I have been suffering seasonally for about three years now, and it wasn't until my trip to the hospital last week that I finally knew something drastic had to be done. A follow up with a new physician revealed that the "migraines" I had been diagnosed with for the past few years were, as I had presumed, something much worse.

I have mixed emotions - on one hand I am relieved that I have been properly diagnosed (as well as having found a community for those who are also plagued by a similar, recurring terror), and on the other hand I am wishing that I would be blessed with a mere migraine rather than these "Suicide Headaches".

My Neurologist appointment is in a month, and I will no doubt be relying on your support to help get me through until I can be properly medicated. I thank each and every one of you in advance for sympathizing with me - I need every ounce of compassion and confidence I can get.

Hey there Meph,

You came to the right place! Lotsa people who are having success with the newer, more effective way to administer O2 for CH usually pipe right in on a post like this and get ya going with that.

And there's a lot of other very useful info for combating your CH to be found here by browsing and asking questions.

If you're not going to have any doc appointment for a month, well you might want to make one with a GP or physician's assistant or someone who could see you quick, just to get an O2 prescription while you wait for the neurologist appointment.

That's what I did for my current episode and I went ahead and got a prescription for imitrex injections while I was at it.

And heck, for O2, you could consider getting it from a welding supply place right away (no prescrip required). Those in the know tell us that the welding stuff is the exact same as the medical stuff.

About O2:
START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

Good introduction to the world of CH-------------

 
Cluster headache.
From: START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE (Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases)
[Easy to read; one of the better overview articles I've seen. Suggest printing the full length article--link, line above--if you are serious about keeping a good medical library on the subject.]

Leroux E, Ducros A.

ABSTRACT: Cluster headache (CH) is a primary headache disease characterized by recurrent short-lasting attacks (15 to 180 minutes) of excruciating unilateral periorbital pain accompanied by ipsilateral autonomic signs (lacrimation, nasal congestion, ptosis, miosis, lid edema, redness of the eye). It affects young adults, predominantly males. Prevalence is estimated at 0.5-1.0/1,000. CH has a circannual and circadian periodicity, attacks being clustered (hence the name) in bouts that can occur during specific months of the year. ALCOHOL IS THE ONLY DIETARY TRIGGER OF CH, STRONG ODORS (MAINLY SOLVENTS AND CIGARETTE SMOKE) AND NAPPING MAY ALSO TRIGGER CH ATTACKS. During bouts, attacks may happen at precise hours, especially during the night. During the attacks, patients tend to be restless. CH may be episodic or chronic, depending on the presence of remission periods. CH IS ASSOCIATED WITH TRIGEMINOVASCULAR ACTIVATION AND NEUROENDOCRINE AND VEGETATIVE DISTURBANCES, HOWEVER, THE PRECISE CAUSATIVE MECHANISMS REMAIN UNKNOWN. Involvement of the hypothalamus (a structure regulating endocrine function and sleep-wake rhythms) has been confirmed, explaining, at least in part, the cyclic aspects of CH. The disease is familial in about 10% of cases. Genetic factors play a role in CH susceptibility, and a causative role has been suggested for the hypocretin receptor gene. Diagnosis is clinical. Differential diagnoses include other primary headache diseases such as migraine, paroxysmal hemicrania and SUNCT syndrome. At present, there is no curative treatment. There are efficient treatments to shorten the painful attacks (acute treatments) and to reduce the number of daily attacks (prophylactic treatments). Acute treatment is based on subcutaneous administration of sumatriptan and high-flow oxygen. Verapamil, lithium, methysergide, prednisone, greater occipital nerve blocks and topiramate may be used for prophylaxis. In refractory cases, deep-brain stimulation of the hypothalamus and greater occipital nerve stimulators have been tried in experimental settings.THE DISEASE COURSE OVER A LIFETIME IS UNPREDICTABLE. Some patients have only one period of attacks, while in others the disease evolves from episodic to chronic form.

PMID: 18651939 [PubMed]

Greetings!

Glad you found us, you'll find a wealth of information here so read all you can. 

I hope your CH cycle is short and responds well to medication, don't forget to ask your Doc. about O2!

welcome Meph!
   

Welcome to the board Meph. If I could offer you one small piece of advice it would be not to presume that your neurologist will know everything about CH's and the treatments available.

Gather as much information as you can so you will be leaving his or her office with confidence that you have the best prescription possible in tackling this unfortunate malady we suffer from.

Good luck....!


Lefty...!