why people with CH get so mad at others who dont have the condition for not understanding what we're going through. I believe your knowledge of pain can only go as far as you have experienced. If they havent experienced the pain of CH they cant know how it feels unless you take the time to make them listen to what CH actually is. You cant expect someone to understand if it's never happened to them. I have CH and I love having this board to come and learn about what I'm going through but sometimes I feel like I couldn't possibly have it as bad as most because I dont complain about what I'm going through very much.

Hi Casey you are of course right in the aspect that its not right for us to expect people to understand what we go through and getting angry with them doesn´t help however on the other side after reading what others have experienced with loved ones, familly and friends also work collegues i can understand how anger can rise inside all of us.

luckilly my family have been great about this and very suportive and my wife is one of the best however in work when i talked to my boss and collegues to try to explain that if they see me having an attack to just leave me alone untill its over i got some of the stupidest responses eg one guy didn´t talk to me for nearly 2 months because after i explaind about this condition he then thought i was being miserable and looking for sympathy then decided that i was having hits 24/7 so stopped coming near me. My boss who on a good day is a full idiot didn´t want to know anything about this problem and if i have an attack in work wich would affect my production then i had to inform my shift leader so he could testify that i wasn´t bullshitting him.
things like these can bring you down to a level where i no longer tell anyone if im in cycle at work and when asked i repeat the same thing over and over when people say put a smile on your face it will get better i reply with When!!!

mostly i bight my tongue and after ive explained to people who either dont understand or care then i stop explaining especially when asked why im not going for a drink with friends or to partys.

Normally i laugh myself silly about CH as i still find it rediculous that all that pain and it doesnt do any damage to my body and i have a pretty sick humour but on my bad days when everything looks black and a bullet starts to look good any stupid comments from familly friends or collegues would send me over the edge.

apart from that i pretty much have this in control (at the moment) the sun is shining, the birds are singing and i havent been hit since last saturday.

wishing you lots of PF days and nights, keep the sunny side up, stiff upper lip, bull dog spirit, remember the alamo, keep your friends close but your enemys closer and don´t let the gits get you down.


Mark (optimistic to the point of stupidity)

I am always learning something here. Thanks, Sophia

There are some more than twice your age who feel a need to stick their pain in the face of others. Some who even denigrate sufferers of other headache types. I don't know exactly what it is they hope to accomplish, but they sure do look foolish in the process.

You, Casey, are wise beyond your years.

I was lucky in that at the time I got this horror, I worked with and had many friends who were current or retired RNs as well as a shrink my aunt worked for. They all helped with the explanations.

You may be experiencing a familiar dynamic. If people don't understand, or have a hard time with something, it's safe to be a skeptic or simply to get away from their inability to get it.

Charlie

I’m afraid I get angry sometimes,
Not that it’s got anything to do with wanting people to understand what we go through but more about the loved ones that have to watch and for them to explain it.
I didn’t realise until unfortunately I had a bout while visiting my Mum

“I’m glad she saw that now perhaps she’ll know what we both go through”.

It must be pretty difficult for them as well,
It’s a shame it has a tag of (headache)

McGee wrote on Jun 4^th, 2009 at 3:30am:

i still find it rediculous that all that pain and it doesnt do any damage to my body

Now THAT is a clusterhead moment.

Looking in the mirror after a #10 and seeing no evidence. Hmmm....thats weird, eyeball still there.....no blood draining out the ear...nothing.

It's like walking into a house, picking up a bloody knife, thinking "what the hell is this" and finding yourself standing over a warm body.

Crrraaaap...no one is EVER going to believe me.

Oh well, back to the 2nd half of American Idol.


Bobw
P.S. Right on Casey!

Good for you kid!!!!

I totally agree and know that pain is relative and individualized