shooting sensation on left side of head - Headaches & Migraines Message Board

jenala24 · 11-23-2001, 12:31 PM

Hi, I am a 27 yr old (healthy) female.
For the past 2 months, i have been experiencing occasionally a sharp shooting sensation that i can feel from my lower neck up to behind the eye (on the left side). It is not what you would call a severe pain, but a sensation that's irritating and is not normal for me. It's like a shooting pain or a single "throb" that only lasts for a second, and has no lingering feeling. It "shoots" whenever it wants to, but it is more likely to do it when i am still, like sitting and watching tv, or at work at the computer. Sometimes it may do it 5 times a day, and the next day it may not do it at all. Then the next day it may do it 10 times a day. And some "shoots" are more entense than others. It is really irritating, And because it is on my mind a lot now , it is getting to where it startles me when it does it. I do not like to sit and watch tv because that's when it does it the most. I have been to my doctor and he referred me to an opthamologist because he thought it may have something to do with my eyes, but i didn't think so, i went anyway, and my eyes checked out fine. Has anyone experienced this symptome or know what it may be?

Hodor · 12-09-2001, 07:43 PM

Yes, I am someone who has the exact shooting sensations that you describe. I am a 37 year old female who has been experiencing them for about 6 years. It is just like you said, a strange shooting sensation up into your head at different spots for no reason. It happens to me also when I am just sitting or driving. It catches me off guard too and when it happens I have to get up or move or rub my head a little. Sometimes it is more intense then other times. I have even had it feel like a pop in my head. Have you ever had that? I have asked different doctors about it and even a neurologist and have never gotten a straight forward answer. It is a little frustrating. The best answer I got so far was the neurologist saying that maybe I have an extra sensitive nervous system reaction to things. I don't know. The only thing that seems to decrease them, maybe, is when I eat less caffeine, MSG, stimulant types of food. So that is what I do. Do you also tend to be more sensitive to stimulants like caffeine, MSG,Etc? Do you ever have migraines?

jenala24 · 12-10-2001, 11:56 AM

Hi Hobor,

Yes, you described what sounds like i am having too. Sometimes it will go away for a few days and come back again. It really irritates me at work because I am at a computer all day long, and that's when it is most active is when i am at a pc or watching tv. Like you said about your problem, it will sometimes catch me offguard too, and kind of startle me when it does it. And when an intense one hits, I will be aware of that side of my head from that moment on, and sort of tilt or hold my head to one side anticipating that it will do it again. I don't have headaches, outside of the ordinary occasional stress headache, and I don't get migraines. I have been to my doctor, and he just sort of shrugs. I went again to him on a day it was kind of active, and he gave me a steroid shot with a muscle relaxer, didn't really make a difference, and he gave me a couple of sample boxes of Celebrex (that's what they advertise on TV for arthritis), and I had my doubts on whether the Celebrex would do any good either, but i am taking it like he said. My head is not doing it much at the present time, but that doesn't really mean anything yet. It could just be dormant right now and probably become active again in a few days. But the doctor is not acting like it could be anything to worry about, he has not suggested to send me for an MRI or something(yet), to rule out anything serious. He keeps suggesting it could be strained nerve or muscle.

Hodor · 12-13-2001, 08:12 PM

Yes it is a confusing thing. Sometimes, like you, I'll go a couple of days without experiencing the shooting feelings. I read once that people with MS have these shooting, bings of pain, in their heads. I asked the neurologist about that too, but he just said, no he really doesn't think so. Hopefully it is just a nonserious thing.

Airyn · 01-12-2002, 11:29 PM

This sounds a bit like something called 'nueralgia' - I probably spelled that wrong. Anyway - I have a friend who has this and she got some meds for it - talk to your dr. about it - this could be what you have. I really don't know much about it but it sounds like what my friend has - good luck - Airyn