Living with Headache

I have suffered with periodic headaches for several years and only just recently sought treatment for what the neurolgists have diagnosed as cluster headaches. Historically, I had an onset of nightly headaches characterized by excruciating pain in one eye with increased severity when I would lay down and nasal stuffiness. These “clusters” would last for 2-3 weeks and then disappear for year or so. I always told myself that I must have a seasonal allergy or it was stress related and the pain would retreat shortly.

This last “cluster” caused concern because by the fourth week, the headaches were increasing in frequency and duration. Furthermore, I was growing more exhausted each day, as sleep became a rare and dreaded activity. The doctor prescribed several medications which allowed me to sleep though the night and have relatively no pain. Treatment brought with it a bit of relief. I now know that I don’t have a tumor or massive brain hemorage, which is a real fear when you’re suffering through these life-disrupting episodes.

This message is for those stubborn women in your lives, maybe you, who bear through the pain of these cluster cycles. I realize that cluster headaches are rare in women, but I suspect more case go unreported and women suffer silently. Please seek medical advice early, find a medication or therapy that works for you. Remember, you are not alone.