Ice Pick Pain Ring any bells?

Diseases & Conditions Migraine Headache
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Hey folks, I'm usually on another forum here but thought I'd toss this out there and see if it rings any bells for you guys since I'm out of answers - I've had what I call classic migraines my whole life (since I was a wee toddler even) -- auras, spots, aural tunneling, dizziness, want to bury my head as close to the center of the earth as possible stuff...but about 8 years ago I started a new phase and I haven't been able to get any answers about it.  I've had MRIs, CT scans, you name it - I've had Drs say there's no tumor or pinched nerves, and also be willing to say it sounds like it could be this or that but not really...so, no dx...PLEASE, let me know if this rings any bells, I've been free of these for about 3 years and now they're back. ARG.
 
Ok, so here's the description...it's like there's an evil little pixie out there with an elf-sized ice pick and they just stab into the top or right side of my head and pull it back out again.  The pain is blindingly intense, lasts about 30 seconds (I've had a few that lasted over 2 minutes-not fun) and then the pain is gone.  I've tried imitrex when I've been having a spell of them to no avail (likewise for just about every other pain med).  When they happen I get them really frequently for a significant period of time (like a few months) and then they go away again.  I've done headache journals, changed foods, you name it with no success.  When they happen I get another thing where it feels like the nerves on the left side of my neck get about 3 feet shorter than the ones on the right, my head jerks over, pain is intense (but again, short-lived) and thats it for a while.  If I'm having the evil-pixie-ice-pick thing I'm having the neck shortening drama, but the two types of pain never happen simultaneously, its just an all or nothing kind of thing.  I've noticed recently that if my legs are crossed at the ankles or knees when the pain happens and I uncross them the pain seems to go away, but since the pain is short lived anyway I'm never sure if that's it...
 
Anyhoo - if that rings a bell with anyone, I would appreciate any advice or suggestions...these things freak me out and I was pretty happy being without them for so long...


Thanks for reading this!

2002 - PTSD
11/2004 - Spontaneous Pneumo, rt lung
12/2004 - Spontaneous Pneumo, rt lung
1/2005 - Bullectomy & Talc Pleurodesis
5/2005 - Fibromyalgia
8/2005 - Collagenous Colitis and IBS

Lifelong - Migraine, gastric issues, peripheral numbness, insomnia (brief period of narcolepsy), RLS, super fast metabolism, rapid weight loss (and interminably slow weight gain), hand tremor.

2

"HEAVENS TO MERGATROID!!!!"

Finally, somebody else with the ice pick pain.  I've had the jabbing ice pick pain in my head for 25years.  It would hit me out of nowhere and hit me with blinding pain in the right side of my head.  This was a symptom that I was going to be visited with a migraine.  The pain is so intense that when it hits me, I instantly grab that location on my head and apply pressure to try and counter-pressurize the pain.  I still get it out of nowhere without any warning.  Luckily, it has never gotten me while I was driving, 'cause I probably would have wrecked!  The closest thing I can relate it to is the same pain I had continuously when I had shingles.

Now, I get the ice pick pain behind my right eye when a migraine hits and it just sits there until I get a narcotic shot for pain.  I've explained this pain to doctors since the dawn of time, and not a one has ever been able to explain it, or paid that much attention to it either, for that matter.  The end of this month, I'm going to a new neurilological institute, so maybe that will get me some answers as to what causes the pain and what I can do to MAKE IT STOP!!!

Leigh Ann cool

I do have two bad vertibrae in my neck, which I start getting epidural injections on next week.  Maybe those will help.

"The weather is here, I wish you were beautiful."
                                             - Jimmy Buffett

3
please ask your neuro about the possibility of Cluster Headaches, cranky, especially with the ice pick pain you are describing there are other types of headache that can cause this type of pain, including migraines,

have a read at this and see if any of it applies to you!!!

http://headache-guided.com/a/182816/Cluster+headache.html

sandra xx
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Sandra,

Thanks for the heads-up, but cluster headaches have been ruled out for me.  I have common migraines (without Aura), triggered by changes is weather or temperature, hormones, TMJ flair-ups, stress (gets me when I'm asleep), etc...  I don't have any food allergies as triggers, thank heavens.  I spent months of doing a food diary to rule these out.  Plus, my migraines don't come in groups or last for only a few hours, which is typical of cluster headaches. 

The jabbing pains have always been an anomaly, although when I first started getting them, they were concentrated behind my right ear.  The muscles intersecting between my neck and skull would actually knot up, and I had these bumps for years.  My ex-fiance had cluster headaches, and those were really scary to watch, but definitely not the same as my migraines.  I don't know how many times I had to talk him through them, especially when he wanted to relieve the pressure by slicing his head open.  He would have several in a group, but then go weeks without them.  

