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        New Message Board Archives >> 2004-2005 Getting to Know Ya Posts >> Help!  How much longer?
        
(Message started by: Carolann on May 17^th, 2004, 4:33pm)

Title: Help! How much longer?
Post by Carolann on May 17^th, 2004, 4:33pm

I'm going into my third month of CH. First time sufferer. My MRI was normal. The Dr has me on Vicodin. I've only had three 10s, but I haven't gone a day without a HA. My eyelid droops at least twice a day and my neck gets tight on the left side. I wake up every night between 1:00 and 3:00 am.

How long does a cycle last?

Should I take prednisone?

Thanks,
Carolann

Title: Re: Help! How much longer?
Post by thomas on May 17^th, 2004, 4:47pm

Get off the vicodin. Ask for some imitrex, zomig or amerge to abort the headache.

Title: Re: Help! How much longer?
Post by Gator on May 17^th, 2004, 5:26pm

Welcome to the website. Sorry to see another victim of the beast in our midst. Thomas is right, pain killers can cause as much pain as they cure in the form of rebound headaches.

As far as your particular flavor of CH, the best thing I can do is to direct you to read everything on this and on OUCH's websites, take the surveys and answer the questions.

Talk with a doctor and get a referal to a neurologist, preferably one that specializes in this kind of problem. Have an MRI to rule out any serious medical condition (as if ch wasn't serious enough).

Again, welcome to our little corner of the world.

Gator

Title: Re: Help! How much longer?
Post by stevegeebe on May 17^th, 2004, 7:48pm

How long?...Who knows Carolann.

Read the years of stuff compiled here. Go to the Doc ready. You will likely educated your Doc.

Be humble and demand o2 and what ever else you gleen from your research. It may take some trial and error to find what works.

Good luck to you and I pray that it ends soon.

Steve G

Title: Re: Help! How much longer?
Post by TxBasslady on May 17^th, 2004, 10:31pm

Pain killers do very little for CH.

Listen to Thomas..........sounds like you need to find a doc that knows about CH.

I am a firm believer that narcotic pain killers can and do cause rebound headaches. Actually, you are not treating a CH with pain killers.....they only mask the pain.

The CH is still there......you need to get a good preventative and a good abortive.....again....re-read Thomas's post.

PF vibes,

Jean

Title: Re: Help! How much longer?
Post by JDH on May 17^th, 2004, 11:13pm

Carolann,
Like the others have said, ditch the narcs for the CH's.
Ask your doc about oxygen. It's clean, safe and relatively cheap compared to most abortives.
Check out the link http://www.headachesupportgroups.com/oxygen/oxygen.htm

good luck to you,

Jim

Title: Re: Help! How much longer?
Post by daffyswacky on May 18^th, 2004, 1:23am

hey carolann.....i had to respond for a couple of reasons...i too am a newly diagnosed CH...as advised..GET OFF NARCS...been thru rehab already for them for chronic back pain...they only do you more damage in the long run and they dont do shit for clusters...prednisone was a temp. repair for me..the triptans(imitrex etc) trigger my panic attacks so i cant take them either...i already take topamax for the nerve damage in my back and neck but i have read that it does help some ppl so check with your dr, i am going for massage therapy 2-3x's a week my ins. pays and it helps a bit with the stiff neck but like yourself i am in the trial and error stage here...so hang tuff....what really grabbed me here was you bein a newbie, same symptoms, same trouble spots and same name....i'm carolyn ann...kinda freeky [smiley=yikes.gif] ~~daffy~~