WTF are ice pick headaches you say? Well they are EXTREMELY painful very short duration headaches that can almost incapacitate you when they happen. They are NOT migraines or cluster headaches. There is no underlying cause nor are they a cause for concern other than the pain they bring and the immediate effects thereafter. They are called ice pick headaches because the pain is as if an ice pick was being driven straight into the brain. I have had them since I was in my late teens and I am now heading towards 50 next month. Personally I tend to get them when I am REALLY tired and have been “blessed” with them last night and today. They last only seconds with 30-40 seconds being a long one. They come straight out of the blue and leave just as quickly. When I get them it usually brings goosebumps out on me and it feels as if my scalp is crawling at the same time. Many times during an especially bad attack I just have to close my eyes and "switch off” and shudder. Sometimes I can hardly remember what I was talking about just before it happened. It is as if the brain was short circuited.
Today I had at least a half dozen such attacks. I came home from the night shift Friday morning and stayed up. That night I stayed up until midnight making it about 32+ hours without sleep with a 12 hour work-shift in the middle. I was bug-eyed wide awake most likely due to being over tired. I got up fairly early Saturday morning as there were lots of things to do and running around getting a few things done for Mother's day and other errands done. I had planned to go to bed early but the kids suggested watching some more episodes of the TV series Jericho and I agreed. Shortly after midnight I headed off to bed. While getting ready I heard a car go past the house followed by an unusually loud metallic ringing BANGNGNGNG!! I mumbled to myself “Jeese did the bridge just fall down or what?”As I crawled into bed I began to wonder if the car had actually struck the bridge which is a single lane overhead steel truss bridge at the end of a broad sweeping 90 degree turn in the road that borders the front (west) and south side of my house and property. About two minutes later I got the answer as no less than seven emergency vehicles consisting of police, fire/rescue, and EMS came screaming down the road stopping in front of the house and down the road to the bridge. The car had indeed struck the right hand side of the bridge causing it to ride up the angled side and flip upside down in the middle. There was lots of voices and activity until sometime after 2:00am as well as several diesel engines from the fire trucks rattling away in front of the house which was lit up with lots of red and blue lights flashing. So much for having the bedroom window open for a nice fresh breeze last night. I heard the firemen call for DOT to be notified of the accident and that an inspection of the bridge should be made before it was reopened. GREAT! I thought. So near yet so far. Now it means the looong way around to go to town as we do most all our business in the next town over as well as it is where the wife works. Speaking of that I texted her about 1:45am telling her to NOT come out the road in the morning when she came home from work as the bridge was closed. It would be a bitch to come all the way out and being able to see home only to have to turn around and go about 8 or 9 miles back around the other way.
Needless to say I did not get much sleep last night either and I believe that is why I have had several ice pick headaches today. God I hope I sleep well tonight as I have to get up early and probably take the kids to school (two different schools) depending on the bridge closure and changes to the bus route. Only my two kids and two more just up the road get on the bus this side of the bridge and I cannot see the bus picking them up and then going 8-9 miles around the other way just to get to the other side of the bridge again to pick up the rest of the load. Maybe it will but I have to be prepared for it not too. I wish I could sleep during the day but I never could unless I was dead tired after working the night before. The more tired I get the worse the attacks are in intensity. Anyway since only about 1 or 2% or the general population gets these types of headaches I was just wondering if anyone else has them. Everyone else I talk to about them confuses them with migraines, which they are not, and no one else seems to be bothered with them.
Headaches and Migraines - What Are Ice Pick Headaches? from About Headaches and Migraines
The Johns Hopkins Headache Center | Primary Stabbing Headache
Today I had at least a half dozen such attacks. I came home from the night shift Friday morning and stayed up. That night I stayed up until midnight making it about 32+ hours without sleep with a 12 hour work-shift in the middle. I was bug-eyed wide awake most likely due to being over tired. I got up fairly early Saturday morning as there were lots of things to do and running around getting a few things done for Mother's day and other errands done. I had planned to go to bed early but the kids suggested watching some more episodes of the TV series Jericho and I agreed. Shortly after midnight I headed off to bed. While getting ready I heard a car go past the house followed by an unusually loud metallic ringing BANGNGNGNG!! I mumbled to myself “Jeese did the bridge just fall down or what?”As I crawled into bed I began to wonder if the car had actually struck the bridge which is a single lane overhead steel truss bridge at the end of a broad sweeping 90 degree turn in the road that borders the front (west) and south side of my house and property. About two minutes later I got the answer as no less than seven emergency vehicles consisting of police, fire/rescue, and EMS came screaming down the road stopping in front of the house and down the road to the bridge. The car had indeed struck the right hand side of the bridge causing it to ride up the angled side and flip upside down in the middle. There was lots of voices and activity until sometime after 2:00am as well as several diesel engines from the fire trucks rattling away in front of the house which was lit up with lots of red and blue lights flashing. So much for having the bedroom window open for a nice fresh breeze last night. I heard the firemen call for DOT to be notified of the accident and that an inspection of the bridge should be made before it was reopened. GREAT! I thought. So near yet so far. Now it means the looong way around to go to town as we do most all our business in the next town over as well as it is where the wife works. Speaking of that I texted her about 1:45am telling her to NOT come out the road in the morning when she came home from work as the bridge was closed. It would be a bitch to come all the way out and being able to see home only to have to turn around and go about 8 or 9 miles back around the other way.
Needless to say I did not get much sleep last night either and I believe that is why I have had several ice pick headaches today. God I hope I sleep well tonight as I have to get up early and probably take the kids to school (two different schools) depending on the bridge closure and changes to the bus route. Only my two kids and two more just up the road get on the bus this side of the bridge and I cannot see the bus picking them up and then going 8-9 miles around the other way just to get to the other side of the bridge again to pick up the rest of the load. Maybe it will but I have to be prepared for it not too. I wish I could sleep during the day but I never could unless I was dead tired after working the night before. The more tired I get the worse the attacks are in intensity. Anyway since only about 1 or 2% or the general population gets these types of headaches I was just wondering if anyone else has them. Everyone else I talk to about them confuses them with migraines, which they are not, and no one else seems to be bothered with them.
Headaches and Migraines - What Are Ice Pick Headaches? from About Headaches and Migraines
The Johns Hopkins Headache Center | Primary Stabbing Headache
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