On Dec 12th I was coming home from a get together at a friends house in Frazier Park ca.  As we were in the mountains above Castaic I kept feeling pain behind my left eye.  Little did I know what was coming.  As we entered Castaic, all of a sudden the left side of my head exploded in massive pain like someone drive a burning spike into my head.  All I really remember was screaming out in pain as my friend drove asking what happened.  I don't remember the 3 minutes while we drove on the 5 through Castaic, but I remember looking out the windshield and seeing Magic Mountain, and telling him to pull off and call 911.  I thought I was having an aneurysm or a stroke. I have suffered from migraines for the last 20 of my 32 years, and had some really bad ones, But never like this.  When we exited the freeway we stopped at Tommy Burgers, and I thought it would be Ironic that I would die there since I joked it would be the end of me.  ;D  LAcFD arrived but the pain had gone from a 1 billion to a 5, and I was able to think straight.  The pain was very manageable, so I declined transport, preferring my friends drive me to a closer hospital to home.  I was scared, still in pain, it was bouncing from a scale of 2 to 7.  We arrived at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena in record time.  (guess it pays to have a former cop car so people get out of the way  ;) )  With in 30 minutes of arrival I was in the CT scan, and to a spinal tap (OUCH! only get it done in radiology, not in he ER unless there is no choice)  After my admission to the hospital the Neurologist and Nero Surgeon both questioned me about my headache history.  The said my CT was good, and the second with dye was good as well.  They suspected cluster headache as the problem, but I had some other issues in my spinal fluid so they could be certain yet.  After 6 days, another major battle with the beast (Imitrex works great), and angiogram to prove there was no bleeding on my spine or brain, they were able to say without a doubt it was cluster headaches.   :-[   My Docs prescribed Topamax which seems to work so far until I for got one dose.... :-[
Sadly, I didn't get any Imitrex.  When I went for my follow up visit last Monday, I was prescribed the pill form of Imitrex but not the injector.  I have a follow up with my Doc in a moth and I think I will request an injector.  If the Beast visits me, I will borrow my dad's Imitrex injector.

Well, now that I know what i suffer with, many of the prior "bad migraines" I had make sense.  Those were clusters.  I am glad to have found a place where I can turn to for advice for this issue.

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Well this is one lousy club to have to join, but at least at this site you can get all kinds of truly helpful info and advice.

Sounds to me like you're on the right track with the imitrex injector, since its the most effective form. I'm afraid you're just one out of the constant hordes streaming thru here who have been prescribed the ill advised and not so effective pill form. Doctors generally don't know jack about treating  CH.

As an example of what this site'll do for ya, go directly to this link - it'll double your imitrex injection supply and halve your side effect risk: START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

Then proceed directly to this very pertinent bit of info: START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

You came to the right place alright.  :)

Oh yeah, don't learn this one the hard way as so many of us have - for most of us alcohol will trigger a slamming killer of a hit.

No booze while you're in the midst of an episode!!

Welcome,

I suffer from cluster too. Tell your doctor to look into oxygen for clusters

Thanks for the info, I will definitely ask for for injector and oxygen.  As for the booze, well, I gave that up some years back.  I didn't like the mornings after LOL !

So far it's been 3 weeks with out an episode, but I am nervous every time i feel a twinge in the head.

Bob-0,

As we say . Glad you found us, but sorry you have to be here...

Now, GET some O2... For about 70% of us it's the best abort out there. DJ just posted a thread on the General posts board that you should read. And on the left is O2 info that's great. Some of us use it almost exclusively for our aborts. But using it PROPERLY is the secret to it working.

Hopefully this will be a short cycle for you and you'll be back to your old self shortly, but be PREPARED for the next one.

Best advice we can give here is READ READ READ. Ask questions and READ some more. We've got info here that most doctors don't even know about. For years my neuro has been asking me (at each visit) what's new.

If you have trouble with the topamax try taking the whole dose at night before bed. It's worked great for me for the past 10 years without side effects, but I take it before bedtime and not during the day.

Keep us informed - we're nosey (because we DO care).

Welcome to Clusterville and your new family.

Hugs BD :-*