Hi to everyone who reads this . I'am male, live in scotland uk aged 47 who smokes 20 a day and drinks occasionally. Iam a migraine with aura sufferer and have been for the last 10 years or so and can deal with them whenever they occur but just last week i think i have hit a new level !
After enjoying a weeks holiday in fuerteventura spain with wife 3 kids and mother-in-law i was 3 and a half hours in to a 4 hour flight and we were about to start descending when out of nowhere upon descent my head felt like it was being stabbed and an explosion was going off behind my left eye. It lasted for about 10 minutes and in this 10mins i panicked and felt as though i was dying or having a stroke or something. Never felt pain like it and i've broken a few bones in my time. On landing i had a full blown migraine and that lasted a couple of days . Went to my doctor today and he thinks cluster headache! Personally im just glad i had'nt had an aneurism or such like.
What i really want to know is does this sound familiar to anyone on here and why has it just presented itself now as we go on 2/3 flying holidays every year and have done for the last few years. Also when my migraines come on i take a 500mg naproxen and that usually works for me but will they work for this cluster headache ? Can anyone point me in the right direction with appropriate medication . thanks in advance steve .

Hi and welcome.
I posted about this just a short time ago. We recently had a big retirement holiday which involved eleven flights. On every single flight, about 30 mins before landing just as the plane starts a slow descent, I got a CH. As we got lower it got better and by the time we touched down it had gone. (Luckily I don't suffer from migraines too). I suffer with CH at other times too - not just when I'm flying, but on those occasions it was obviously something to do with the cabin pressure.

If you haven't tried it already ask your doctor for Sumatriptan. It comes in tablets and nasal spray but neither are much good, but it also comes in auto injections which are absolutely fantastic. It's the standard treatment for both CH and migraine, and easy to use on a plane.

Congratulations on finding a doctor who knows what CH is. Most of them don't have a clue. Stick with him.
Maz.

Hi and welcome

First off you need a diagnosis from a doctor who is skilled and experienced in dealing with complex headaches. And with you also being lucky enough to have migraines, this makes the skills of a headache specialist invaluable.

It is possible that it may not be CH, but it could be. Only they will be able to figure it out.

One pointer to it not being CH is that for most people with CH, alcohol is a very strong trigger, however there are people for whom it isn't including myself and I too get CH plus migraines too.

There are also lots of other headache types, including one that some people get on landing which can also be very painful too.

Do get this checked out.