Mine started out the way you have described it. I didn't get the lightening bolt attack until I was well into the pre-TN stage. My earliest attacks would be unrelenting and would go on for weeks, then months at a time. Then one day it would just stop. I used to go months between attacks, but the time between got shorter and shorter and now I have it 24/7. I have taken trileptal and had great results from it. I had to stop it due to side effects which I couldn't tolerate.
Take care, Ellena