Cluster Headaches

[Dogmama]

Cancelled my trip because I cannot function when I have this headache. The upside is that I moved the registration to the next seminar which is the end of March in Norfolk VA.

Called my massage therapist & she has the flu but will see her when she gets better. Going to (gasp) make a dr. appt. tomorrow.

[azfiddle]

Oh- so sorry to hear this! I don't get many headaches but last night I woke up with one at about 11:30 pm, in much the same place as you describe- I did try some self massage, and eventually was able to get back to sleep.

Good call postponing the air travel. I had one experience where I had a problem on descent - sometimes called aerosinusitus - not fun!

Good luck with finding a solution- wish I could help.

[Dogmama]

Just saw doctor & he said they're definitely cluster headaches & prescribed migraine medication & an MRI. We'll see if I have a brain!

[Wahine]

Are the meds helping? When's the MRI?

There are some other potential diagnoses besides cluster headache (which is neurologically/vascular in origin) that are mechanical in nature. If the cluster headache avenue doesn't pan out, let me know and I'll direct you to more information.

[Dogmama]

MRI is tomorrow. Doc prescribed imitrex but it doesn't seem to help much. I had two headaches back-to-back yesterday. It's worrisome because I'm starting my dog training business and don't want to have to cancel on a client because of a headache. But, once I get them, I'm incapacitated for several hours.

Can the MRI definitively diagnose a cluster headache? I thought he was just ruling out other things.

[ny biker]

I've had migraines for years, not cluster headaches, but my experience has been that a neurologist who specializes in headaches is best for diagnosing and treating them. If your doctor is not a headache specialist, and you find that his recommended treatment is not working, then you should consider seeing someone else.

Feedback to your doctor is also important -- if the Imitrex is not working, let him know. There are other meds out there which might be more helpful, or you might just need a stronger dosage.

Also, do research on your own to see if lifestyle changes might be helpful. When my migraines were at their worst, it was very important to keep to a regular schedule for eating and sleeping. Stress management can also be very important (though I never did figure out how to do that). Grinding my teeth contributed to the problem, and I also found that wearing heavy necklaces bothered me. Other people find that certain foods can be migraine triggers -- I don't know if cluster headaches also can react to foods, but it's worth finding out.

Good luck!!

[Wahine]

The MRI is for ruling out something else that may be causing the headaches. The probability of seeing anything on MRI is low, but it's frequently recommended for anyone who starts having unusual headaches that has not been head achy before.

There is really good research out there to support the use of acupuncture for the treatment of headaches. You might want to look into that. And, there are also mechanical causes for these types of headaches that involve the upper spinal segments of the neck. These can sometimes be treated by an appropriately trained PT or a Chiropractor.

I would wait on PT or Chiro until you have the MRI results back.

[smilingcat]

Migraine med prescribed to me made it lot worse. My doctor at the time told me to stop immediately. So you would not be the only person where the meds didn't help. It seems to be a hit or miss sort of thing. One good thing is that it didn't make it worse and you know that it doesn't work so one thing off the list of potential "fix".

I hope you get over it quick!!