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Waves of pain? Anyone else

Onthemove1971 profile image
12 Replies

Things change so much when you have migraines.

Here is what I have been experiencing for about 2 days now: no pain in head, clean mind and feel normal. About every 6-10 seconds a wave of sharp pain towards the back of my skull. The pain lasts a few seconds and goes away. If I rub the area of my skull it does not happen. Clearly I can't spend all day rubbing my skull.

Never had this happen, the pain stays constant most of the time.

Anyone else?

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Onthemove1971 profile image
Onthemove1971
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12 Replies
bamboo89 profile image
bamboo89

Doesn't sound like its migraine related - where precisely on the skull do you rub to stop the pain, at the base, near the neck? Is the area tender to the touch at all?

Onthemove1971 profile image
Onthemove1971 in reply tobamboo89

If you start your ear and follow around the back of your head ( above you neck) on the right side. When I rub my skin it stops at that moment, then comes right back. This is day 4 of "the wave".

Weirdest thing, but painful.

bamboo89 profile image
bamboo89 in reply toOnthemove1971

Depends which bit of the ear you mean, ha ha... I only ask because I get pain in the general area, either just where the curve of the head meets the neck at the back, or I find tender places that lead across to the ear an inch or so higher up. In fact, I've found a tender spot today, and I;m aware my right cheek is twitching occasionally with some jaw/ear tenderness, often a sign the nerves are irritable in that area. The pain can be shooting or stabbing, more often neuralgia or neuritis like - physio told me to massage the area when it occurs, which is very uncomfortable to do. Not related to migraine though, so just wondering if yours is a similar thing... it's like the pain is on the outside, not inside like it is with migraine, if you get what I mean.

I forgot to say - if the pain worsens, I will use my Pain Gone thingy, looks like a big biro or pen, that's about the only thing that works, although even that doesn't completely kill the pain of neuralgia. And ;painkillers don't touch it either...

ChrissieMons profile image
ChrissieMons

It sounds like the odd pains I get sometimes in my temple - almost like an electric shock. They come and go, and I think they are possibly related to stress, tiredness and that kind of thing. I press on the area as an instinct - not sure it does much good. Painkillers help a bit, but although it takes a few days, it does pass.

Onthemove1971 profile image
Onthemove1971 in reply toChrissieMons

This is exactly what they are like.. an electric shock. Thanks for helping me identify them.

It does not sound like a migraine or part of it. .

Wales99 profile image
Wales99 in reply toChrissieMons

My neurologist described those as “ice-pick” headaches & that’s exactly what it feels like. I get them a lot. My neurologist said they don’t know what causes them but they’re very common in people with migraine.

bamboo89 profile image
bamboo89 in reply toChrissieMons

You are describing facial nerve irritation/pain; the nerve 'cluster' for the trigeminal nerve is in the temple, and the nerve branches run across the forehead, into the eye, the cheek, the ear and the jaw... any branch can be irritable and cause nerve sensations which can be pain or twitching/jumping/stabbing. I've never found a solution other than just time,.

Onthemove1971 profile image
Onthemove1971 in reply tobamboo89

Thanks

Onthemove1971 profile image
Onthemove1971

They feel like an ice pick. Today they have moved to my front right side forehead. Same pain. They come and go with no other pains.

Blearyeyed profile image
Blearyeyed

What have you tried so far to help clear it?

Onthemove1971 profile image
Onthemove1971 in reply toBlearyeyed

Just over the counter migraine medication and Imitrix. On a scale of 1-5 the pain is maybe a 2. But it's really annoying to have this intermittent pain.

Anonymous227 profile image
Anonymous227

During the Postdrome, or Post-migraine I would get similar pains, but not so close together. Maybe once every hour I'd get a wave of sharp searing pain, but it would go away after maybe 10-15 seconds. I also had kind of a dragged-down depressing feeling. I discovered that when I have a migraine if I take in anti-oxident-rich foods and beverages the day that I am having a migraine (as well as a lot of water), the following "recovery" day is far better, and those waves of pains aren't there.

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