Headaches

[JohnR]

As some of you have known I have been struggling with a LOT of headaches lately. Mean migraines (they guess) of Cluster Headaches, severe sensitivity to light, ice pick headaches (as the name subscribes it feels like getting stabbed in the brain with an ice pick), and some vision issues. The good news (so far) is that a brain MRI showed nothing (wrong) and the other tests I've had have come back OK. My vision seems to me as being much poorer but the vision tests showed still slightly better than 20/20 with a touch of astigmatism. Wonder just how good the Mark 0 Mod 0 Optical Sensors were when I was 20.

Anyone else suffer from severe headaches / migraines? Any similar symptoms?

[Clammer]

MRI Showed Nothing I,m not surprized

[Karl F]

prolly brought on by being the head "Fireman" on this board

John.. fieurenol (sp).. they have you try that?... sometimes, that can be a day saver.. I won't say life saver, as all it seems to do is dull out, and postpone the real head in a vise thing, that will come later.. but.. can get you throught the day.

Sorry to hear you get these.. sucks.

I don't get them anywhere near as often, since I've brought my BP down... and stopped stressing..... walking a few miles a day helps too

[jim sylvester]

john,
I suffer from migranes and also worked with both neurologists and opthamologists, I may be able to help you here a little

clusters are associated more with stress and diet as opposed to anything else....probably the worst ones you can have. \
Icepack on the back of the cranium, with the lights off in the room for about 15 minutes used to help be alot.

excessive viewing of computer screens are not going to help you either

watch your diet.....stay away from acidic foods...
biggest thing stay away from vinegar...red wine, balsamic, white, rice wine..it doesn't matter...just stay away from all of them..a known trigger for migranes

glad to hear that the mri came back fine.....because first thing they are looking for is an annurism

[justplugit]

Glad the MRI was negative,John. My oldest daughter suffers alot, mostly brought on by stress.

Lot of new meds out there, they'll find the right one.

[tattoobob]

John, I used to suffer alot with the same conditions

do yourself a favor and see an eye doctor.

I would get them so bad that I would throw up and I couldn't do anything but go to bed and stay in a dark room I saw so many doctors and finally one suggested to see an eye doctor that I may have a clogged tear duct at this point I would have tried any thing

It turns out that I had Glaucoma and I had laser surgery and I am 100% better

[jim sylvester]

Originally Posted by tattoobob

John, I used to suffer alot with the same conditions

do yourself a favor and see an eye doctor.

I would get them so bad that I would throw up and I couldn't do anything but go to bed and stay in a dark room I saw so many doctors and finally one suggested to see an eye doctor that I may have a clogged tear duct at this point I would have tried any thing

It turns out that I had Glaucoma and I had laser surgery and I am 100% better

good point Bob

usually punctum plugs is option #1 for opthamologists.....but if you needed corrective surgery and everything is ok...glad to hear it


who did the surgery for you, Post Eye?

[Pete_G]

I've suffered from occasional migraines since I was about 20. Real, debilitating migraines. Work or anything else is barely an option no matter how tough you are if you're feeling the wrath of a true migraine and not just a headache. I can't even drive if I have one since I have trouble reading street signs and seeing traffic lights.

Try to find the trigger if they're true migraines! It sounds like they are, the light sensitivity is a classic symptom as are the vision issues. Are you having vision issues before the pain? That's a prodrome and another sign that it's true migraines you're enjoying. I've even had a few migraines that screwed up my speech. Scary stuff, and often people do NOT understand. This isn't really pain you just kind of "man up" and soldier through in many cases, but most people's experiences with common headaches are that it's something that hurts but you can carry on with.

There's a wide variety of triggers for migraines, some as subtle as high pressure moving into the area or windy days. Low blood sugar is thought to encourage them too. Far more common would be things like flashing lights.

