ive heard a bunch of people talking about shadows, what does it mean? is it like the pain is kind of a shadow? i know what this is or i know what you mean if you're describing the pain that way. but just some clarification would be cool.

Shadows for me are a small lingering pain on the very low end of the kip scale that serve no other purpose than to suck the life clean out of you...! Unlike the large hits that run their course, these shadows can last for days and don't really climb the pain scale. Therefore shadows add another dimension to what is an already crap sandwich....!


Lefty..!

thats what i thought it was. like after my excrutiating pain goes away, sometimes it feels like my head is "sore" from the intensity it just went through. its not the main pain, but just the leftovers from it.

Click the big yellow "New Visitors" link to the left.

Lefty wrote on Oct 1^st, 2009 at 6:27pm:

Shadows for me are a small lingering pain on the very low end of the kip scale that serve no other purpose than to suck the life clean out of you...! Unlike the large hits that run their course, these shadows can last for days and don't really climb the pain scale. Therefore shadows add another dimension to what is an already crap sandwich....! Lefty..!

Great description! Sounds familiar  :o

Just after my cycle was supposedly ended this past Saturday, I got hit yesterday with a K7 at work in the AM without meds.  I went home and them came back after the CH.  Furthermore, I had that annoying shadow headache after that morning hit for the next 7 hours.  Like others said, it's a
very low Kip scale headache and it can linger for a while.
It's tolerable, but annoying to say the least.  Lets hope the beast is gone.  I downed another 40 seeds last night :)

Good luck to ya Chad :)  Hope it works.

   I find that when I get shadows,,,I down one of those energy drinks, and it takes it away for the rest of the day.  I use Monster....the blue one, because its less calories. and lots of Taurine. :D

Bran4on....what parts are you from?   Just wondered.

lorac wrote on Oct 2^nd, 2009 at 8:27am:

Good luck to ya Chad :)  Hope it works.    I find that when I get shadows,,,I down one of those energy drinks, and it takes it away for the rest of the day.  I use Monster....the blue one, because its less calories. and lots of Taurine. :D

Thanks Lorac!

Yeah, the shadows I had were after the hit and my Monster didn't do squat for me.  It only works at the very first signs.  It's amazing how that stuff works.

bran4on,

The best way I can describe a "shadow" is the feeling that there is a thread going diagonally through half of my head and someone is tugging on it.  To me, except in the case where the shadow is extreme or very longlasting, I would not necessarily describe it as "painful"-- more like very uncomfortable and distracting.
A "shadow" can sometimes precede a CH other times can exist by itself and not turn into a headache.  I get them in and out of cycle but mostly IN CYCLE.

For me usually a shadow is a low level HA that comes on prior to a major hit.  I liken it to walking to school and seeing the bully's shadow at the corner just before you get to the school grounds.  You can't see him yet, but you just KNOW you are going to get pounded.

I also get a lingering low level HA that hangs on after a bad hit sometimes as well.  That is also a shadow, kind of like after the bully has knocked you down and stomped on you and is standing there with his shadow over you taunting you to get up for more.

Poor analogy I know, but as the smallest kid in the school I have seen that shadow more than once and can remember it well.

Jerry

Lefty wrote on Oct 1^st, 2009 at 6:27pm:

Shadows for me are a small lingering pain on the very low end of the kip scale that serve no other purpose than to suck the life clean out of you...! Unlike the large hits that run their course, these shadows can last for days and don't really climb the pain scale. Therefore shadows add another dimension to what is an already crap sandwich....! Lefty..!

Perfect description!

I seem to have a shadow problem as I have cluster pain that ranges 2-4 on the KIP scale on and off on and off every 20 minutes...baaaah.

Having about 10-14 daily which just constantly reminds me a bad one could turn up anytime it likes.

Hoping the new medication and O2 will help with that (getting O2 shortly!)

PFDAN all  :)

All very good descriptions of the dreaded shadow.  I always feel that the shadow is a sign of impending doom like I know I will get a CH ripping through my brain but not knowing when.

From a purely psychological perspective, I think the shadows are worse than the actual headache.  From a pain comparison, the headache wins in a knockout.

Best wishes.

Lefty's description was perfect.  Thats what I think of them.

They really bother me, I get them in and out of cycle.  Right now at work ive been fighting a shadow since I walked in, coffee isn't doing it i'm going to find some energy drink I beleive....

damn annoying, just on the edge between pain/distraction. and every single time i'm so worried its going to develop past kip 1 into a full attack.... but lets hope not.