COVID Impact On Cluster Cycle

[John E]

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. 
 

[John E]

Side note: this was my first post and obviously I posted this in the incorrect forum and not sure how to move the topic to the correct forum. My bad. 

[spiny]

Welcome John! I fixed it for you.  

Sounds like a rough mess with COVID in the mix! I too wonder how others have fared! Perhaps the move will help with responses. 

[ihatemyCHcycles]

I had COVID in late December (2020) I started a cycle for the first time in 3 years or so... and it’s latest almost three months (started a week or so after I got over covid in early January). It’s still there, but my cycle luckily is spudering out slowly. 
 

usually my cycles are 4-6 weeks.. not sure if covid brought on a cycle or what... but this has been a bad one 

[John E]

@ihatemyCHcycles thank you for sharing and sorry to hear you’re having a rough cycle. If you don’t mind sharing, did having Covid impact your sense of taste, smell or other known short/long term neurological Covid symptoms?  I understand research is taking place on Covid effect on the brain which raises the question on how it impacts those of use who experience cluster headaches. thanks!