And in other OTHER news, I have a problem maybe you guys can help me identify

[conuly]

I've been getting headaches for close to a year now. They aren't sinus headaches like I used to get a lot of as a teen. And I don't think they're migraines, like my mother and sister are/were prone to. (I remember my childhood as many, many weekends of one or both of them sick in bed with a migraine or a root canal. Bad teeth, too. I really lucked out when I didn't get either one of those in the genetic draw!)

They usually come on very fast and strong. One moment I'm fine, the next moment my head hurts. I've actually said "ow", which isn't something you usually say for lingering pain. They almost always are on one side of the head only, usually at the front. (Temple?) They don't last very long, only five or fifteen minutes (and some of them less even than that, only two or three minutes!), but I might get several of them in a short period, so I essentially have headaches for an hour or two, one after another with breaks in between. The later ones aren't as bad as the earlier ones. This may repeat for a few days, and then nothing for a while. It *may* be aggravated by chlorine (as it all seemed to improve when I stopped heading near the pool to supervise Ana changing before swimming), but it's definitely not a sure thing, as I've had them without being near a pool or bleach for weeks. (For example, last night.)

Dark and quiet may help, or it may not. Sleep definitely helps... but only if they come when I'm tired and sleepy already, otherwise I can't sleep to begin with. (And for all I know, it's just time that helps, and sleep gives me lots of that!)

It doesn't seem to me that anything precipitates them. I don't get a warning aura or anything, or if I do I don't know it. Although I do have my period now, I haven't noticed that they mostly come with my period.

Any ideas? They're (mostly) not that debilitating after the first few minutes, but they sure are annoying.

Edit: Also, they're probably not cluster headaches. Except for the fact that they cluster, I don't think I fit the symptoms at all, and they don't seem severe enough. Cluster headaches are supposed to be worse than childbirth, and while I don't know about childbirth, I doubt my headaches are that bad.

Comments

[cumaeansibyl.livejournal.com]

Cluster headaches (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluster_headache)?

[conuly]

I've considered that, especially as they seem to be related to migraines, I thought maybe I inherited the migraines after all but weirdly.

However, the pain is definitely not near the eyes, and although it hurts, it doesn't hurt so much that I feel suicidal. I've hurt myself more through general klutziness (being clumsy + liking to cook means something's gotta change, and usually what changes is the appearance of my fingers!), so I doubt my headaches are worse than childbirth. They don't happen on anything LIKE a regular schedule. And I'm not having ANY of the other symptoms. (Okay, very occasionally I get a twitching eyelid, but not really on the same timing as the headaches.)

The last is what convinces me it's almost certainly not cluster headaches, unless my version of them is extremely rare.

[cumaeansibyl.livejournal.com]

I don't know, then. All I can say definitively is that they are not tension headaches, because I get those, and they aren't anything like you describe. That's not helpful, though.

I may just be paranoid because of previous experiences, but I would get checked out if that's at all feasible. Odd symptoms involving the head are nothing to fuck with.

I'm hoping they're just mild cluster headaches, if that's a thing.

[conuly]

Odd symptoms involving the head are nothing to fuck with.

Indeed. However, though I'm not as doctor-averse as my mother (every time she's been, we had to drag her there ourselves, and last time I had to sit with her so she wouldn't dash off!), but I can't afford it right now any better than she can.

[janewilliams20.livejournal.com]

What's your blood pressure like? That sounds vaguely similar to how I feel when mine's too high.

[conuly]

Um... I don't know. Is there a way to assess it at home?

[janewilliams20.livejournal.com]

I have no idea what you've got available to you. Around here, I can buy my own monitor for a tenner, or drop into the health centre or most pharmacies and use theirs, possibly putting some small coin in a machine for the privilege.

[conuly]

I'll check around, then :)

[wodhaund.livejournal.com]

Could also be icepicks (http://www.migrainesurvival.com/stabbing-headache-or-icepick-headache). They usually only last 10-30 seconds, but they can last significantly longer (thank god mine never do). Mine are related to migraines, but they can also be caused by nerve problems and spikes in stress or blood pressure, which are the easiest two causes to rule out or treat (btw, any CVS, Walgreens or similar will have a blood pressure machine near their pharmacy--won't cost you a dime! If you do things that way, go for a few days so you can get a good idea of your baseline, since there are so many factors that can affect blood pressure).