Cluster Headaches

I know some of us experience migraine headaches so you'll understand. I've had cluster headaches for about 6 years now. Due to its rarity, it's often misdiagnosed and those that suffer from them experience them for years before getting the treatment they need. Here is a recent video from a reliable source (ya know, an actual doctor).

For me the worst of it felt like a ice pick being shoved into my eye socket while an anvil was being pressed against my temple and a tooth being pulled all at the same time. A cycle might start in the spring or fall, ramp up to this level of pain over weeks then gradually subside. Unlike a lot of CH patients, my GP diagnosed it correctly and was able to get pain management strategy with virtually no side effects in short order. Over the years the cycles have changed and the manifestation of pain has changed (they start in the temple now instead of the eye). I was in a remission period for months but it never really goes away, it just becomes fewer and further between and a lot more tolerable (a 2 or 3 as opposed to an 8 or 9).

We tend to blow off headaches. We say, drink more water, get more sleep, take ibuprofen, de-stress. Migraines are pretty common and although they are no walk in the park either, the fact that they are so common we tend to take them for granted (pop a pill and take a nap). It might seem ironic that we work in a business that stresses doing more with less while trying to maintain a culture of safety but the bottom line is there no reason to work through pain. Re-occurring headaches are not to be trifled with. If that's you, go see a doctor and get to the bottom of it.