I'm 17 years old and had my first cluster headache three days ago and about 4 more since then.  I'm worried if something must be extremely wrong to have clusters this early and this often.

My dad used to get clusters so he's been helping me out.  Putting my feet in freezing Ice, and other tricks to divert the flow of blood to the brain but still I'm worried about my general health, am I too young to have clusters?

There are people on these boards who are here because their young children have CH.  I'm not sure that it's possible to be too young unfortunately.

I'm sorry that you are dealing with this at such a young age though.  My attacks started just after my 20th birthday, so I wasn't quite as young as you, but almost.

It's good you have someone there with you who already has experience too.  Here's hoping for PF days  :)

P.S.  Have you made an appointment to see a doctor yet?  I would say anytime you have health concerns you should get them checked out.

No age too young unfortunately........good advice above though....I'm assuming you're not self diagnosing but going through the whole diagnostic process to make sure you're suffering from CH. There are a myriad of ailments similar to CH and a proper diagnosis is critical to establishing an effective treatment plan.

If it is CH, glad you found us and awesome you've got a father who is paving the road for you!

Guiseppi

Hi Matt,

I'm sorry to hear of your pain.   I had my first Cluster at age 10.  It is very scary.  Please make sure that you get to a Dr. for a true diagnosis just to be sure that you are, in fact, dealing with Clusters and not something more serious.  After that your Dr. can help you find a way to effectively manage your pain.  Oxygen is first choice around here.  There are also preventives that can keep the HAs at bay.  Lately though, Ive seen that some choose to deal with the HA rather than prevent them.  I choose to prevent and last cycle Verapamil did the trick for me.  This is not always the case though, as each cycle can be very different.

I find that putting ice on the top of my head and in the back of my neck help a lot during a hit.  Also energy drinks such as Red Bull, Rock Star, ect. can also help abort a hit.

PF wishes,

Jeannie

Matt, anyone under the age of 794 is too young to have these ... (DAMNATION!  That means I am old enough to have them!)

As the others have said, make sure you get confirmation that clusters is what you have.

Good luck, buddy!

Chuck

No, not too young, unfortunately.

As the others have said, make sure that you see a doctor to confirm the diagnosis and to get appropriate treatment.  I'm assuming that since your Dad gets them, you're both pretty clear that CH is what it is, though.

Glad to hear that you have an experienced clusterhead around who can help you learn how to get through and get by.  

All the best,

George

I've also had them since I was 10 yrs old.  I handled it better then, than I do now though.

Sorry to hear about your hits. I was 23 so your not to far away from where i was, can you please describe some of your symtoms. Thanks Coach Bill

My second night (3rd attack) my parents took me to the ER.
I was prescribed Imitrex and given a shot of pain killer.
Unfortunately all of this happened once the headache passed...

The biggest bother of this to me is the fact that it is so unknown that most doctors didn't know what it was and compared it to migraines, one doctor in the whole hospital had "seen a patient with this before" so he was my savior.

My symptoms are different from my dad's but the headaches themselves are the same.
I experience pain on the left side of my head behind my eye feeling like... pressure building to the point I wanna be apart of the procedure used in Saw 3 to relieve his headache.
It's like it's on a schedule.  2 hours into sleep i have one, 2 hours after waking up one starts but takes a lil while to kick into gear, then theres the floater, it hits anywhere between the second one and 5 hours later, than the last one of my day happens about an hour before I normally goto sleep.  
This friday I goto one doctor to be referred to another one for god only know's what to happen.  

Good luck Matt - I'm a clusterhead and the mother of a very young clusterhead and I'm devastated to hear of you going through this for both you and your parents, especially your dad. I know how I feel about one of my kids having this. There will be any amount of support, help and advice here for them as well as you if they so wish.

Please let us know how you get on no matter what
Helen

Thank you everyone for your understanding
I might have to quit my band because I can't take loud noises
My girlfriend is gonna leave me because she thinks I'm avoiding her because of "some stupid headaches."
I can't goto the upcoming Trivium concert.
I went to school one day out of this week (which is gonna make it hard to keep up straight A's)

thank you everyone here for some understanding.

As a guitarist the thought of CH taking away your music sucks!!!! The good news is there are a number of effective preventative meds available. Most find the best result from combining a preventative medication, something you take daily to reduce both frequency and intensity of the attacks, with an abortive medication, something you take once the headache starts.

Once you get a routine going I'm hoping it will manage them well enough that you can  keep up with the drums! By the way, you know what they call a guy that hangs out with the musicians all the time but knows nothing about music??? Yeah, he's the drummer! ;D

Wishing you a short cycle and a long remission, don't let it stop the music.

