I have been dealing with cluster headaches since 2007. For me, I can feel shadows every once in a while during the summer months which lead to the beginning of a cycle typically late October/early November. My cycle usually last 6 to 7 months with the peak hitting me hard with thirteen attacks in January then attack frequency and pain levels decrease until the cycle subside mid-spring.
This past summer, it was no different. Shadows were present during the summer months with more frequent shadows in September and October. During the last week of October, I was exposed to Covid and received a positive test result during the first week of November after losing my sense of taste and smell. My sense of taste and smell took two months to be fully restored. During the time I had Covid, shadows disappeared and my cycle was delayed and didn’t begin until February 2021. My current cycle was not only delayed but very unique to say the least. It started on the left side of my head and kicked my butt for three weeks with 8 to 13 attacks daily most at night. During the fourth week the pain levels decreased and I began getting shadows on the right side of my head. By the end of the fourth week, the attacks on the left side of my head stopped and the attacks immediately began to hit even harder on the right side. Currently, I am managing 13-14 attacks daily.
This may be a unique cycle for me since we all know the beast has a mind of his own and while cluster cycles and attacks are fairly consistent or predictable, they can also be very unpredictable. I’d be interested to hear what impact, if any Covid has had on other clusterheads.