Hello everybody...

Im not sure what type of headaches i get.. but i been doing a lot of research on cluster headaches.. and it is a possibility i have these..

Let me tell you my symptoms so i can get some advice on what i have..

All my pain is on my left side of face

The back of my eye
The middle of the left side of the top of my head..
And the Left Side of my Jaw

Feelse like im getting stabbed with something right through all of it at the same time..
it's painful..

It does wake me up when im sleeping..

and i sometimes wake up with 1...

I have 1 this very minute.. lol..

ummm...

Ohhh.. i used to take painkillers for it.. Tylenol ibprofin.. and other pain killers did not work..

But 4 Excedrin when i wake up and 2 more later in the day did the trick..

ohh and i did take some vicodin.. but that didnt work...

I have stopped takin all the pills due to sideaffects..

im thinking about taking the excedrin again but the side affects are not worth it..

i cant go on with this tremendous pain on a daily basis..

please help 

Welcome to the board, glad you found us. First, take the cluster headache quiz on the left. That'll give you a better idea of what we look for in CH. If you are not already doing so, start keeping a DETAILED  headache diary. When they start, how fast they build, how high they build, (The Kip Scale on the left in the tabs is a useful tool for measuring pain), how long they stay at peak and how fast they fade. Try to identify food and life style triggers. The more information you can record, the better your odds of a competent diagnosis. The following is a link I stole from one of Bob's posts...forgive me Bob....but it's a great post on how to find a headache specialist. You NEED a headache specialist.:

LOCATING HEADACHE SPECIALIST

1. Search the OUCH site (button on left) for a list of recommended M.D.s.

2. Yellow Pages phone book: look for "Headache Clinics" in the M.D. section and look under "neurologist" where some docs will list speciality areas of practice.

3.  Call your hospital/medical center. They often have an office to assist in finding a physician. You may have to ask for the social worker/patient advocate.

4. Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or ; On-line screen to find a physician.

5. Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or Look for "Physician Finder" search box.  Call 1-800-643-5552; they will send a list of M.D.s for your state.I suggest using this source for several reasons: first, we have read several messages from people who, even seeing neurologists, are unhappy with the quality of care and ATTITUDES they have encountered; second, the clinical director of the Jefferson (Philadelphia) Headache Clinic said, in late 1999, that upwards of 40%+ of U.S. doctors have poor training in treating headache and/or hold attitudes about headache ("hysterical female disorder") which block them from sympathetic and effective work with the patient; third, it's necessary to find a doctor who has experience, skill, and a set of attitudes which give hope of success. This is the best method I know of to find such a physician.


That's twice I've plagiarzed Bob's post now, will eventually have to start paying him royalties!

The reason we stress the importance of an accurate diagnosis is there are hundreds of headache types, meds which help one can be worthless and even harmful for other types. As a layman, much of what you describe does sound like it may be CH. That's as close to a diagnosis as a layman like me can give!! It's worth the time and effort to get the correct diagnosis. Wishing you luck on your journey, let us know how it goes for you.

Joe

See #3 in locating a headache specialist and call your United Way office for information on low/no cost health care.

find a way to get to a doctor.

if truly cannot then you can use ice and steam to alleviate the pain and to ease the sinus pain.

know that otc's won't help so dont over do it.

i went over a decade undiagnosed so using ice was all i had.
power walks may help.

good luck

Quote:


Hi im no Dr (apart from the LOVE Dr) and i really hope you dont have CH. your comment made me think as i have 40 minute attacks mostly during the night and believe me thats 39.9 minutes toooo looong i have never thought of an attack as not too bad mostly i think of them as if some one just kicked 7 kinds of sh+t out of my head for 40 minutes.

Mark (the word for today is PUTANG)

Where do you live?  If you live anywhere near a university that has a medical school, there should be clinics available.  Their fees are based on income.