Shock-like Head Pain

I'm wondering if anyone has experienced an episode like this.

A few days ago, I experienced a bizarre head pain. It radiated from the top of my head down, in a straight line behind my left eye to the roof of my mouth. It would zap me for a fraction of a second, and then occur again about every fifteen minutes for a few hours, until I fell asleep. I felt fine otherwise. (The day before, I'd had a scratchy throat, but I had read an entire book to my child aloud, so I chalked it up to that.)

The next day, I had a monstrous all-around headache and felt exhausted, plus sensitivity to sound, dizzy, and a swollen gland on the left side. (No fever. Digestion and appetite fine. No cough or sinus symptoms.) I have more overall inflammation (including a neck that is crackly) and more exertion intolerance than usual. I did some gentle yoga yesterday (normally fine) and was worn out for the rest of the day.

I'm slowly returning to my baseline, four days later now, but this was really bizarre. I can't connect it convincingly to any supplements, exposures, or events.

The strangest part is that just today on a national Lyme email list, someone else posted about having the same sort of episode around the same time. Such a weird coincidence. She also was very unsettled and had not experienced it before. Anyone else experienced this? Any ideas for me?

"Zaps" can be a hallmark of mold and to some degree Bartonella, but I have not experienced them in this way or as part of a seemingly temporary episode before. Every day is the same as every other day right now, so I did not have some massive mold exposure on that day that then ceased, if that makes sense. I am in the same house, same rooms, doing the same things.

Things that are unusual right now: I stopped having stevia (which was affecting my hormone levels) a week before this happened. I have been eating lots of seasonal fruit (so way more sugar than normal for me). Could this be a stevia withdrawal thing, or a candida thing from too much fruit (sugar)? Please help me figure this out!

The book was brand-new from the manufacturer and arrived in plastic. But I did spend two days mostly sitting on my porch because my child was having a yard sale - maybe the outdoor furniture cushions are moldy. They're new-ish, but it probably doesn't take long. As I know you understand as well as anyone, I do not want to believe that it's mold.... But I will keep it in mind.

I don't think I have started doing anything that would have an antimicrobial effect.

I did drink the Traditional Medicinals Detox tea that day, but I would be surprised if that would create such a strong effect. (I use one tea bag for a liter of tea, steeped for an hour, and then chill it and drink throughout the day.) I've had it before with no ill effects, but it has been a while.

Saraeli - I have had various electric sensations as well. Deep, distressing, almost painful head zaps occurred when I started taking Houttuynia. I've had more surface level, milder electric sensations in my skin on a nearly daily basis.

I have found a correlation between these and diet. If I eat more fruit or carbs than normal, they definitely intensify. Not to say this means I understand what they are or what causes them. All of the electrical sensations have been more frequent since I started taking Houttuynia. The combination of Houttuynia + carbs/sugars seems to cause an especially powerful reaction for some reason.

It could be your trigeminal nerve, mine is infected and inflamed by Bart. Do a google image search for the different branches of the nerve, it’s the largest cranial nerve and goes behind the eye and feeds into the sinuses and roof of the mouth. I’ve had electrical, stabbing, burning, pulsating, tingling, and ice sensations from this nerve, though thankfully most of that is gone now.

WalkingbyFaith said...


Gone with what? What made it go away?

oh I just saw this thread. Treatment with herbs made it go away, though I do still get occasional inflammation of the nerve for about a day or less during my period. I don't know which herb in particular got rid of it, since I was on a ton at once.