Haven't noticed the shoulder, but nothing is strange around here... I get a cramp in my EAR...

I know when that happens that I'm gonna get a BIG one and it ain't gonna be long in coming. That's usually when I hit the O2 and start huffing... have you tried that when the shoulder starts paining ya? Might stop the CH in its tracks -- worth a try.

By "in your shoulder", do you mean at the top of the shoulder near your spine on the cluster side?

I'm wondering whether you might be experiencing something rather common among clusterheads (but by no means universal)--swollen nerve ganglia and associated tissues during and surrounding a hit.

Some experience the pain at the base of the skull.  Others near C-5 in the neck, or at C-7, T-1 where the neck meets the shoulder (this is where it hits me).  A few people have mentioned that they get pain and swelling on the roof of the mouth, or the cheek.

I've never discovered anything that will make it go away.  Ice in a sopping wet cloth will provide some short-term help.  It tends to subside when the headache is over.

I used to think the "neck thing" was the cause of my headaches, but it has become clear to me that it's a side-effect of the headaches themselves.

Best,

George