Shunt headaches are something that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Sometimes the shunt headaches are so debilitating, that all you can do is stay in bed. Hey, that is the same thing that happens with individuals that have migraine headaches, too. What is the difference.
The difference; from my standpoint; is that migraines are "electrical" or even muscular; in nature; whereas the shunt headache is caused due to an imbalance of CSF (Cerebral Spinal Fluid).
Having been seen by numerous general medicine docs, neurologists and neurosurgeons; my whole life; I know the differences between the pain of a shunt headache and that of a migraine. I have chuckled openly when a neurology resident is trying to convince me that what I have is a migraine, only to try and write out a prescription for a migraine medication. I have come to the point in my life where I tell the ER doc (if that is where I land) to contact neurosurgery (or that I contacted my neurosurgeon, letting him know I was on my way to the ER). Jokingly, I say: "Book me a room", meaning a operating room. Yet, when my neurosurgeon saw me; or even during the email I send him; he knows that I know my body and would not waste his time.
Shunt headaches can be caused by a change in the barometric pressure. For instance, when a low pressure system is several miles away, I can sense the change and prepare for it. This is not a "gift". This is a real pain. It is akin to people with arthritis having to deal with the cold. They know how to prepare themselves.
Not all shunt headaches need to be operated on. But, they do need to be "monitored". If the shunt headache is not accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and other specific "cues", you can deal with it by taking either Tylenol or Motrin. I wouldn't recommend aspirin, especially in young kids. But, that's me. I am not a doc or any kind of medical professional. I am writing from a personal standpoint on how I deal with my hydrocephalus. Talk to your doc if you are concerned about the pain in your head.
