One sided neck, head and throat pain

[Clueless507]

I have this awlful pain that keeps occuring on one the left side of my neck and there is really bad pain that is in throat area just under my ear/jaw area but most importantly the pain goes behind my ear through my temple and into my left eye ( my eye feels like it is goning to burst). This pain is so severe that I gag from the throat pain and I even get sick. The left side of my face evene gets really cold during the pain attacks. I feel like I may pass out most of the time.  Once the pain starts to go away I feel warmth going from the back of my head into my face. My heart will pound and even have pain during the attacks. These pain attacks are happening 30 minutes after I go to sleep and sometimes 4 times in a night and they now happen while I am awake. They normally last about 45 minutes.

TMJ was ruled out.  I am taking Lithium  Carbonate 300 and Verapamil 120 mg 2X a day being treated for Cluster Headaches and it did work at first. But this is not helping me anymore. Since they have come back the throat pain was added and it really hurts bad scares me, I am afraid I will choke while having these attacks. II also have Mitral Valve Prolapse if this will help you.  Do you have any advice, what kind of doctor I should see or what is wrong with me. I am afraid something is really wrong.

[dave42a]

I am so sorry you are suffering so badly. As a chronic h/a patient myself, I empathize very much. there are two types of treatments that you might want to look into and I will give you the websites. the first one being www.nucca.com
and the second one being www.migraineprogram.com
I recognize that these are cluster and not migraines but I believe that the approach in the program could prove beneficial for other types of headaches as well. best of luck to you  

[J T Junig, MD PhD]

They sure sound like cluster headaches.  Cluster headaches used to be called 'suicide headaches'-- they are supposedly one of the most painful afflictions that exist; women reportedly claim they are worse than the pain of childbirth. The name 'suicide headache' comes from the historical reputation for people killing themselves out of desperation from the pain-- whether that actually happened or not I don't know.

There is a good description of cluster headaches on Wikipedia.com, including some treatment ideas.

Beyond that, my only other recommendation is that you should have an MRI of your head and brain at some point if you haven't already.  They can also extend it down to your neck and take a look there.  Your headaches aren't 'classic' cluster headaches, but they are pretty close...  but still, I think a person with such discomfort deserves a good workup to rule out other potentially dangerous causes.  I'm thinking primarily of something that is almost certainly not the cause-- sentinel headaches from hemorrhage from intracranial aneurysm(s).  The fact that you have had the headaches over and over and are still alive tells us that the cause is almost certainly 'benign'-- at least in terms of danger to your life.  'Benign' isn't a good description for something that causes such misery.

The wikipedia article has some treatment ideas and also suggests some things that may trigger cluster headaches.  I also would suggest that you do a literature search on cluster headaches, and see if you can find a good review article;  as I mentioned in a reply about other headaches, the treatment involves a great deal of trial and error.

Good luck-- I hope you find something that helps.

JJ

[Clueless507]

Thanks dave I will look it up. Yesterday I went to the doctor and he added more meds. I go back on Tuesday from a lab work up.  Thanks!