I’m into my third day of a bout of neuralgia. It manifests itself as a stabbing pain in the back of my head on the left side. The frequency and intensity varies but this morning it’s about every 2 minutes and approaching 9 out of 10 (where a kidney stone jammed in my ureter = 10).
The pain is intense for a second then recedes to leave a burning sensation.
Touching my scalp in the wrong place can trigger the pain as, it seems, can swallowing and coughing, although it happens without any cause too.
It’s quite debilitating. Paracetamol and ibuprofen don’t seem to touch it.
The doctor has referred me to a neurologist and prescribed amitriptyline (20mg before turning in) which means I can at least get a good night’s sleep.
It was originally diagnosed as Trigeminal neuralgia but my current gp agrees with google that it is not in the right place for that. I think it might be occipital neuralgia.
This is only my second serious episode in 11 years: I usually have several short attacks a year lasting just a few moments each.
I have a notion that it is the result of being hit on the head with a fire extinguisher (the small ones they have in taxis) in 1991. At least, I don’t remember experiencing this before that date.
Does anyone else have or know any more about this kind of thing? Neuralgia, I mean; not being beaten with a fire extinguisher.