I had never had a headache in my life until I got sick 6 years ago. And even then, the headache was more like pressure all over and burning.
But all day today, I've had an excruciating head pain that is different from anything I've ever had in my life!
It feels like an ice pick through my right eye and coming out through the back of my neck.
I've had to hold my head still most of the day with my hands and keep my right eye closed.
I took some Ibuprofen and it took the edge off for about 2 hours, and now it is back.
I stopped my abx for a few days to take a break. I felt like they were killing me.
And now today, I have this new ice pick headache.
The pain is unbelievable.
Is this typical and to be expected?
I'm going to try an ice pack now. Didn't want to because I am already too cold from this darn weather.
Posted by BoxerMom (Member # 25251) on :
I've heard Babesia die-off can cause the ice-pick headaches.
What abx are you on?
Posted by Hambone (Member # 29535) on :
Zithromax and Omnicef
Posted by Hambone (Member # 29535) on :
Feels like the right side of my brain is being stabbed.
Posted by BoxerMom (Member # 25251) on :
Maybe Lyme die-off then.
Ice pack is a good idea.
If this continues, you may want to ask if you can cut back on abx dosage. I took pediatric doses for the first year because my herxes were so bad.
Posted by SashaC (Member # 18968) on :
Wow, you are describing the pain in my head. It is so bad that I feel like my life is going to end.
Mine started when I got lyme in 2007, and they have gotten worse. I used to get one a month that lasted for about 8 hours. Now it is every two weeks or more and they last for days at a time.
I lay on the floor holding my head and writhing in pain. Not the strongest narcotic pain med will help. I used to go to the ER and get IV dilaudid, but I've had so much of it that it doesn't work anymore.
I live in fear of the next attack, knowing that once it stops, I have to endure days before it ends.
I've been to countless pain specialists and neurologists, and no one has yet to give me anything that can ease this incapacitating pain.
I have an appointment with a headache specialist tomorrow, which my mom has to drive me to, partly because I'm too sick to drive and partly because I am terrified to have one of the head attacks while driving.
I don't know what triggers them besides flagyl. I get them whether I take flagyl or not. But if I try to increase my dose (I'm supposed to be taking 750mgs a day, I've made it to 125mgs) I can be sure that within a few hours I'll be holding my head and sobbing.
I am hoping and praying that this doctor can find some kind of medicine to ease these attacks. If she does, I'll definitely be sharing it with you!
Posted by Hambone (Member # 29535) on :
Thank you, Boxermom.
All I could think of today, is when I used to work, all these teachers would complain everyday about having a headache and popping headache meds, and I would thank God everytime that I didn't have to deal with those. That somehow I was blessed in that department.
And God said, "Ha Ha Ha! We need to make up for that! Let's show this girl what she's been missing!"
Posted by BoxerMom (Member # 25251) on :
You crack me up, Hambone.
I'm sorry you're struggling. Keep going. It gets better.
Posted by apljack (Member # 14233) on :
I stopped drinking diet coke and that really helped my headaches. When I would get these ice pick headaches, the only thing that helped was a handful of advil, like 4 or 5. What was nice, it that it actually made me feel better for a few days. for me, the pain was from inflammation.
Good luck. Only fellow headache sufferers can know how miserable a headache can really be.
Posted by feelfit (Member # 12770) on :
Hambone...
Everyday for a solid 2 1/2 years...My head pain started after taking Flagyl (undiagnosed lyme at the time).
It is still my number one symptom, but has gone from daily to a few times per week.
was getting a handle on it with IV Invanz, but since i stopped IV 6 weeks ago...here it is again.
As Sasha has said, even narcotic pain meds do not touch this head pain....like you Hambone, all tests are normal.
What helps? putting cold on the front of my head and heat on the back and alternating. All day. It allows me to breathe and at least get to the bathroom....nothing else has helped.
for other head symptoms, dizziness, pressure etc. klonopin has been a lifesaver, literally.
I hope you guys find some relief because surely this feels like being in the bowels of hell...
apljack, 'miserable' is a mild word for this pain..pure torture.
best to all of those suffering! Please come back and post what works for you..Try the hot/cold Hambone.
Posted by momintexas (Member # 23391) on :
I had this as well, especially in the beginning. The sharp pains take your breath away!
I'm sorry I don't know what causes them, mine eventually stopped, but I feel bad for you because those pains are awful.
Motrin did seem to help mine and so did tumeric. The tumeric took longer to take effect but it seemed to last longer.
I hope they stop soon!!
Posted by lymeinhell (Member # 4622) on :
I had suffered this type of pain and hopefully can offer something to help you.
Since you mentioned the stabbing pain behind your eye, my guess is that this is really head pain, not a headache. There is a big difference, and not knowing the difference can prevent you from getting relief. Not only is it head pain, it is REFERRED PAIN, coming from somewhere else.
The source is most likely muscle spazm (which we get from being deficient in magnesium).