I understand that pain, which is a constant in my life, but I have learned to get help as soon as possible if my abortive hasn't worked or I wake up with a full-blown migraine. I make sure somebody is with me at all times when I get a migraine attack.  A couple of months ago, my parents went out of town, and I must have called ten people to make sure I wasn't by myself.  I got a ride to the ER for a pain shot, which stopped the problem for a while.

I wouldn't wish clusters or migraines on anybody (well, almost anybody!) tongue   Let me know how you are doing.

Leigh Ann cool

"The weather is here, I wish you were beautiful."
                                             - Jimmy Buffett

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hey cranky, i'm glad you don't have clusters, but sorry you are suffering!!!

i don't have them either, my poor hubby is the one who suffers!!!

you are right though, they are horrible to watch, but luckily he had a Greater Occipital Nerve Block injection done a few weeks ago, which seems to be helping a great deal, hasn't stopped them completely, but has reduced the severity of them!!!

hope you are well

sandra xxx
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Hello, I think I am experiencing these ice pick headaches. I have had them before, but not for more than a day. I have had these quick zap like pains for a week now. They hit intensly on one part of my head and a second later it is gone, then 20 min later, another part of my head is hit and so on....This has been happening for a week straight and I am getting worried it could be something serious. It almost feel like little parts of my brain is being electricuted. Is this the same pain you have?  It is very scary.....
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Yes! I've asked my neuro about this and she said she has heard of this before and ruled them as "mini" migraines. And that I don't need to take anything for them. For me, it isn't a daily thing... maybe twice a week for maybe 2 seconds... 10 seconds at the most. She made it sound as if I shouldn't worry/take anything for it. But I'm still not positive it isn't something else. I bring it up each visit, get same response. Guess it depends on the doctor too.
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I went to my neuro yesterday and he thinks they are part of migraines as well. However, he does think it is odd that they have been non stop for over two weeks, so with that I am going in for an MRI today. He also gave me medication for this in the case it is a mirgraine and my MRI comes back normal.
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Hello Cosmoluna,
 
Welcome to the migraine forum, thanks for visiting us here. I experience sharp pain, usually with my migraines. It doesn't usually stay for long. My doctor has said its a part of my migraines. It usually goes right through where the most intense pain from my migraines generally occurs.
 
Sorry I don't have any help, but you're not alone. :-)
 
Nicky
 
PS Have you tried a triptan like Imitrex, Amerge, Zomig?

Nicky
Co-moderator Migraine Forum
 
"In life you can never be too kind or too fair; everyone you meet is carrying a heavy load. When you go through your day expressing kindness and courtesy to all you meet, you leave behind a feeling of warmth and good cheer, and you help alleviate the burdens everyone is struggling with." -- Brian Tracy
 
 

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Hi I'm new here, but here's my story...

For about 3 weeks now (could be 4) I've been getting short, sharp pains just above my right eye. They feel like an ice cream headache and last between 1/2 a second and 3 seconds. They vary in intensity and frequency, but most days I'm getting them on average every 5-10 minutes, I'd guess. The location is always the same, although having said that I think that they might be occurring a few millimeters lower at the moment. I have absolutely no other symptoms at all and there appears to be no external trigger, nor any obvious means of relieving them. There's no sensitivity to light, sound or anything - just the pain.

A few days they've been milder and/or less frequent, only to get worse just when I'm getting my hopes up that they're going away. I don't think I'm getting them at night, but then again they're so brief that if they did wake me up I probably wouldn't be aware of the cause (I'm a very light sleeper anyway, so I'm used to waking throughout the night).

I went to the doctor a week ago and he said that he thought it was a Neuralgia and prescribed 600mg of Ibuprofen, 3 times a day to see if that helped and said to come back if in 10 days if I was still getting them. He seemed slightly perplexed by my symptoms to be honest. I don't think the Ibuprofen is having any effect (I've not taken it every day), although given the natural variation it's hard to tell.

I did recount to the doctor how about a week before this started I had what I guessed to be a migraine in which large sections of my vision disappeared (he agreed that it sounded like one). I don't consider myself to be a migraine sufferer although I think I've had a few in my life. I do come from a family of migraine sufferers, so I knew enough about them to lead me to suspect I was having one.

I don't have any existing medical conditions (that I'm aware of... well unless I count my 3 bouts of migraine in my 38 years) and consider myself to be very healthy (this is the first time I've ever posted on a forum like this!).