I know you're a gamer. Are you playing any new games lately? Especially with flashing lights? A game was responsible for my first migraine. A new TV? A new monitor at work or home that's really bright? Took me a week or so (and a second migraine) to make the connection to a new video game, but without a doubt it was it and I've other migraines triggered by lights since. I don't even like being near a rotating ceiling fan with light filtering through it in a restaurant.

I'm very careful these days about lights. I don't like clubs or bars with flashing lights, I don't like the movie theater, I don't play computer games in the dark, I always wear sunglasses on bright sunny days, etc. Because of that people often read me as anti-social, but I'd prefer that to being curled up in the fetal position in a dark room, hiding from all sound, nauseous, and being in ridiculous pain.

Some people have migraines as frequently as several times a week. I don't know how they live like that. I'm good for one a year since I found the things that were triggering them.

You're probably going to find Tylenol, Advil, and other OTC "migraine" drugs really don't do much, if you haven't already noticed. What does help for me are the various triptan medications. They put an appreciable dent in the migraine, often enough so that you can actually carry on at work if you take it at the first sign of the migraine, whatever that may be for you. For some they lessen the intensity of future migraines as well. That has mostly been the case for me.

Get educated, find medication that works, and try to identify what triggers your migraines. Unfortunately some people just get them without any obvious triggers. Flashing lights, certain foods, low blood sugar, there's a long list of possibilities and it could be more then one. Flashing lights is number one for me, and I think low blood sugar is the other. Believe it or not I think the smell of Dunkin Donuts French Vanilla coffee is one too. Sounds ridiculous I know, but the smell of it sends me running to then other side of the room because I know the potential consequences.

Good luck and I hope you make progress figuring out what's wrong and controlling something which can definitely seriously impact your quality of life.

[tattoobob]

It was done up here in Burlington, it was done in office and they put 2 drain holes in each eye.

What happens is your eyes drain and if for some reason they don't the pressure builds and causes all sorts of problems, I was luck when I went for the first appointment I was having a high pressure day and it was easy to find. I only lost a little bit of my site but alot of people loose alot of side vision

[CAL]

I used to get them in high school 25 years ago. All the same symptoms you have. Felt like somone was drilling into my brain, right behind the eyes. Nothing they could prescribe would get rid of them.

I'd have to leave school in the morning and go straight home, pull down the shades and just try to get some sleep, hopefully it'd be gone when I woke up.

All the tests and CAT scans didn't show anything out of the ordinary. Doctor thought it was probably just stress from college applications, SAT's, etc. Then they just dissappeared.

I read somewhere that MSG can trigger migraines.

Hope you feel better John.

[BigFish]

When I was married to my "X" I used to get the worst migraines you can imagine...they would lay me out for a couple days at a time! Nausea, vomiting sometimes...I needed to stay in a dark room and gulp Tylenol 2 every 2 hours for about 8 hours until it started to go away! What I wanted was a loaded gun in my mouth!

Never found out what caused them.....funny thing is they stopped right after I divorced! Whaddaya Know bout that?

[BigFish]

I still get small ones on occasion and I chaulk them up to bright sunlight or glare (like snow blindness) or when I don't eat right. Hypoglycemia.

Nothing like I used to get though!

[marky1]

I get the "cluster " headaches(man,do they suck). The fastest way I can get rid of one when I start to feel it coming or starting,.."Imitrex"stat"(needle) works the best.Just stick in my arm + push down the plunger,head for a dark,quiet room,...and try to sleep through it. The worst thing to do is drink alcohol,anything with caffiene.

[ThomCat]

Hey John,
Sorry to hear about your situation. Stress is the cause of more physical problems than just about any single factor. As far as the headaches go, I don't get them but some say I'm a carrier. Take care...