If you take your knuckle and feel around the back of your skull, you will probably find one or more spots that kill and you don't even know it. They may even feel like lumps under your skin. The 'jabs' are actually referred pain. It can radiate through your jaw, through your ear, up and over the back of your head through your eye, down your neck to your shoulders...
I spent months thinking I had a brain aneurysm because my head hurt so much and had the shooting pains, often in different places ... Only to have my LLMD jab her knuckle into a spot on the back of my head. And when she pressed extremely hard, the top of my head and jaw stopped hurting (but the spot she jabbed hurt like crazy).
Muscle spazms typically are from 1. Bad posture and 2. - MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY
They will NOT go away on their own, and need to be broken up. There are several options.
What worked for me was Trigger Point Injections. Basically, a needle full of Lidocaine (which blissfully numbs you) is injected into the spazm. The needle breaks up the spazm.
I think I may have had as many as 6 shots into the back of my skull at one time. I had this done at my LLMD's, and continued at Pain Management.
Note of caution: Pain Mgt guys love you jam you full of 'anti-inflammatories', even with trigger point injections. So if you go that route, insist they not give you anything but the Lidocaine.
Another thing you can do at home is locate the offending area, and either have a strong loved one or yourself jam your knuckle into it as hard and as long as you can take it. It's like a thumb war - sooner or later something will give.. Follow up with heating pad.
And of course, get a RBC Magnesium test. If you're low, work to bringing levels up through IV or IM - orals won't cut it.
Hope this helps.
Posted by Jin (Member # 11735) on :
Dear Hambone, I have migraines, which often cause the same sensation of the ice pick. However, the pain is in between my eyes. Sinus pills are the only thing that relieves them. Massaging my scalp and forehead also provide some relief. Having severe TMJ could very well be the entire cause of mine. I also have low progesterone and possible Endometriosis.
Julie is right about referred pain. It tends to aggravate everything. Massage is often helpful for things like this. The alternating hot and cold is the only thing that helps my mother when headaches reach a certain intensity. Getting a Bed Buddy that you heat in the microwave warms the rice inside and is very soothing even for intense pain. Trust me, if it helps my menstrual cramps, it will help just about anything!
Sincerely, Jin
Posted by Hambone (Member # 29535) on :
Wow! I am blown away by all the suggestions and help.
Thank you all.
Posted by apljack (Member # 14233) on :
feelfit--miserable is a mild word. I best describe it to my husband that when I go to lay down when I have a bad headache, that I really don't even know if I will be alive when/if I wake up and the pain is so bad I don't even care--it's sort of an acceptance feeling. Scary though...
Posted by SashaC (Member # 18968) on :
Hambone,
I was hoping I could share some positive news with you!
Unfortunately, my first appointment with this new headache specialist was a waste.
Luckily, I have learned over the past years to make appointments with at least 3 docs in the same field, just in case the first few turn out to be flakes. This one definitely fit in that category!
I carried with me the results of my CT angiogram of my head (done last Monday), brain CT without contrast, and spinal tap that was done in November.
She would not accept any of my tests. She said SHE has to order the tests, and only SHE interprets them.
So she scheduled me for ANOTHER CT with contrast, another spinal tap, EEG, and sleep study.
Once all the results are back, she said, she'll see me again in late April.
She would not consider giving me any migraine meds to try in the meantime. I'm apparently supposed to suffer with these hellish headaches for three more months, and repeat having a needle stuck in my back and more radiation. Not happening!
I learned years ago the difference in doctors who care and doctors who are in it for the money!
So, I'm off to the next doc on the list.
And again, I'll keep you posted if anything works.
Posted by Hambone (Member # 29535) on :
That sucks, Sasha. What a crock of a doc. Obviously out to make more money and not on your side.
Docs like these, I don't hesitate to go to the online doctor rating sites and give my opinion. ( I do this for the good docs, too, but I take great pleasure in ratting out the bad docs publicly ).
Posted by SashaC (Member # 18968) on :
I always check the doctor ratings. They are so helpful!
I also let loose on the ones who have no business being doctors...This one is going to be rated a big fat zero.
I was in such a hurry to get a fix for my head pain that I really dropped the ball on this one.
Luckily, there's lots of great, caring doctors out there. Sometimes it just takes a bit if trial and error to find the ones that are really on our side!
Posted by Jin (Member # 11735) on :
Dear SashaC, My mother found relief with Maxalt. It did not do much for me, but you may want to try this prescription. The medication is expensive, though. There is a quick-action version called Maxalt MLT. You do not even need water to take it, since it is made to melt on your tongue. Aspartame is present to aid with this, so you may not want to use the drug in the event you have a sensitivity to such chemicals.
Sincerely, Jin
Posted by mbdq (Member # 26277) on :
My violent, painful ice pick headaches are migraines. I had never had a headache or migraine until 2002, after I started having lyme symptoms.
I went untreated for lyme until late 2009. Now, after 14 months of continual abx treatment, my headaches are getting better (especially the debilitating ones) but I still have some sort of headache every day.
