Severe pain on the right side of my head

[APainInMyHead]

I have been getting sharp stabbing pains, like a lightening bolt on the right hand side of my head that last a few seconds and hurt to the point of me screaming.  The pain can be felt behind my eye as well.  Although they last for a few seconds, they have been occurring every 10 minutes or so for the past 8 hours.  I have been to the neurologist already this week because I have had a different type of head ache (constant) for the past four months.  He gave me vicodin but that does nothing for this pain.  It is so severe that it wakes me from my sleep.  I have an MRI scheduled for next week.  No other symptoms other than blurry or double vision. Oh, and dizziness, but very rarely.  Any idea what it could be.  Doc says they are migraines, but I have had migraines all my life, and they have never ever felt this way.

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How are you? Ice pick headaches are sharp stabbing, intensely painful headaches that  lasts from 5 to 30 seconds. These is more likely to occur in people with migraine or cluster headaches. Relaxation techniques may be helpful. Try to remain calm and take slow, deep breaths. Try also to avoid possible triggers that may cause these attacks.  Take care and do keep us posted with your MRI results. Best regards.

[steven525]

Hi,

Sorry to read about your pains. There's something you may want to look into called 'trigeminal neuralgia'. It is a neuropathic disorder characterized by episodes of intense pain in the face. Originating in one or both of the trigeminal nerves, this pain may be felt in any or all of the following: the ear, eye, lips, nose, scalp, forehead, left index finger, teeth, or jaw on one side and alongside of the face.

There is a good deal of reading you can do about TN on the Internet, but if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

There are two forms of trigemenial neuralgia. The typical form (caused by nerve compression in the head) and so-called atypical trigeminal neuralgia (all remaining forms, and can have many different causes). To find the right treatment it is important to find a doctor (neurologist) who knows enough about this to give you a correct diagnosis and better chances for treatment.

Since you are having an MRI next week, you may want to ask about this possible compression since that can be looked at with an MRI. Should that be found many times surgery (called micro vascular decompression, also called MVD) is suggested.

Diagnosing TN isn't easy and it takes a doctor with specific knowledge in this field to diagnose it correctly, so I think it is best to look for a doctor who fits this profile. But since you are having the MRI made perhaps it's worth bringing this up. Should TN be diagnosed or suspected, most likely the doctor will propose different medication than Vicodin.

The pain behind the eye triggered the thought of 'cluster headache' (CH); but you don't seem to have some of the other characteristics. I'm not a doctor but I figured I'd just mention it, maybe it helps you looking into or ruling out specific things.

I hope this may help you a bit. Again, I'm not a doctor, but I've done some reading on headache related issues. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Best of luck.

PS. TN and CH are both a real b#tch (!), so I really hope you have neither of these.