[Raven]

does heat help? buy one of those rice filled sacks @ wally world
(called a bed buddy)
and you heat it in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes - 2 minutes

and lay that on your forehead -helps that headache behind the eyes deal...

that girl that died recently out in calif. due to drinking to much water for that radio contest...
she had a headache... from it...

but you can under drink water too and cause your brain to ache.

i get the ice-pick in the eye >>zap<< lately myself... it actually feels like you've been hit
by a projectile and you react accordingly. real nasty when driving...
i find i need to avoid excessive flourescent lighting in super markets

watch out for additives in food...especially preservatives which you
can develope a hyper sensativity to them from the accumulative factor
....especially aspartame or what goes into soft drinks.

[fishaholic18]

Hope you feel better soon JR, only thing that sucks about a negative MRI is they didn't find the problem, went thru that with my back. Hope they fix ya soon.

[UserRemoved1]

bossman i'll trade u a headache or two ::::::::::

hope u feel better dood that sux

[Raven]

ok , a little Shaman-ism (wisdom) for the Boss man....

since your a PINK FLOYD fan and very educated, i think

you'll understand... just fine... if you've ever seen in the

movies a Hopi Indian ceremony where a circle of Indian's

are beating drums in Unison helping to create a special

atmosphere...related to achieving dream quest...or an

inward journey .... also called a vision quest... well

that same rhythm is what's used to achieve hypnotism .

essentially ...you can take an elevator to the lowest level

of your mind via sound and suggestion to where your so relaxed

you feel like your having a religious experience..... it's at that

place that you can make repairs (read de-stress)
same as what happens when

your in REM sleep.... so look to sounds or sound therapy.

your local big book store has audio cassettes designed exactly for

this purpose . and do not play while driving.

[MrHunters]

yep used to get em alot. went through the same barrage of tests... (not a fun time waiting for the results) in the end they said migranes and prescribed neurontin for 2 years. seemed to help... i never renewed my script when i didn't have insurance and i get them occasionally now but not as bad as i did.....

the worst ones are when you try to go to sleep so you don't puke and hope that it will be gone when you wake up but its still there. that blows....

i feel for ya.

[JohnR]

Thanks guys - I'm sure stress is a factor though not the real trigger here.

In fact I'm cataloging what might be the various triggers that cause these and top on the list are some synthetic sweetners, flourescent lighting/multiple light sourcing...

Sometimes relaxing in a dark room works and sometimes I need to do the above and have an Amerge when they get bad...

Most physical pain I've ever heard was when I tore out my ACL, a bunch of cartilage, and damaged other ligaments - sometimes this gets close...

Interesting to see how many people have been going through something similar as well. PeteG - I feel for ya... (btw - I have not been gaming - yet as I'm building my dual core E4300 to overclock from 1.8Ghz to 3.0)

[Thom]

Quick changes in weather does it for me. Hot to cold or cold to hot. I can count on getting one in a few hours. Waring a hat seems to help with mine. When I didn't ware a hat I would get more and they seem to be much harder to tame. ThomT

[jklett]

I used to get migraines all the time when I was younger. I went through a ton of tests(EEG's were real fun, nothing like a head full of probes ) to try and figure out what was causing them and nothing was out of the ordinary. Eventually they kinda tapered off somewhat and I only get a few a year. It seems like the combinations of no sleep, stress, and lack of oxygen are my triggers(at least currently). Kinda sucks because when I'm stressed(first key) I smoke more(lack of oxygen) and can't sleep(final nail in the coffin) and always wind up with a migraine.

Your vision issues, are they the white spots? If I get that it's a sure sign one's coming SOON. The spots don't go away until the pain starts(for me anyways). Then once the spots go away, I start puking. I wouldn't wish these on anybody.

I found that massive amounts of caffeine and 1000mg of ibuprofen seem to take the bite out of mine so I can somewhat function but it doesn't always work. I tried all kinds of prescription stuff and it all makes me sick so I have to stick with the over the counter stuff. Someone told me to try and breathe some pure oxygen when I get them(says it cures hangovers too), but I can't get any so I do the no-doze/advil trick and curl up in a dark place and pass out. Good luck, I hope you can find something that works for you. And the triggers so you can prevent them in the first place.