I can't tell you how many headache drs I have seen and headache meds I have tried. The migraine triptan medications make my headaches rebound worse, I have tried all over the counters and prescription Fioricet. I have given up chocolate, caffeine, sugar, wheat, dairy etc at different times with no improvement. I have failed two preventative migraine meds (Elavil and Topomax) and I am now undergoing a series of botox injections that may be helping.
I have had trigger point therapy, massages, pt on head/neck/shoulders, acupuncture and chiropractic work.
I am sorry this post sounds so doom and gloom!!
Here is what I would tell you:
1) for migraines, triptan meds are a lifesaver for some- talk to your dr about trying one. They did work for me until my body developed the rebound response. Also, there may be another rx that may help you. The fact that your headache responded to ibuprofen for a little while is a very good sign.
2) do everything possible to keep your body limber, hydrated and calm (easier said then done!) if I feel my head getting worse, I immediately try to drink water and do some deep breathing which seems to help.
3) rubbing tiger balm on my neck sometimes helps, or mineral ice on my temples and around my ears.
4) ice paks, dark room and sleep can also help
5) I take a supplement called MIgrelief that is magnesium, B12 and feverfew. I don't really know if its helping, but probably not hurting.
I've been at this for years with the headaches, feel free to PM me if you want to chat more about it. I went from being debilitated by them and in bed 6-8 days/month with headaches to maybe in bed 1 day/month now and living a much more normal life.
I also just started A-Bab about 2 weeks ago and I am up to 9 drops/day. This made my head sizzle like mad when I first started. We will see where this goes.
Good luck and hope this gets better for you!!
MB
Posted by apljack (Member # 14233) on :
MG--did you ever try the homeopathic stuff? My MIL gave me a little bottle of tiny white pills marked "headache". You put one under the tongue. I'm amazed that they work sometimes, and so quickly.
Posted by Jin (Member # 11735) on :
Dear apljack, What is the name of this wonderful homeopathic remedy? I would love to know! Taking acitomenophen all of the time could be bad for the liver. Could you find out the brand name? This sounds like it is worth trying.
Dear Hambone, Have you tried Arnica? It is supposed to help as well. Some say rubbing it on the forehead or temples really works. A few natural options out there sound worth pursuing. If I get the chance to try it, I will let you know if it works. Peppermint oil is supposed to relieve headaches by using it the same way, too.
Sincerely, Jin
Posted by SashaC (Member # 18968) on :
Hambone, I went to a new neurologist today who specializes in headaches/ migraines.
He was the polar opposite of the first doc I saw. Very knowledgeable and very helpful.
He thinks that the headaches I have been getting since I contracted Lyme are of both the cluster and migraine type.
He gave me three triptans to try: Maxalt, Maxalt-MLT (orally disintegrating tablets) and treximet.
When I feel one of the killer headaches coming on, I am supposed to take 1 tablet. If that doesn't work, I am to wait two hours and take another.
He told me to never, ever go to the ER with these headaches. He said that they are caused by vasodilation of the vessels, and must not be treated with the narcotic painkillers that the ER gives me, or the Opana I have here at home.
They have an infusion center in their office. He said if my headaches do not abate, I am to go there and they will give me IV meds to take the head pain away.
He told me the name of what the IV med was called. Unfortunately, Lymebrain prevents me from remembering what it was called!
I also began taking verapamil, per my PCP. This is somehow supposed to decrease the length and severity of the headaches. It seems to be working so far (knock on wood) since I haven't had an attack since Christmas Day.
I still have daily headaches and lots of throbbing in my gums and teeth. I am hoping both will go away with continued LD treatment.
Anyway, I just wanted to share my visit with you.
I am praying that one of the triptans he gave me will be able to abort the pain next time I have an attack. I'll let you know if they work!!
Posted by Jin (Member # 11735) on :
Dear SashaC, This is wonderful! My mother took Maxalt, which I mentioned above. Unfortunately, she has not been able to afford it since running out of insurance when my father was laid off in December of 2008. Maxalt only dulled my pain, but I found in addition to the sinus pills containing acitomenophen, chlorpheniramine maleate, and phenylephrine HCl (or Pseudophedrine HCl) drinking some coffee and a Promethazine generally do the trick. Once in a great while, taking two sinus pills with the above is needed. Your appointment was encouraging, and we are all hoping for this to be a solution! Thank you for some happy news.
![[bow]](graemlins/bow.gif)
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
However, the pain is in between my eyes. Sinus pills are the only thing that relieves them. Massaging my scalp and forehead also provide some relief. Having severe TMJ could very well be the entire cause of mine. ![[confused]](graemlins/confused.gif)
I also have low progesterone and possible Endometriosis. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
The alternating hot and cold is the only thing that helps my mother when headaches reach a certain intensity. Getting a Bed Buddy that you heat in the microwave warms the rice inside and is very soothing even for intense pain. ![[Cool]](cool.gif)
Trust me, if it helps my menstrual cramps, it will help just about anything!![[cussing]](graemlins/cussing.gif)