What kind of headache am I having?

[Cynthiaa89]

Hello all! I am a 23 year old female who has been having the most horrible headaches for about 2 years now. I've had headaches my whole life, but the last year or two have been pure hell.

I've been to doctor after doctor looking for an answer that no one seems to have. I am just so tired of being in pain all the time, and I don't know what to do. The most recent doctor I went to is trying to get me in with a Neurologist as soon as possible due to new symptoms.

Symptoms:
ALWAYS start on right side of my head near my temple.
Throbbing, stabbing pain.
I wake up with these headaches and almost always go to sleep with them, also.
My right side of my body gets very weak after these headaches.
Maxalt is the abortive medicine I'm on and it seems to get rid of the headaches 50% of the time.
I get this feeling in my head that feels like a zap or a jolt.
I have a headache at least 15 days a month.
They seem to disappear for a month or two then come back worse than ever.
It's getting to the point where the only thing I want to do is lay in my bed and scream, which isn't an option considering I have a child and school.

I'm getting so desperate. Today I bent over to get my phone out of my purse and it triggered one of these monster. Any help would be greatly appreciated.:(:(

[Dr. Smith]

I'm getting so desperate. Today I bent over to get my phone out of my purse and it triggered one of these monster. Any help would be greatly appreciated.:(:(

Hi Cynthiaa89, :welcome_sign:

Try squatting down instead of bending over. ;)

But seriously, it sounds like chronic migraine to me. You don't need just any old neurologist; you need one who specializes in just headaches. Not always easy to find, but worth the effort.

It may take a while to get in to see a headache specialist. While you're waiting, there are a couple of things you can do:



Start researching types of headaches & types of migraines, and see if you can't nail it down somewhat.
Google: headache diagnosis
Google: headache diagnosis questionnaire


Start a Headache Log. This is a type of pain journal for headaches, in which you'll keep track of episodes, symptoms, pain levels, locations, triggers, meds taken, what helps & what makes them worse.... Anything & everything you can think of relating to the headaches & episodes.
Google: headache log to get a better idea, and some sample logs you can download/copy. If none of them are quite right for your particular needs, take some ideas and create your own on a spreadsheet (that's what I wound up doing)

These two things are to help the doctors help you, and should help expedite things.

HTH, and Best Wishes,

Doc

[Jo*mar]

Are there any other symptoms or anything at all that goes along with the headaches or happens before the headaches?

Any whiplash, sports injuries, head hits, bumps or falls at any time in your life?

Any arm, neck or hand pain or symptoms?

[Wren]

Have you had an MRI yet?

[Wren]

And --- if Maxalt works 50% of the time perhaps another Triptan will be better. For me Imitrex was nothing, Maxalt worked about 50% of the time, same with others. Now I take Relpax and it's almost like a miracle drug.

[Dr. Smith]

I have a headache at least 15 days a month.
They seem to disappear for a month or two then come back worse than ever.


More than 15 days a month is the definition for "chronic" with regard to headaches, though they usually also require some specific number of months in a row at that rate. Some insurance companies (you may have encountered this) limit how much Maxalt (or other abortives) they'll cover in a month, essentially telling you how many headaches you're allowed to have! :eek: (Sheesh!) Sometimes these limits can be overridden with the help of your doctor, but that's becomming tougher in some cases too - depends on the insurance & carrier.

Anyway, with that number of headaches, they'll probably also prescribe some kind of prophylactic:
http://www.migraines.org/treatment/treatctm.htm

This is where it could take some time, as it can take one to several months for some of these meds to become effective. They typically start you on the older (less expensive) meds, and work from there.

Another thing you could look into in the interim is if there are any foods that may be triggering these headaches:
http://www.migrainesurvival.com/food-triggers-2

Doc