Guiseppi

Matt,

I agree with Guiseppi.  You CAN get a handle on the HAs.  Don't give in just yet.  When you see your Dr. tell him all the things that are being disrupted by your pain.  Make sure that he knows the impact that this is having on your life.   He should be able to help you manage your CH.

As for your girlfriend....  When you are not getting hit, sit down with her and talk to her about your HAs.  Explain to her why you are having a hard time spending time with her.  Tell her what you need from her during this time and that you don't want her to feel neglected.  Just talking to her about it may make a world of difference.

Hang in there...... It will get better!

Jeannie

Well I am almost 18 yo and I am chronic (didn't have more than 2-3 PF days in a row) for at least one year. What is the most important, I had my first attack when I was 15, so I am afraid it isn't 'too early' to have CH.

Hi Matt

Mine started at 17 as well.

Most important thing is never let them get in the way of living. Its between the hits that we excell. Hits may come and as you now know they will go but life never stops.
Keep the music going.

Pretty hard to see that initially as these bastards hurt. Mortal men cannot survive but a clusterhead is near to immortal in the pain we can overcome.

You may need a few more breaks at times but thats just the way it bounces. Your exhaustion following a hit is the hardest to overcome but overcome it you must.

The school should be able to accomodate you as well with self study if needed.

We dont let just anybody into this club, Only the toughest can make it.

Matt, check your PMs and listen to the people here. A lot of them know what they're talking about. My best friend/"adopted" brother, that I met on this site, started when he was 16. He was also in a band and had a girlfriend at the time. It's been two years now and he's still in the band and keeps a steady girlfriend when he finds one he likes. :P Don't give up your life to these things. Unfortunatly though as the others have said you are probably never to young to get these things, though no one should have to suffer this pain. :'( Many PF wishes and vibes headed your way. :)

Broken

Thanks everyone
I keep the music going
I bought these Vic Firth Isolation headphones and they make it alot easier to keep going.
My girlfriend finally understands that I'm not exaggerating with these headaches, although the convincing thing was that I had one at her house during dinner... haha, her dad thought I was coming down off a crack binge.  I had no pills to suppress it so it hit a 9 on the kip scale.

I had my when I was 17 too. I thought i was with brain tumor or brain cancer.
But after consultations with several doctors, i was diagnosed with CH.

Hi matt  :)

I don't think you are too young at all -- maybe some doctors might say you are, according to 'guidelines' and stuff, but it doesnt mean you are!

I am not sure when it asll kicked off for me, I had short, milder bursts or eye/face pain for as far back as I can remember, but I remember the first time I had a mega attack of pain, I was about 16. So I think its definitely worth getting your symptoms explored  :)

Have been getting them since my last year in high school, so I ws about your age, 17 or 18. They suck, no matter what age you are.

Chuck, how d'ya always manage to make me crack a smile? Haha, he said damnation.

Pascal.

MattDaley wrote on Sep 3^rd, 2008 at 3:48am:

I'm 17 years old and had my first cluster headache three days ago and about 4 more since then.  I'm worried if something must be extremely wrong to have clusters this early and this often. My dad used to get clusters so he's been helping me out.  Putting my feet in freezing Ice, and other tricks to divert the flow of blood to the brain but still I'm worried about my general health, am I too young to have clusters?

hey buddy. i've had ch since i was 11 y.o. the more you hang out here the more you'll find that you are perfectly healthy.

Matt, it sucks that you are so young and the Beast already has his talons in you! You're not the youngest, and you're not the oldest. The beast is a total=opportunity abuser, I'm afraid!
That said, I just have 2 things to say for now.....
1-Welcome to the best place a Clusterhead could land!
2-NEVER-EVER allow the beast to win! He'll try to take everything away from you.... your music, your social life, you education...stay strong, and YOU will win! VH's are known to be the worst pain known to man, but they  DON"T kill(even though it may seem like it)!
With that, please take time to read here. Things could very well have  changed since your dad fought the beast. Read the buttons on the left, and ask lots of questrions.......
Remember, there are a whole lot of people in  Clusterville, ready to help in any way the can!

Wishing you PF,
Cathi  

im 17 too. i started having headaches that are almost identical to the ones described. except that i rarely if ever hit lvl 8-10 on the kip scale thing. the only times i really explode is when i push people, usually my parents away and tell them to let me leave so i can relax and calm down for a bit and they dont do it. and i can flip pretty bad. idk if that means i have clusters or not. or if i do, is my head going to be even worse as i age. well any information you have would help. thanks