[labrax]

The bottled oxygen is what a guy at work has - he has a bottle in his office and at the home - his doctor prescribes it for him. He gets the clusters and in the 7 years that I have known him - he goes through periods where he gets them real bad for months at a time and then they subside to where they are much less frequent - sometimes not for months. He uses the syringes that he jabs into his thigh when they are coming on and that provides some relief.

Good luck - I hope you find what is triggering them and stop them from occurring.

[Pete_G]

Originally Posted by jklett

I used to get migraines all the time when I was younger. I went through a ton of tests(EEG's were real fun, nothing like a head full of probes ) to try and figure out what was causing them and nothing was out of the ordinary. Eventually they kinda tapered off somewhat and I only get a few a year. It seems like the combinations of no sleep, stress, and lack of oxygen are my triggers(at least currently). Kinda sucks because when I'm stressed(first key) I smoke more(lack of oxygen) and can't sleep(final nail in the coffin) and always wind up with a migraine.

Your vision issues, are they the white spots? If I get that it's a sure sign one's coming SOON. The spots don't go away until the pain starts(for me anyways). Then once the spots go away, I start puking. I wouldn't wish these on anybody.

I found that massive amounts of caffeine and 1000mg of ibuprofen seem to take the bite out of mine so I can somewhat function but it doesn't always work. I tried all kinds of prescription stuff and it all makes me sick so I have to stick with the over the counter stuff. Someone told me to try and breathe some pure oxygen when I get them(says it cures hangovers too), but I can't get any so I do the no-doze/advil trick and curl up in a dark place and pass out. Good luck, I hope you can find something that works for you. And the triggers so you can prevent them in the first place.

You're missing out not giving Imitrex or one the other versions of the various triptan drugs a try...

[Raven]

when i was 1rst living in California.... we had this real nice swimming pool... so one day i was working out in the pool
practicing a type of survival technique for staying alive out in the ocean where you bob up and down . well all i can say is... i over did it...and deprived my brain of oxygen.... so the Doctor Said... and he gave me this shot in the hip ... saying this will help.

it was supposed to be an oxygen suppliment... somethin like that.

the symptoms were these...... you'd be sitting on the couch and feel
ok but as soon as you stood up ...your head would start pounding
like no tomorrow causing you to hold both sides of your head to keep it from splitting in two... man that sucks...

i always watched my iron levels after that.... because you cannot trap oxygen in your lungs unless there is sufficient iron in your blood. a very high population of the U.S. is anemic and deficient in iron....to the point they started adding it to cereal.

[Swimmer]

That sux JR. Too many people here apparently suffer from the same thing over the years. I got them in high school from time to time. The only remedy was placing my head lower than my body in darkness.

What Raven said about the indian vision quest thing I have heard of before. I do have a CD of american indian songs on flute if you would like the name PM me. I listen to it in the shop quite often.

[striprman]

Before I retired (when I worked) I would get migranes once in a while. I think the lights in the factory and glare brought them on. I haven't had one since I retired.
I used to just close my eyes and take a asprin or ibruprophin when I got them and shut my eyes for a while in the first aid room. I hated the "flicker" that came with them. Maybe they will go away when you get older ??

[jklett]

Originally Posted by Pete_G

You're missing out not giving Imitrex or one the other versions of the various triptan drugs a try...

Imitrex and the like are out for me. I fit almost all of the criteria for people that shouldn't take it. Not so good for the ticker.

[marky1]

Cluster Headaches come in "clusters". What my Dr. prescribed for me was "Prednisone"(steroid) for 2 weeks,..5 a day, then 4 a day etc. All that does is resets the "clock" for the next cycle,usually late March-April.
The oxygen works a little for me ,it takes some of the edge off from the pain.

[Pete_G]

Originally Posted by jklett

Imitrex and the like are out for me. I fit almost all of the criteria for people that shouldn't take it. Not so good for the ticker.

Ah, that sucks. That family of drugs really works magic on migraines...