first i am well past the start of my normal cycle it's usaully around feburary they start and end around this time. they have just started last week coincidently i had just gotten over the flu and a sinus infection i'm pretty sure that triggered them but i guess my question is does anyone think my cycle will be cut short or is my summer ruined i know no one knows for sure i'm just looking for someone else's experience. has this happened to anyone else? my second question is heat seems to be helping me at the first sign i take a heating pad put it on high and wrap it around the back of my neck so far out of about 20 ch's about 2 have broken through is this odd i never heard anyone mention heat before and i'm wondering if something else could be causing this....and lastly didn't this website used to have a chat room? are there any chat rooms for us anywhere

thanks,
        paul

We have a chat room but I haven't been in it in a while so I'm not sure how active it's been. Good luck predicting the lengths of cycles. As soon as you think you have a handle on what your cycles will do, they morph again. I've been going strong for 31 years.....long cycles, short cycles, easy ones, tough ones....I've never been able to establish what starts a cycle or how long it'll last.

There are a lot of people who respond well to heat. Seems people respond well to either heat...or cold! Never both!

Joe

cold is no good for me it actually hurts

How funny...heat will send me for a loop but gallon freezer bags full of ice, wrapped around my head, were my only relief before oxygen!!!

Joe

the beast changes for almost all of us.  What used to constitute a cycle for me, no longer applies,   Now they come twice a year,  every two years,   or whenever they feel like showing up.
I think after going throug this for many years, CH changes into many different forms.   What used to help me, no longer works, etc.

I used to get great relief from heat.  During the first 5 years or so,  when I still didnt know what I had,  I would drink boiling hot tea at the first signs of an attack.  Blowing into the cup and letting the warm steam cover my face would help alot.  Heat wraps etc also helped.

You cant think that you have a cycle of CH, and that is the way it is going to be for the rest of your life.  It more than likely will change in its severity, length of cycles, and time of year.

Good luck
Christine

Paul, what part are you from? They seem to have a mind of their own I think. I always started mine around the start of winter, but I lived in the pacific northwest and the weather didn't fluctuate that much. Then I moved back to the midwest where it's freezing in the winter and hot as hell in the summer. I've been back here almost 2 years and they didn't start until late April/early May. And in the NW, I ALWAYS got them at night, but here, they became more frequent during the afternoon and evening. So who knows? Is it because of the change in weather conditions, or because I'm getting older, have had them for decades, and their just changing on their own? Could be many reasons. Who knows. I'm afraid one day I'll end up like Chuck and other's...over time I end up chronic! One good lesson I've learned here though, I thought I was going through total HELL until I heard other's stories. Now I'm happy with a few KIP 6-8's a day or every other day.
Some things just can't be explained without the one missing condition...time.
Good luck with it.
Steve

START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

There you go  ;)

The one thing you can depend on is that the beast morphs.  Is your summer gone?  No one knows.  You'll soon find out.  Don't dwell on it.  Just get your weapons in order and kick his ass to the curb whenever he shows up.

-Dennis-

i'm in connecticut like i said they almost always start in february and end about now....i got my first ch at 17...i'm 35 now and this is the first time time they changed on me although the very first one i got was the middle of the summer and it was only one then i had 2 years off and then the pattern started. back in 2001 i got into a bad car accident broke my collar bone and got my headaches that was the last time i got them until now i guess i had a good run 8 years off isn't to bad...lol. today at work i got 3 of them between 8am and 3pm but they were a piece of cake maybe 10 minutes of very mild pain....i'm just confused but i guess i shouldn't sweat it because they are pretty tame right now. i'm just scared i dont want them back i wish they would just go away...lol...not that anybody here doesn't feel the same way. i'm just glad i found this site the biggest thing was the feeling of being alone. thank you everybody for your feedback and support!!!!

The only thing constant about the beast is that it is never constant.

I used to get in the shower and put it on as hot as I could stand on the back of my neck.  I covered over the top of it to retain as much of the steam as I could, and would stay in there until the water got cold.  That was 20 yrs ago.  Now I occasionally use ice, and if the AC is on put it on high with my face right in the vent.  Heat will now trigger me.

jerry

i just don't get it. why do they change on us? it's bad enough they make existence miserable but it's not enough for the beast he's got to make a game of it someone or something is laughing there ass off at us  >:(

Take a look around, it's not just the beast that makes games of things, it's everywhere unfortunately.

Why even ask why? It is what it is, and unfortunately those of us on this board have been gifted with it.

The only thing to do is try to stay one step ahead of it so it will have as little impact on your well-being as possible.