Hi there - I have been suffering debilitating migraines since January. (I have been on disability since that time). I am working with a headache specialist out of Chicago and have been since Feb. I have been through numerous tests and trials and treatments for everything from TMJ to allergies (delayed allergies, regular allergies, food allergies, evnironmental, drug, etc), biofeedback, stress management, psychological testing, MRIs, MRAs, CTs, hormonal tests, accupuncture, electrical stimulation, Reiki, etc, etc...

I had Roux En Y Gastric Bypass surgery almost 2 years ago. I didn't have migraines until after the surgery. Since then they have become worse and worse.

I'm theorizing that it has something to do with malabsorption or malnutrition or the physiological change.

I have posted questions on other sites and have had a handful of people with similar experience...and also met one person while hospitalized in Chicago with this same phenomenon.

Has anyone else on this site has this same or similar thing happen?

(PS. Currently, I'm on a variety of daily meds... Topamax, Celexa, Seroquel, Metoprolol, (was on Vivactil but recently went off to see if that's why I'm hallucinating...) Zyrtec, Ranitidine, Benedryl, birth control, vitamins....I've been on numerous others as well.) My abortives are injectables or oral norflex or nubain.) I can give you other meds info if need be. Thanks

I just wanted to mention that I never had a headache in my life until I was 31. Then I started getting cluster headaches (8 a day) every day and became a chronic sufferer. I also started getting migraines (4 a month). I had never had a ha before. There was nothing precipitating this. Sometimes they just happen that way. Could be just a coincidence for you as well.

Really? I have been told it's unusual for them to "just start" at 32 (my age). I'm sorry to hear about your situation. Clusters are apparently some of the worst of the worst. Have your headaches come under control?

I have always had really bad sinus headaches - ever since I was in JR High or High School. What do you think of the research that suggests chronic sinusitus could actually be misdiagnosed migraines?

I have a hard time believing it, though, because, I remember the specific date, time and place of the first headache I had where I first had an aura and where lights and sounds were disorienting with my headache. To me, those are classic migraine symptoms. I never had any of that before. Just head pain.

After 5 years of living hell with cluster headaches I am finally under control with methadone. I tried over 35 different meds and was a big lab rat and found nothing that worked for me to prevent my ha. Chronic clusters are very hard to treat. I have been cluster free for 11 months. On a pain scale clusters are a 10 and migranes are a 5 or 6. It is migranes are longer lasting and come with nausea and vomiting and light and sound sensativities. With clusters you just have an intense sharp pain deep in your head that you can't get rid of for a couple of hours. I would get 8 ha every day and that would put me in increadable pain for 16 hours of the day. I would get a ha every 2 hours with a half hour break. It is very madening.

I don't think that chronic sinisus could be a migraine. They are very different in symtoms. As you said. I don't know how they could possibly be related or anything of that nature.

That's what I was thinking...two very different types of headaches. But from my first appointment in Chicago the specialist has said she thinks I've been misdiagnosed all along and probably been on a slow progression of headaches that are just getting worse and worse.

I see it differently and think they are night and day.

I had a migraine that started on January first and didn't stop for something like 45 days. I was hospitalized twice (once locally and once in Chicago for 12 days) and had 6 emergency room visits during that time. Prior to that time my migraines - which I've only been getting for about the prior 12 months - would come and go usually within 12 or 24 or 48 hours.

The neurologists here actually diagnosed me with cluster migraines. Chicago disagrees...they have me as status migraine, combination migraine and tension, and atypical clusters - depending on which headache I'm having.

Like you said, maybe it's just something that started.

I know all about trying many meds, though. Have you had trouble with drug allergies? I'm up to something like 17 drugs I'm reacting to, but recently I found out I'm not actually allergic in the anaphalactic shock sense - I get hives awfully bad, though. My histamines won't shut down. I have an allergist who thinks they are fighting everything.

I'm glad you are in a good period of time. I hope that keeps up!

Katherine

Wow sorry to hear you are hurting like that. It isn't fair. Cluster headaches are unlike any migraine. There is an online cluster headache support group and non profit org that exists called ouch. You should do a google search on cluster headaches and see what comes up. The first couple of websites are of great help. Clusters rarely occur over 2 hours but have been known to run 4-5 hours on rare occassions for people. They usually occur at night time and wake a person out of there sleep. Mine and a few other peoples occur during the daytime. But it is rare. Usually the headaches are on the same side of the head and occur at the same time every day. You can set a clock to them. The pain is very different from migraine or sinus. It is a deep sharp burning pain that goes from your temple to your eye to your ear lobe and sometimes into your jaw area. Sometimes it is misdiagnosed as sinus or TMJ. I have personally met over 100 people that have cluster headaches in person and talked with them through the online support group I belong to. We all agree these headaches are very different than migranes. I hope this helps you make up your mind if you have clusters or not. Visit the websites I mentioned above. There is a cluster quiz you can take that is pretty good at helping you determine if you have clusters or not. good luck. I hope you don't have those in addition to the migraine and other troubles you are having.

One of the types of headaches I get - in fact, the one that wouldn't go away in January, was always on the back, right side of my head and met most of the descriptions of clusters. I actually have been on the site (ouch) you mentioned, along with the National headache foundation and numerous others. When this started happening to me, I started my research. I also saw several neurologists in the area. They said migraine clusters. I took all my data to Chicago and said to them, because it's non stop I didn't think it was a cluster. They agreed and said status migraine with combo tension. I also get other types of headaches at different times. One they are calling atypical cluster - an extremely sharp shooting pain over my left ear. It's always in the same spot, excruciatingly painful and thankfully (I call them "zingers" ) very short lived. Oxygen by mask helps with those sometimes.

Do you sleep normally? My sleep pattern is so messed up. I think the meds I'm on are making it worse. I go to Chicago next week, thankfully.

Because I am on methadone now and have been pain free for almost a year I am getting lots of sleep. However, off of methadone I get about 4 hours of sleep a night due to being under attack most the time.