For the episodic folks, are there any other signs that you see that tell you that a round of clusters are coming?  I have had a bout with anger recently that kind of tell me that my cluster cycle is about to hit.  Also sweats for no reason.  I started topamax a few weeks ago (at 50mg am and 50mg pm at this time) hoping for the best.  I will be away from my O2 for a week and am praying that it doesn't hit during that time!

Small transient shadows, and the beginning's of the "neck thing"--increased stiffness and tenderness in the back of the neck on the CH side.  

Plus--and I don't know quite to describe it--I can "feel" it coming on.  

In any event, it's usually pretty obvious when it's time to circle the wagons.

Best,

George  

Oh, how I wish I could answer you!  My record for the start of a new cycle was waiting for the 'walk' sign to cross a two-lane street and being the owner of a brand new Kip8 before reaching the median strip.

On the brighter side, She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed is very good at picking it but I haven't the first idea how she does it. (Neither does she.)

I guess it's just a matter of ensuring the arsenal is properly stocked then coming out swinging on the bell.

Best of luck and let us know how we can help.

Brian down under.

Hello Derek.  I also take the topamax. 75mg twice a day.  It't preventative, but I occassionally still get struck.  Prob chronic not episodic, but here are a couple of things I see before I get slammed.

1.  Will notice that my head/nose gets really stuffed up, particularly on the cluster side.
2.  Shaddows don't help alert me as I always have them, don't know for you.
3.  Topamax appears to have made me somewhat sound sensitive.  (I know this sounds strange).  However, often after having been around events or very noisy settings I'll experience a bout within the next 18-24 hrs.  Go figure.

As many of the great folks here have mentioned if you don't have your oxygen, (I don't have a rx for yet) keep red bull on hand and excedren migrane med is loaded w/caffiene.

Wishing you all the best.[/font][font=Arial][/font][font=Arial]

The only clue I have that a cycle is coming on is that I start getting shadows for two or three days before my first hit.  Also, this time I noticed that my left eye (I get my hits on the left side of my head) was twitching a lot starting about a week before my shadows came.

Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2001 Feb;5(1):55-9.  


Premonitory symptoms in cluster headache.

Raimondi E.

Catedra de Neurologia, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, 9 de Julio 3826, Rosario 2002 PKP, Argentina. raimondi@cablenet.com.ar

Cluster headache is one of the most excruciating headaches affecting human beings--especially the male sex. Most of the cluster headache cases are of episodic nature, with active cluster periods lasting generally between a few weeks and 2 or 3 months. A still undetermined percentage of patients report nonpainful sensations preceding the onset of the pain attack for a variable period of time. If occurring only a few minutes or a few hours before the onset of pain, such symptoms are called prodromal. When occurring for several days, weeks, or months before the pain, they are termed premonitory symptoms. The author believes that premonitory symptoms have not been properly diagnosed and emphasizes the need to investigate their presence, because by knowing them advances can be made in the understanding of the physiopathology of this particular cephalalgia. Furthermore, it can also allow the physician to be ahead, by giving preventive treatment and stopping or diminishing the intensity and duration of the pain attacks.

Publication Types:
Review

PMID: 11252138  

n_lighty37 wrote on Sep 9^th, 2008 at 8:37am:

The only clue I have that a cycle is coming on is that I start getting shadows for two or three days before my first hit.  Also, this time I noticed that my left eye (I get my hits on the left side of my head) was twitching a lot starting about a week before my shadows came.

I get the eye twitch too!  Only mine is on the opposite side of  my pain.


Jeannie

Shadows for a good week.  I use to be tricked that I had allergies
and sinus pain, but that really is the smoke rising form the Genie lamp, the bastard/beast inside usually comes out a week later.

I get REALLY ratty and snappy. I feel stuffed up - that feeling you get just before you catch a cold. Not stuffed up, but that tired puffy feeling in eyes and face. My eyes also pour with tears. This is how I know I'm going to start a regular cycle (where the hits come same time every day for a period of time).

With the rogue ones (unfortunately more common), I get about 5 mins notice to run to the tank and grab an ice pack!

This is a tough one as everyone's so different. It's interesting to read other people's symptoms as you may be suffering from it yourself but not pick it up as a symptom - I discovered that with the grumps!

I'm like George, I get the "o crap are they back?" feeling in my stomach. My wife will start asking me if they're coming back because my eye starts getting the lazy droopy eye look. I'm fortunate in that my cycles build slowly over a couple of weeks so I have plenty of time to ramp up my prevents, stock up on 02 etc.  (Although no matter how long I've been off cycle there are always 3-4 E-Tanks in my garage, NEVER get caught empty handed!)

Guiseppi

I don't experience a lot of the accompanying effects of CHs, like twitchy or droopy eyes, tearing or running noses, etc. My only warning that I'm going into a new cycle is a big fat Kip 8/9 attack.

BAck in the old days when I was episodic, I'd get a "cramp" in my ear about an hour or so before they came BACK.... Then it was a full blown HIT. Lordy, that was a long time ago.....

Hugs BD