Severe neck pain
So I've had migraines off and on, different types, different levels of pain intensity, for 30 years. Just in the past year I've started having either another kind or something else. I don't see a doctor for them and only take otc medicine, but it doesn't seem to help much for this pain. It is severe, sharp pain about an inch below and behind my right ear that only lasts 2-4 seconds maybe and then goes away for a bit and then it repeats. I have timed them and it could be seconds to minutes in between each one. When I'm in this phase, turning my head fast will produce another sharp pain. Each pain is like having a full-blown migraine and the more it happens the more it travels from that area into my right temple and eye. Thankfully it only lasts for those few seconds each, but that's a few seconds I can't even hardly function thrown into normal activity. A coworker says maybe they're tension headaches. I just don't know.
Hi Holly,
Thank you for your comments and being part of the Migraine.com discussion forum! Let me see what information I can give you that may help.
It is important to discuss new and/or different symptoms with our doctor so he can rule out anything more serious. If you haven't had a chance to do that, I would encourage you to do so.
It's entirely possible to have more than one headache disorder, many of us do. For example, I have chronic migraine, post-traumatic headache, IIH and a few other conditions. Ice pick headache or primary stabbing headache exhibits some of the same symptoms you've described. I'm not suggesting this is what you have, rather something you can discuss with your doctor. Here is an article on this type of headache disorder; https://migraine.com/blog/ice-pick-headaches.
There is another type of headache disorder called cervicogenic headache where we feel pain in the head but if originates from somewhere in our neck.
Let us know what the doctor says,
Nancy
