stabbing head pains

[Sms82]

Hi. In the past few months I have started getting stabbing pains in my head. Not always in the same place but mostly in the back left or right side. They don't last long, only a few seconds. I have always been paranoid about having something wrong with me, but this actually scares me. Tonight I woke up with a pain in my right side and now if I look up and to my left it hurts. My right cheek and head just feels weird now. Almost like it is numb. I don't have insurance, but do I need to go in?

[Sms82]

I thought maybe it was my eyes so I went to the eye doctor and everything was fine. I haven't had a head ache since Sunday night. I am wondering if its my allergies.. I know I should go in and I will if it continues. Thank you all for your input

[tonyad]

   I can certainly relate to the type of pain that you are describing.
This could certainly be neurological in nature. Are you going to see a doctor anytime soon?

   What you are describing sounds like something called "Trigeminal Neuralgia".
Trigeminal neuralgia symptoms may include one or more of these patterns:

* Occasional twinges of mild pain
* Episodes of severe, shooting or jabbing pain that may feel like an electric shock
* Spontaneous attacks of pain or attacks triggered by things such as touching the face, chewing, speaking and brushing teeth
* Bouts of pain lasting from a few seconds to several seconds
* Episodes of several attacks lasting days, weeks, months or longer —some people have periods when they experience no pain
* Pain in areas supplied by the trigeminal nerve (nerve branches), including the cheek, jaw, teeth, gums, lips, or less often the eye and forehead
* Pain affecting one side of your face at a time
* Pain focused in one spot or spread in a wider pattern
* Attacks becoming more frequent and intense over time
* You may feel extreme numbness, tingling or burning on a part of your face.

      There can be a couple different causes for this so that is why you should see a Neurologist as soon as you can. it can also (sometimes) be idiopathic...meaning of unknow cause.  Do you have any other sx other than the sharp shooting pain?

      PLease note, I am not a doctor nor do I play one on TV ...Lol
But, I have this myself and from what you are describing it sounds very familiar and neurological in nature.

Keep us updated,
~Tonya

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How are you? Do you still experience the numbness? This could be neurological in nature and if it persists, you may need to have this evaluated further by your doctor or any free clinic near you, as Dame suggested. Try also to identify possible triggers of your headache. The headache tracker here in Medhelp may help. Take care and hope to hear from you soon.

[dame_wilbur]

A good rule of thumb is that if you're experiencing a new and distressing symptom, it's time to see a doc. Maybe there's a free clinic nearby you that you could go to for starters if you don't have insurance.

The stabbing pains themselves sound kinda like ice pick headaches. They're REALLY annoying/painful and can be pretty scary. I have them as well, so know what it's like.

Good luck and keep us posted,

~Dame

[Sms82]

I mean if I look to my right, not my left