First off, hi all!

Should this post feel like Im standing up in an AA meeting? :P

Anyways ok, Il introduce myself.... I am 29 years old and from Scotland. Have been suffering from what I know now as cluster headaches (previously told 'migraines') since I was about 20 years old.

Thats been 9 years of fun as you can imagine, although a couple of times roughly a year has gone by without anything, which was nice!

After just joining, the forum downtime there gave me a chance to read everything, and from the definitions on the site I suffer from chronic cluster headaches which can happen any time and every time.
I am currently taking Pizotifen 3 times a day, which for roughly 4 months worked amazingly! No pain at all. Then maybe a month or 2 ago they came back...

I have been referred to the local hospital specialist and given Zolmitriptan on top of the other stuff but thats going to take over 6 months (good ol' NHS) which, to be honest, doesnt bother me because I think they will say they cant help.

Yup... defninetely like an AA meeting!

To up tempo a bit, Im an IT Support Technician by trade, have a beautiful girlfriend and 5 year old step daughter and Im currently studying for my Microsoft MCITP Enterprise Administrator qualification. I run a 1000ish member website which has been going since 2005 and code another with roughly 5000 members as a favour to a friend, which takes up any other spare time I have!

Would be nice if my lady understood why I felt the need to join a forum with people who have the same condition as me, but shel come round. Seems to think me talking to other people about it will depress me, but I think the exact opposite!

Thats enough from me. If you got this far then thanks for reading and I hope to speak to you soon.

I hope that you have contacted your most excellent support group:
START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

With some 6,000 members in our group, you will find a depth of knowledge/experience and support which will help you get thru the limitations of many of the docs we deal with. <bg>

" Applause "     Welcome gAnDo !

It will help to talk to people here I guarantee it!!!  Only someone who suffers the same affliction can fully understand what you feel and go through with CH.  Family members and spouses who don't suffer can only do so much and don't always understand or react the way we need or would like them too.

You will always find a understanding ear (eye) here to talk to when needed.

Best wishes and many PFDAN to you!!

Quote:

Seems to think me talking to other people about it will depress me, but I think the exact opposite!

You are correct.  Depression comes from the feeling of being alone in this pain.  knowledge is power.  That is why this place,  as well as OUCH , as well as OUCH-UK   exists.

There is a supporter section that she can read and there are so many wonderful people she can talk to there.  Look around this site and steer her to it.

I say "here" because I am not as familiar with the UK site.

Welcome and please ask all the questions you want here.  We are more than happy to oblige.

I have had clusters for about 25 years and even though I got comfort and understanding from my 10 family member's experiences with clusters, I still remember when I first met a man in my community with them.  He was a stranger to me and when he mentioned his clusters, I felt like I had just met the wizard of oz!  We hugged and talked for a long time and felt such an unspoken connection to one another!  I can't imagine going this alone.  I would have been scared to death!  Actually, there are still times, though many fewer, that I still get scared when the pain is so intense or my cycle has been a really hard one.  I'm so glad you found this site.  I just found it myself and have already felt comforted and learned quite a lot!  I don't discuss my headaches with unaffected people any longer because it just makes me mad and I end up thinking they are so narrow minded due to the fact they most people act like they have them (when they don't) or know someone that does (when they don't).  They just don't get it and if I really told them how it was, they might think I am too handicapped for certain things and I am not.  Again, they just don't understand.  Welcome from a newbie...you will love it here!