Hi, when i was away in May camping with the family my headaches started. I had an attack for 2 weeks in May
and now they have started again.

Im not sure if they are true cluster headaches as the headaches do not effect my eyes.
here are my symptoms:
- Always on right side
-Pain on right side of head and sometimes neck
- Always happens same time of day
- Pain comes on very quickly from being normal to severe pain
- On right side i get a very painful toothache and also my right arms feels 'dead'
- I cant sit still when i have the headaches nothing works but i jump around etc
- Headaches are so painful im crying

They have started up again and at the moment it is happening at 3am in the morning and now im scared to sleep incase the headache appears again.

Is this a true cluster headache, is there any way i can relieve the pain? Nothing is working :(

Thank you in advance

Sarah

We're not doctors so we can't diagnose you.  But we can help suggest tests and things to rule out other problems.

How long does the pain last?  How often do you get them?

Has your doctor done any imaging scans (such as a cat scan and an MRI with contrast) to rule out vascular problems or tumors?  Do you have any symptoms of infection?  Has your doctor done any bloodwork to rule out infections or autoimmune disease?

What have you tried to treat the pain?

Hi Sarah - welcome to the site, sorry you had to find us.

You say your doctor suggests it's CH. What treatment did he/she offer you? Has he/she referred you for a neuro consult?

As you'll read here while CH is horribly painful, there are treatments you can use to be able to help prevent some, and or quickly abort CH's. Others will come in behind me, and you can also read in the medications and treatment areas in the meantime.

We're big on promoting oxygen as an abort therapy for CH. Please click on the yellow link to the left and read more. This is the type of info you'll want to be armed with to go back to the doctor and/or neuro.

Keep reading, we're here to answer questions!

Christy

WOW! Sounds very much like CH to me, are you seeing a neuro yet? Specifically a headache specialist neuro? I ask that because while they sound like CH to me, it's important you do a work up with a neuro to exclude anything more sinister, and to develop an effective treatment plan. The toothache pain is very common as that's the path of the trigeminal nerve, our enemy with CH. The neck pain is also very common, often accompanied by a raised bump or knot!

If it is CH, they are treatable. 32 years of battling the beast and I have found the best results from a 2 pronged approach.

1: A good prevent med, a med you take daily while on cycle...getting headaches......to reduce the number and intensity of your attacks. I use lithium at 1200 mg's a day, blocks 60-70% of my attacks. Verapamil is a common prevent as is Topomax. All require a prescription and close monitoring by a doc at first.

2: A good abortive, an attack is starting, now what? Your first line abort should be oxygen. Breathing pure oxygen will abort an attack for me in less then 10 minutes, often as short as 6 minutes. Read the oxygen info tab on the left. It's simple, medication free, no side effects, and works fast.

Imitrex injectables will also stop an attack in its tracks but are expensive, most insurance plans will only give you about 4 shots a month. I used to rely on trex but oxygen has all but eliminated my need for it.

Imitrex nasal sprays work for some, I never tried them. Imitrex pills take way too long to get absorbed and are worthless for most CH'ers as the pain ramps up too fast.

For now, go buy a 4 pack of energy drinks. Rock Star, Red Bull, any containing the combo of caffeine and taurine. I prefer sugar free Red Bull just on taste! Chug one down at the first sign of an attack. Many can abort or reduce an attack that way.

Go to a health or vitamin store and get some melatonin. An OTC sleep aid, Start with 6-9 mg 30 minutes before you go to bed. Many can avoid the night time terrors this way. Give it a few days to kick in.

Really push for the oxygen, if it's CH, those stupid little green tanks will be your best friend! Start reading like crazy, CH is a rare ailment, few doc's are up to date on its treatment. You'll get farther, faster, if you do some research and help your doc help you, we'll do all we can to help you.

Joe

sarahj wrote on Aug 24^th, 2010 at 6:14pm:

Is this a true cluster headache, is there any way i can relieve the pain? Nothing is working :(

Good news: Yes, if it is truly cluster headache, there are lots of ways to relieve the pain!!

A couple of the more talked about non toxic ways would be O2 (extremely popular for good reason!) as outlined in the oxygen info link to the left of this page, and the sorts of remedies discussed at the clusterbusters.com forum - here's a video talk on that clusterbuster subject: START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

For drugs, Imitrex injections are a powerful and often used abortive, and Verapamil is a commonly prescribed preventative.

Hey Sarah, 

Welcome to the board.  It sure sounds like cluster headaches to me.  I also get the pain down the arm during an attack and sometimes into the next day.  Totally understand the fear associated with this disorder - the pain is just far too intense.  It looks like you've been given some really good advice already, so plenty to get started on.  I too swear by oxygen as my first line of defence, highly recommend you ask your doctor for a script!!

Hope you get some relief soon,

Kate

please please talk to your doc about pain control - you don't have to live this way!!!

I completely agree with the above posts - Joe gave a great run-down on options -
my choices are Red Bull, O2, injectable or nasal imitrex, verapamil. 
The verapamil takes about 2 weeks to kick in, and, in the meantime, you can use the Red Bull, imitrex, o2, or talk to your doc about a prednisone taper.

CH is a nasty nasty condition but you CAN fight it!
Educate yourself.
Educate your family.
Likely, educate your doctor.
Stay proactive.
You can do this!
:)