Sharp occassional headaches

Please help me!  I am a 30-year-old female and I get sharp and pulsating headaches on my right side.  The headaches hurt pretty bad and come out of nowhere.  There have been times where I am driving and a headache hits me and actually has hurt so bad and come on so suddenly that it makes my head jerk.  I have gone through periods of not having them at all to having them between 1-12 times daily.  Sometimes the pain travels down from around my right temple to what feels like underneath my cheekbone and sometimes behind or under my eye socket.  The headaches seem to go in waves which can last anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple months.  It has continued for several years.  I have tried to figure out a pattern to these random headaches but can't pinpoint anything.  The headaches are not so sever that I cannot work or function.

Over the past year or so, I have also occassionally started feeling like my right eye does not follow my left eye when looking a particular direction.  The direction does not seem to make a difference either.  It feels like maybe one of the muscles on my right side is pulled tight or contracted.  Sometimes it almost feels like I am crossing my right eye.  Nobody I know has asked me about it, but I have started to feel self-conscious about it at times.  

I have a feeling the sensations I am having with my right eye are directly connected with the reoccuring headaches I am having.  I am interested in getting a medical opinion on what it might be.  Could it have to do with my vision?  Maybe I need glasses?  Does it sound more like my TMJ?  Or could it just be unexplainable headaches?

I do have a considerable amount of stress in my life.  I am a single mother of 3 and work at least 45-50 hours a week.  Should it be stress related, eliminating or decreasing my stress load seems nearly impossible.  I am not a doctor and do not know if I should be seriously concerned or not.  Because it has continued for years, and comes and goes in waves, I have not taken it too seriously.  I just bear through it when it happens.  I do not have very good health insurance and am afraid of pursuing the issue just to be told I am having headaches there is no real cure for and that have unknown causes.

What does this sound like to you?  And what do you recommend?

Thank you!

Emily0977

[beckyf800]

Can't say for sure, but maybe you should discuss with your doctor about maybe the possibility of maybe trying to treat you for "cluster headaches" I was diagnosed with these about 10 years ago, started having them at 16, I am now 45, I went for all those years with no treatment, as they progressed, they became chronic.  Do you seem to get them at certain times in the night also? let me know, I can give you some more info if this is the case.
beckyf800

[noops01]

Hi,

There is a possibility that the headaches that you are describing are migraine headaches. Is there something that triggers the headache? Although migraine headaches can be triggered by physical and mental stress. I would suggest you to take OTC painkillers for headache and see if they help. At the same time schedule an appointment with your physician as you need to undergo a complete physical examination.

[Emily0977]

Thank you for your response.  I have read quite a bit about cluster headaches and of all the headaches, it matches the symptoms the best.  I don't wake up out of a sound sleep with a headache, but sometimes I do wake up in the morning with one.....and they do seem to be getting progressively worse.  I have tried to figure out if something triggers them (i.e. time of day, certain activities, amount of light, etc.) and have not been able to pinpoint anything in particular.  Any other input?
Emily0977

[Emily0977]

Thank you for your input also noops.  OTC painkillers have not helped me in the past.  I didn't think they were migraines only because they are on one side only.  Do people get migraines only on one side?  

[noops01]

Hi Emily,

Yes, migraines characteristically occur on one side of the head and are usually accompanied with nausea and vomiting. Aura visual or auditory usually precedes the migraine attack. I would suggest you to please get in touch with a physician. There are lot of treatment options available for migraine, which you can try after consulting a physician.Good luck!

[beckyf800]

very hard to pin point clusters, however they usually accurr in the early am, they have the nick name, "alarm clock headaches". Preventive treatment for these are required through a physician, I have recieved treatment from places such as the Diamond Headache Center out of Chicago, and now my Neurologist in my home area, my main pervenative is Topamax.  If you feel you may have these, best to get the attention now, as they will progress and harder to get under controll, also the Baromeric Pressure has a lot to do with these types of headaches and seasons seem to make a big difference. They are also rare in females, but we are known to get them.

[Emily0977]

I suppose there is no real conclusion to our conversations. It seems my symptoms are something between a migraine and cluster headache.  Thank you both so much for taking the time to read and respond to my concern.  Happy holidays!

Emily

[noops01]

Hi Emily,

May be you have both cluster and migraine headaches. Two types of headaches can coexist.
Have you been able to identify something that triggers these headaches?
I would suggest you to get a vision test done as well. Merry christmas!

[hava]

With no money, this exercise will really help you.Try and do it everyday twice a day.
Anulom Vilom –
Close your right nostril with thumb and deep breath-in through left nostril  
then – close left nostril with two fingers and breath-out through right nostril  
then -keeping the left nostril closed  deep breath-in through right nostril
then - close your right nostril with thumb and breath-out through left nostril.
This is one cycle of anulom vilom.
Repeat this cycle for 20 to 30  minutes twice a day(maximum 60 minutes in one day).
You can do this before breakfast/lunch/dinner or before bedtime or in bed.Remember to take deep long breaths into the lungs.You can do this while sitting on floor or chair or lying in bed

[jcverive]

This sounds like it may be trigeminal neuralgia, but you need to see a neurologist or pain clinic to find out for sure. If you are very low on money, ask your nearest Salvation Army for the location of free clinics near you. If you live in the US, you can also go to any emergency room when you are having an attack, and they are required by law to treat you.