I get a terrible headache whenever I go outside. Is there anything that can help?

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Hi there, I'll try and explain as briefly as possible.

I live in a fairly cold, wet & windy country. Whenever I go outside for more than half an hour, I'll get a very painful headache. I started getting this 5 years ago - the pain is subtle at first, starting in the ears and working its way inward, until 10-15 minutes later, it feels like my skull is being crushed. The pain will always stop once I go back inside, but it does take another 10-15 minutes before it completely subsides.

A couple more rapid fire things I've discovered over the years:

  • I only get the headaches when my ears are uncovered. If I wear ear protectors, or even just keep my hood up, I get no pain.
  • The headaches don't occur at all in warm weather. The main factor seems to be wind, as sometimes I'm fine in colder weather if the air is completely still.
  • I've tried taking painkillers before going outside to see if they would stop the headaches, but they had no effect.

Since I know I can just put my hood up and avoid the pain, I haven't yet seen a doctor about this. However, my dream is to work as an actor - and recently I've been auditioning for some shows that would either film predominantly or entirely outside in exactly the kind of weather that would trigger a headache. My costume wouldn't have guaranteed ear protection, and filming takes a loooong time. I can't imagine the pain of standing in that kind of weather for hours. It would completely ruin the experience of working my dream job.

And, aside from this, I just miss being able to go outside like a normal person (especially in lockdown).

Any advice would be much appreciated - cheers guys.

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