Posted by Ken Hubner (199.224.105.161) on December 29, 1999 at 10:20:57:
Has anyone else experienced an odd, free-floating, acrid or metallic odor, sui generis, sort of lodged in the sinus/nasal area? It comes and it goes for no apparent reason, and I'm wondering if it's symptomatic of a sinus infection, or of anything else, or a precursor to headaches?
I am prone to sinus infections but have none of the other symptoms right now. What I do have is chronic cluster headaches that have taken yet another bizarre turn, in spite of a high does of topamax (10x25) and verapamil (now ineffective due to prologed overuse, I think).
Here's what happens: I'm headache free all day, have these odors on and off, got to bed at 10:00, get past REM sleep okay, and I'm fine until about 2:30 or 3:00AM when heavy duty congestion starts and the headaches roll in in waves, one every half-hour or so, aborted by O2, until I finally just get up at 6:00 when they stop altogether. That's it! From the description, can anyone shed some light on this increasingly narrow and dark mess I'm in?
Thanks, one more time, for whatever help you can offer.
And really, thanks much more for helping me keep my sanity, such as it is, over this past awful, endless, year or so. No sooner had I come to terms with the fact that I had cluster headaches, when I was hit with the grim reality that they were not going to go away. And they haven't. In many important ways, this message board has been a salvation, and from my heart, I thank all of you for being a part of it.
You have been a blessing, and you have my upmost gratitude.
Ken