Firstly comes the neck, a sore feeling like you have pulled a muscle or twisted something but not constant pain like you would think. The uncomfortable feeling leaves you massaging your neck hoping it will go away but then follows the pulling pain, a sharp pain that starts behind your eye and feels like something is pulling from the front of your eye to the back of the head and in turn connects to the neck. this pain gradually increases over time and eventually ends up feeling like someone is trying to take your eye out with a spoon. Then there is the sharp pain that goes over the top of the head again joining the front of your head and face to the back of your head with pain. A level of pain that you can only describe as someone operating on you with no anaesthesia .
That's how i would describe the early morning wake up calls. It doesn’t always come on in stages but the pain is always the same. You can sometimes wake up and feel fine for around 5 to 10 minuets before anything starts to happen but as with all wake up calls you don't feel tired for some strange reason. Normally if i wake up in the morning naturally i feel shattered and it takers me a good 15-20 minuets to wake up properly, but the ones where i wake up due to the pain attacks coming just don’t seem to be the same, i always wake up immediately and there is never a sign of tiredness.I am wondering whether there is a chemical being released by the brain that causes these attacks that also wakes you up straight away, it is possible i suppose?
I am now 100% sure that the cold weather is one of MY main triggers for attacks to happen. Again this morning when i was rudely woken from my sleep once again at 4am this morning to deal with a stupid head attack that lasted only around 20 minuets and then again i couldn't go back to sleep afterwards so i have had to stay up all morning. Its really annoying when it keeps doing this to me but i know what it is, or i think i do! I can feel a cold band around my head when i wake, the cold band is only in the place where i get my attacks, just above the left eye. It is this coldness that sets of an attack every time i feel it. It may not be the main thing that is causing the attacks but it is definitely one of the contributors to my condition.
another thing i have noticed over time is that there are several types of attacks that you get when you suffer this condition and each attack can vary in size and length.
Stress attacks: These attacks are usually caused due to high levels of stress and can make your neck and shoulders feel gritty like you have grit stuck in you joints. These are the worst triggers along with cold attacks and can only be stopped with medication.
Heat Attack: This sometimes occurs when you wrap up to warm, over do exercise or generally get too hot during the day you can find that it irritates your head and then causes an attack. Not so common but still annoying.The attacks are less severe and can usually be dealt with using oxygen and pain killers.
Cold Attacks: Just like stress this is another of the main culprits that sets of your attacks. They are the most painful of all the attacks and can last hours in length. Just like stress attacks these have to be controlled by medication and injections. These are the most painful of all the attacks.
Strain Attacks: These attacks occur when you are trying to over do things. For example if you are trying to tidy you house and you are doing it too quickly with out taking a break. You end up straining yourself and this in turn will aggravate the head and bring on an attack. Again these attacks are less often and can usually be controlled using oxygen and tablets.
Light Attacks: Can also be caused by bright lights constantly being shined in your eyes. Light attacks are very similar to migraine attacks. Just like a migraine you may experience flashing before the onset of an attack or even tunnel vision or a small headache that proceeds the big attack, this is why CH has been confused with migraines for so many years. Again these type of attacks can be disabling you need medication and injections to control. The longest lasting of all the attacks and again extremely painful.
Noise Attacks: Just like normal “headaches”, if there is such a thing, these attacks can be set off by excessive noise and thumping sound that is experienced for a period of time. This in turn again causes your headaches to build and just as in stress headaches they will reach to extremely painful levels and can only be aborted by injections and/or oxygen and you have to find peace and quiet.
There are so many different reasons an attack is set off or why they are irritated to the extent that you are in constant suffering but above is a small list of the main reasons why MY attacks seem to happen. It wasn’t until i started doing this blog that i realised how many different triggers there could be for this condition, but what i do know is that education and knowledge is also a good weapon in defeating or controlling this condition. by understanding what can cause the condition to build we are able to avoid some of the main triggers thus making life a little easier to bear.
