Has anyone found out what the problem is? I have the EXACT same symptoms as you guys and it has been going on for 3 weeks now. It only hurts when i gently touch my temple and if i press down hard it doesnt hurt at all. It seems to get worse during the day. When i wake up it is almost non-existent. But as the day progresses if i lightly touch my temple i get a dull pain and when i let go the pain goes away. I am thinking it may be TMJ, tension headache or a sinus infection because recently my teeth feel a bit off. Like they are tired from grinding or something. Any results from those who have had this would be greatly appreciated.

I have had shingles before, look it up if you dont know what that is. Its VERY painful and it is related to nerves endings from what I remember. Anyway it went up the left side of my face and temple and scalp only, a rash hurt real bad and left a scar. I didnt know at the time but VALTREX will most of the time heal you from shingles as it did me. That was 5 years ago, last year that same area started hurting just exactly as all of you are talking about. I had a bottle of VALTREX on hand took it it went away. Now July 2009 the right side of my temple skin is hurting to the touch, nothing visiable very sensitive ect. Im about to start VALTREX again. I recieved shingles 5 years ago due to a very stressful transition in my life. My body was reacting by cause my nerve ending to create a very painful and ugly rash, its stems from the faimly of cold sores, chicken pocks as a kid things like that. I am under the same amount of stress ringht now, are you. Thats what brought mine on, STRESS. Cold sores are a form of herpese (no not sexual diseases) well VALTREX is a herpeses medication. Which alarmed me, but my Doctor assured me its not the same thing and I didnt contract a sexual disease. So u may have the onset of SHINKLES.....

Hey CW,

Just wanted to say that I have the exact same thing. NOt exactly shingles but an HSV1 infection (never had a true cold sore). But the virus lives in your trigeminal nerves which have 3 branches and one goes to the forehead and side of face. The virus acts up and a rash similar to shingles up the side of my head and boy does the skin hurt to the touch.

So Utah Chris you might want to ask your doc for a HSV! and varicella zoster IGM and IGG antibodies test. If its positive the valtrex will help.

nerve pain from irritation causes this hypervigilance of pain signals. in older people, with pain along vessels, one should consider ESR check for temporal arteritis. in younger patients, it's benign and a nuisance at best. sometimes, wearing helmets or headgear can cause this...meralgia paresthetica anyone? using lidocaine crea, on your temple should help--just keep it away from your eyes. (not that it would hurt, but it could cause you to scratch your eye but not feeling it)

Hello all. I have developed a headache and sensitivity similiar to what's been discussed for the past month. Sometimes it's more painful than others, such as when I sleep on that particular side. I greatly aggravated my rotator cuff tear about the time the headaches started. I also was working in my garage off and on this summer and Lord knows the stuff that gets into your nostrils. Lastly, I bumped my head on a lit light bulb in my cramped garage attic, breaking it. Didn't feel any shock but did detect a slight odor of burnt hair. This occured about the same time as my headaches started as well. I was diagnosed<sp> with shingles a few years ago, but my only symptom then was a rash on my back, which I thought were multiple bug bites. All thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Hi guys, I read this post and a certain illness is jumping out at me and that is giant cell arteritis. Someone said in a post 'I think it's vascular' and I believe that's right. I have a form of vasculitis and suffer extreme headache, fatigue, blurred vision, neuro symptoms. A lot of different problems. Also my skin on my scalp and elsewhere is infused with a sort of neuralgia pain. It is exhausting. I am sorry if this didn't post correctly. I'm new to using iPad so not very good with it. But if it hasn't worked please google the topic.....lotsa stuff online about it but I think it's a strong candidate.

I'm glad you all have posted this here. I have been having this mystery pain (just under surface of skin in left temporal area, centered about an inch back into the hairline and radiating outward in all directions about 3 inches. It seems similar to the sensation of a bruise. Very light pain if not touched, but painful if I flex my scalp, jaw or touch the area. I would expect this result if I had used a cement block for a pillow, or had taken a blow to the head. Nothing like that has occurred. I simply woke up a few days ago with this pain.

I see that suggestions include shingles, neuralgia, hair follicle infection and sinuses. At this point I am going to try to do a lymph massage and drain my sinuses as that is the easiest method. Second, I will try valtrex while also making an appointment to see the Dr. for further analysis.

Thank you for posting your experiences and solutions here as my first fear was brain tumor.

With some of the symptoms I see described I want to be sure everyone alerts the DR to check the carotid arteries, at least with an ultrasound on the neck. My husbands headache was sudden and severe, though he had more symptoms than I see described here, some are familiar. Two Ers even a specialty well known teaching hospital er sent him home with a virus diagnosis with not one single ultrasound of the neck or even listening for a bruit with a stethoscope.

He did indeed have an extensive double internal carotid artery dissection. This was also missed by a neurologist. Drs had been trained that this was a rare occurrence in young people or people without trauma so they didn't look for it. It is indeed found to be the most common reason for stroke in young people. The less invasive testing now has discovered this. His was diagnosed after a MRA with contrast He had all the other testing, CT,ct contrast, mri, mri contrast, spinal tap, with the ers and neurologist, none were for this though, none were the MRA, or MRA contrast. No one did the simple neck ultrasound. A stethoscope listen can miss a bruit, but none of those were done either. He was diagnosed five months later at the mayo clinic in MN. He is extremely lucky to be alive.

I came here to see about my temporal sensitivity (slight, to the touch) . But some severe symptoms written here, and the lack of thinking about this possibility in the responses made me feel the need to bring this up.

Jennifer, thanks for your post.
Hopw is your husband doing now?
Yes it is often that doctors miss things. I feel there is so much responsibility on the patient. Sometimes we go from one docter to another. I
I was reading your post. Yes, theese were good reminders.
It was almost as if it was written to me.
I am having severe headache with throbbing, cramping bloodvessels in my temporal botht sides, but left more. I also have vasculitis. So I am pretty sure it could be temporal arteritis.
I am also on ASA and Plavix, So I am in a hurry, for my doc to call my neurovascular doc this am. I am requesting Ct brain, and a temporal artery biopsy. I have a note from my rheumatologist to request this.
My neurovascular doc will do a cerebral angiogram. I also want him to screen for aneurysm. I have a 2 years history on cerebral aneurysm
I will also ask re. Coratid Dopler

my dad had some problems with "shooter" pains in his temples and jaw. his neurologist diagnosed his as trigeminal nerve problems and prescribed carbatrol...it kept his terrible pain at bay. He couldnt even shave without these shooting pains...