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Is this normal?

I've been suffering from headaches for about ten years. During the past five years I've been officially diagnosed with migraines with aura. They come about once a week to once every two weeks and are extremely painful. Recently I was also diagnosed with Ice Pick headaches which in my case are ten times the pain of my migraines. I've gotten them up to thirty times a day which is hard to deal with while at school not to mention I have blacked out before due to the severity of the pain. My neurologist explained to me that they usually occur in older people and are fairly rare for teenagers to have. Since my last appointment in July my migraines have only increased in strength and quantity, but every time I see my doctor he doesn't think there's any else going on. I would accept that but now in addition to and sometimes in replace of my aura I feel as if my eye is drooping. My eye itself feels heavy and my eyelid droops. During my migraines I also get dizzy, feel week, and shake. I'm just concerned that there's something that my doctor's missing and something bigger is going on here. If you have any suggestions about what to do I'd much appreciate it.

  1. Hi Kerryannnn,

    I'm so sorry to hear how you are suffering.

    Has your doctor mentioned the possibility that your ice pick headaches could be cluster headaches? Here is a link on them: https://migraine.com/headache-types/cluster-headaches/
    They can recur throughout the day and can include eyelid drooping (though migraines can too). They are usually mre painful than regular migraines.

    It is definitely important to feel like your doctor will listen to you and treat you well. If your symptoms are changing or making it harder for you to deal with school, that is a valid concern.

    Is your a doctor a migraine or headache specialist? If not, you may want to find one. You can check out our resources on finding a headache doctor: https://migraine.com/blog/looking-for-a-migraine-specialist/

    If your doctor is a migraine specialist, but you feel he/she isn't helping, it may be a good time to look for a new doctor, if possible.

    Hope this helps!
    Lisa

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