Who hasn’t groaned and declared, “I’m having a killer headache!”? Most of the time, these frontal faux pas are just bothersome pains in the… head. If simply popping over-the-counter or prescription meds from your pharmacy of choice doesn’t make them skedaddle, however, you might have to buckle up for a medical consult.

Forget the layman terms-go ahead and call it a chronic stab-in-the-brain instead of 'persistent headache.' Too dramatic? Maybe, but if a headache has the audacity to ignore your self-care attempts, it deserves to get labelled as offensive! But fear not, brave soldier of screeching scalp, status migrainosus or chronic headaches make up just a smidgen over 1% of all migraine cases.

In reality, those unending headaches could clue you into some potential health hazards. It could mean your head's under a continuous migraine or tension-type headache that's metamorphosed into a chronic, everyday nuisance.

Ever heard of status migrainosus headaches? They're like migraines that played the “who-can-last-the-longest” game and won; you'll find them lazing around for over 72 hours.

Very occasionally, those recurrent headaches could indicate a serious underlying cause. Honestly, the possibilities are endless-from a relentless sinus infection to a nervous system debacle, a stroke, or even a brain blood vessel issue. But don’t let your imagination run wild! Only 2-7% of emergency room visits for headaches end up being for secondary headaches.

But hey, when you’re body's playing Pandora's Box, it gets hard to tell whether your never-ending headache is an innocent prankster or a villain in disguise. That’s why if a migraine lasts more than 3 days, haul your aching self to the ER for a thorough evaluation and treatment.

Meanwhile, don’t forget to manage those continuous headaches with a blend of hot medication and cool home remedies, dietary adjustments, and mocktail of drugs after an ER visit. All the while ensuring you’re not overusing your headache busters, of course.

And just as a cherry on top of your pounding head, how about a little COVID trivia? There’s a subset of people who survived severe COVID-19 and ended up with a daily headache intensified at the back of the head. This is called the new daily persistent headache and, unsurprisingly, described as "burning."

The overall message? Don’t just ignore a perpetual headache. Listen to your body! Of course, most of the time it's just your internal drama queen throwing a fit. However, on rare occasions, it could be signalling something far more serious. When in doubt, trust in your healthcare provider and above all, never hesitate to call for reinforcement from your circle of friends and family. Use all the resources you can to combat the persistent beast that is your headache.