I've done some digging around the web and I'm having a hard time finding an exact match for my symptoms. While Ice Pick Headaches sound like the closest match, I'm under the impression that they move around and aren't as frequent and persistent as mine. Perhaps someone else has them like mine and could enlighten me. Either way, it looks like I'll be heading back to visit the doctor next week!

Thanks, and sorry for the long post!

Post Edited (JonS) : 12/9/2006 3:03:49 AM (GMT-7)

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Hi Jon,
 
Welcome, sorry you are having such pain...Unfortunately, sometimes finding a diagnosis and treatment for these headaches conditions can be vary tough...You may want to look at finding a neurologist who specializes in headaches or a headache speciailist--what seems weird to a GP, is alot of times just to rare and unknown and you need a doctor who knows what out there and how to treat it..I went undiagnosed for five years, and my doctor had no clue, and never thought to send me to a headache specialist (I never even knew they existed or that neuros specialized in it---ER doctor who diagnosed me in a real bad attack told me where to go)..
 
Did you research Trigeminal Neuralgia at all and think your symptoms matched? Is this the name he gave you of what he was thinking...Sorry, don't mean to ask a bunch of questions, I have a few thoughts going through my head, but if you don't mind if I ask a couple of more and maybe I could at least give you a few more names to look up and take information to your doctor to discuss with him...Is the pain one sided? Have you ever noticed if your eye waters or your nose gets stuffy, any changes in those types (eyes/nose)of things (there are some conditions out there that have these specific symptoms, but not Clusters--(yours are too short in duration too be that)...
 
Anyways, let me know!! Take Care!
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Thanks so much for your response. I did look up Trigeminal Neuralgia and didn't think that it was a close match as every description discussed some kind of trigger (even though the trigger could be something very minor, like a slight touch). I can't find any such trigger for my attacks. They appear to be completely spontaneous.

The pain is completely one sided - just above my right eye. I don't get watery eyes or a stuffy nose (although I've maybe been very slightly congested for a few weeks), so it doesn't sound like Cluster Headaches.

Assuming this persists I'll probably stick with my doctor for a bit. Despite wanting the pain to go away, I'm not expecting an instant diagnosis. I realize how these things can be a process of elimination. Also, being on an HMO plan doesn't help there!
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Hi Jon,

Welcome to HealingWell. I'm sorry to hear about your headaches. I agree with mommyto3 about seeing a neurologist. Headaches, migraines, tension headaches, cluster headaches, can be very different for each person and really need a headache specialist to properly diagnose them. I believe that your doctor can refer you to a neurologist within your HMO who hopefully would specialize in headaches.

I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the diagnosis you describe, but I know that my neurologist has been a life saver. He has seen all types of headaches and has been able to help me significantly.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Nicky
Co-moderator Migraine Forum
 
"In life you can never be too kind or too fair; everyone you meet is carrying a heavy load. When you go through your day expressing kindness and courtesy to all you meet, you leave behind a feeling of warmth and good cheer, and you help alleviate the burdens everyone is struggling with." -- Brian Tracy
 
 

14

Hi Jon-

Sounds like you have done your research! I don't know if maybe you have come across headaches called SUNCT and CPH. They are two rarer forms of headaches and have some similiarities to what you are describing, but from what I have researched previously and heard (I don't have these, so I'm sure everyone's symptoms vary some) usually there is eye tearing or nasal stuffiness, but again I could be wrong. Your headaches are definently to short in duration, and reoccuring to quickly for clusters...

I thought I'd pass along the terms if you'd like to do some more research and see if the pain you are experiencing matches either of these or if it does fall closely to ice pick headaches--I don't know much about those either...

Take care...

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I did come across SUNCT and for a moment it sounded just like what I'm suffering from, but then I read on and got to the secondary symptoms which I don't have at all:

"Autonomic nervous system responses include watery eyes, reddish or bloodshot eyes caused by dilation of blood vessels (conjunctival injection), nasal congestion, runny nose, sweaty forehead, swelling of the eyelids, and increased pressure within the eye on the affected side of head."

Interestingly, so far I've not had ANYWAY headaches at all today. This is the first time in weeks. I'm being cautious and not getting my hopes up too high, but it's a lovely feeling. Maybe it has something to do with the fact I went out and danced for hours last night! Maybe the exertion was beneficial?
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Hey, at least you had a great night!!! I know they say exertion is beneficial to relieve some types of headaches--but that is when you are having them--so that shouldn't discourage you!!

Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope it was one of those flukes that just goes away!!. SUNCT was my one of my first thoughts too, but that phrase you pulled up is what is pretty typical of what I've heard from those who have them...

Well, if they come back, I know there is certain medications that can be tried to for ice picks and this to help and usually give pretty quick relief from what I have heard!! Either that or you keep dancing the nights away!!!!

Take Care!