenching. Pacing back and forth seems to help calm my nerves. But I watch YouTube videos of people having attacks and they are completely debilitated, holding their head and screaming. I might be cradling my head and rocking back and forth, but I don't think I'm experiencing the same levels of pain they are. I'm currently at work and I was able to hold my myself together long enough to get through a short call. It was hard though. I've had two other pains in my life I would describe on the mind numbing, astronomical, 9/10 on the pain chart level. To preface this, I have broken both arms at the same time, and it doesn't come close to landing on this list of my top 2. My top 2 are the types of pain where my mind ceases to create coherent cohesive thought, near blackout pain. In second place, I have a reoccurring pilonidal cyst. Don't Google that, unless you sit down a lot, then do, because you might develope it. Words can't describe how painful that is. A nurse asked once when I was in the hospital room, and I meekly pointed to the pain chart between the 9 and the 10 with tears in my eyes. Completely debilitating. In first place I have had a few sexual headaches, scientifically known as coital cephalgia. These headaches the most ridiculous, stupidly, mind altering, painful experiences of my life. Shut down mode, lay in a dark room and contemplate if something else other than pain exists. When I see YouTube videos of people having cluster headaches, that's EXACTLY what happens to me when I have a sexual headache, only with a little less fidgeting. I said all of the above because I have a few questions if I may of this fine community. Question one: What do you think the likelihood of me having Cluster Headaches is? Symptoms: 31yo white male, overweight. Started having pretty bad headaches 3 nights ago, figured it was a hangover. Noticed these headaches affect only one side of my head, seem to spread down into my top jaw, and makes the area where my jaw is hinged feel incredibly tight and achy, but still movable. Also intense pain in the left brain area. Quickly onset, then fading, but will come back in what I first described as waves of headaches, rolling in one after the other. I have had a really jacked up sleeping schedule for the past 3 years, and I've been a night person for the last 15 at various jobs. (irregular circadian rhythm) During the waves of headaches I fidget around a lot, feeling out of my skin. Yesterday while I was sleeping during the day (not a nap), I woke up to an intense series of headaches that didn't stop for about an hour and 1/2. Question 2: Can cluster headaches just hurt sorta really bad? Like in my description above, I don't think I'm hitting the levels of pain I see on YouTube but it does get up there. and if this is the case... Will they get worse? Question 3: has anyone here had both sexual headaches and cluster headaches? How do they compare?