Cranial Nerve Pain, The Icepick And The Headache

It usually starts as a flutter in my left temple. Then I can feel the endings of my left Cranial Nerve start to expand, and along with that comes the steady feeling of increased pain. Then there is the icepick. Like a deliberate walloping blow to my left temple, but the icepick isn't removed. It's as though it's stuck. Pain starts to move around to the front of my forehead like someone has my head in a vice. I feel nerve pain and nerve sensations start to move down my neck and across the left side of my face. There is dizziness and light sensitivity.

I am completely debilitated until this disease decides to remove the icepick. It can take one day, or it can take 5. I can't think about anything else, I am rendered useless.

I generally start to load my self up with 3 Advil and 1 Tylenol as soon as I feel the flutter. This is a headache that won't, and in 2 and a half years has never gone away on its' own. I have to lay down. If after 2 rounds of the Advil/Tylenol combo, it hasn't started to subside, I take a Maxalt. Maxalt is a Migraine remedy that works effectively but it is a benzo and will take me off the map for at least a day. Sometimes I have to take 2 rounds of Maxalt, 4 hours apart. If that happens I am totally flattened.

When I was first diagnosed with Lyme and co infections my overall symptom list included about 35 different symptoms. Fortunately, over time ever so slowly it has dwindled down to about 8, but the one which currently plagues me the most is the Cranial Nerve pain and headaches which I describe.

This is excruciating pain, that can sometimes go on for days. It is exhausting and unrelenting once it starts.

What causes it? My LLMD says its the flare of the neurotoxin from the Lyme bacteria (in this case mainly Bartonella) as they fight back when antibiotics attack them. I believe it to be true, because these episodes are certainly worse, when an antibiotic rotation is first started.

This pain recedes as an ocean wave recedes. Pulling back over the course of another 18 hours or so. It generally happens by me sleeping them off. There is residual tenderness in my left temple and forehead that will take another 2 days to go away. I feel that the worst is over, but then there is always a chance I will feel the flutter in my temple again, at any time and the cycle will start all over again.