Just wondering what everyone does, the minute you feel the beast starting...  I've often wondered, hoping something someone does special might help me or others..

I'll start (I am 3wks into a new cycle and am still 'experimenting) but:

* Start coffee (or warm up what is there)
* Crush 1-2 norcos and take
* Grab the icepack for neck
* Sit with O2, ice pack on neck chugging coffee
* Sit (as much as possible) and wait...  if too painful to wait out,
* Head to ER
I was given Zyprexa this time, don't think it works, I think the Norcos are kicking in.  I am stopping the zyprexa

Imitrex and most of the other abortives give me rebound : (

Hope someone finds something useful from these posts!

I wish with all my heart that O2 helped me.  Seems like so many get relief from it and yet it only caused me more pain.  :( 

-Drink full glass of water...more if possible
-Take pred
-Take sumatriptan spray
-Hot shower
-Ice pack straight to eye
-Lie on my side with music playing in background
-Try to ignore horrible images of things (unrelated to me) that come into my head
-When attack is ceasing...I sit up and put my head down and relish in the fact that it's almost over. 

relief doesn't begin to describe the feeling when the attack is over

I use my O2 as long as it is available, if not I use a trex shot.  I try to keep the number of shots to a minimum. I will use the O2 whenever I feel them coming on.  A six day pred dose will usually break a cycle for me.  I am halfway thru now and have beef since i

Oxygen.  Immediately.  If caught somewhere that I don't have access to the oxygen, then an Imitrex injection, followed by relocation to a place where I do have oxygen.

Dennis

What's a norco and why do you head to the ER?

Brew,

Norco is a pain reliever... I need to know that when I start a h/a that if it's not gone in 1/2 hr, I am at least getting a LITTLE relief...  I go to ER to get a shot of Demerol...   my main concern when the beast hits is getting relief from the PAIN!

M'kay. Thanks.

Oxygen.  Press palm over eye.  Pace. 

If the tank is empty, quaff down a red bull while boiling water, add 3 scoops of Nescafe (not a fan of it but it is "instant" after-all), fill upstairs bathroom sink with hot water, dip the corner of a towel, apply to head, rub head, pace, hum a song, repeat as necessary.   

If away from home...I think I have no ritual other than finding a spot to be alone.

At the moment when I feel its subsiding down I remove hand from head and check if I can stay still or not.  If I can....then I try to go do something, anything, non-ritualistic.   :)

I ritualized my activity in my pre-O2 days but now...slam an energy drnk and get on the O2, my home green monster or my portable buddy. In either case this has proven nearly 100% effective. When it is not then I trex.

To use a phrase from my adoptive NE, not for nothin' but I'm wondering if those for whom O2 is "not working" are we really on the same page vis a vis equipment, flow rate and technique? Blessings. lance

Im still finding it really difficult to do anything other than collapse onto my side and pant it out atm :( think a routine may help me though!

* grab large cup of ice water
* light a candle
* turn on a super hot shower
* turn off all lights and stand under the hot shower drinking the ice water
* constantly try to blow my nose until the left side feels clear
* turn off the water and rock back and fourth with my head in my hands (thank god nobody sees our rituals) breathing the warm wet air from the hot shower.
* once enough of the sticky stuff comes out of that nostril I go sit in the basement in front of a fan until I can go back to sleep for another hour or 2 and repeat the fun all over again.
As you can tell, my ritual is one that works for me and is as drug free as I have chosen. It's taken 22 years to refine my ritual. That being said, I am always looking for other non medicinal options so I hope everyone keeps posting.

If at home:

• Go to where I've my oxygen all set up and waiting
  
• Hyperventilate for a few minutes
  
• Get back to what I was doing before

If at work or similar:

• Grab oxygen
  
• Head somewhere private
  
• Connect the mask / regulator
  
• Hyperventilate for a few minutes
  
• Pack up the mask / regulator
  
• Get back to what I was doing before

Oxygen is a life changer.

Mike NZ wrote on Aug 4^th, 2011 at 2:44am:

If at home: Go to where I've my oxygen all set up and waiting Hyperventilate for a few minutes Get back to what I was doing before If at work or similar: Grab oxygen Head somewhere private Connect the mask / regulator Hyperventilate for a few minutes Pack up the mask / regulator Get back to what I was doing before Oxygen is a life changer.

As clear and concise as I could have said it! ;)

Joe

If at work:


• Wait a short time to see if it's going to get bad enough to use the Imitrex.
  
  
• Holding head with hand (Same side as CH) continuing to work until I can't deal with it anymore.
  
  
• Hoping I haven't waiting too long to use the Imitrex
  
  
• Head to Ladies room Use Imitrex Shot (if above 4kp and rising)
  
  
• Get back to work.
  
  
  If At Home:
  
  
• When I hit 4 kp I hit the O2 and stay on it until shortly after CH has gone.
  
  
• If O2 fails hit the Imitrex
  
  
• Get back to whatever I was doing before the CH hit.
  
  
  If Traveling:
  
  
• Pull over as soon as possible and hit the O2.
  
  
• If O2 fails hit the Imitrex
  
  
• On the Road again....
  
  

This has been a really interesting thread, and has highlighted just how different my clusters are from a lot of other people's. Mine are so short, and my heart really goes out to everyone that has a long cluster. I used to have longer ones, and I know how bad they can be. Some of you are describing how you prepare drinks and get things ready. Mine rarely, if ever, give me such luxury.

For me, it's not so much a ritual I don't think, but reaction, then post ritual maybe.

The cluster hits, and usually very fast if not instantly!

If at home, curl up in a ball, get to my bed if I'm able or the couch. If in the car, pull over, and fast!

Then, try to breath through the pain, which usually lasts a very intense 15-20 minutes.

Afterwards is more the ritual and recovery.

Sometimes there will be post-traumatic-shock of shaking and tears and body temperature dropping, so I'll need a blanket and lots of water plus tissues for my runny nose, and time to recover, sometimes up to 2 hours.

And that's about it really.

I have suffered from cluster headaches for 13 years.  During this time I have never taken any prescription medication.  I have found ways to beat these naturally and also ways to avoid them.  First and foremost, avoid alcohol and nocotine.  During my ch period, a half a beer will trigger one absolutely 100% of the time.  I refuse to let these bastards control my life so I drink anyway.  I know I will get one but I also know its 20 or so minutes of agony and then I'm usually good the rest of the night.  Thats my way of saying F**k you to the headaches I guess.  Cigarettes/chew will also (sometimes) trigger one.  Also, avoid sleeping/lying next to a fan or air conditioner.  For whatever reason, these also trigger them.  I think the nerve that causes these are very temperature sensitive.  That being said, you could sit in a perfect bubble and still get one but avoiding these situations (can) help. 

These headaches are extremely painful.  Thank god they are short lived and only show up once a year (in my case, the summer).  The following are ways that I have found to limit their duration (naturally) and in many cases stop it dead before it gets to to the point where your on your knees, dragging your head across the floor like a bloodhound following a scent trail.

The moment you feel one coming, you need to find a sweet spot.  What does that mean?  Because these monsters are associated with the nerves in your face (trigeminal nerve), you need to find a way to relax these nerves and quick. Lie down on your stomach, stretch your arms out in front or to the side and begin rolling and contorting your head in all sorts of positions. You will find a position, however odd it may be, where you will feel a sweet spot.  It won't be magic relief, but it WILL feel slightly better.  It is a position that gives the nerve slight relief.  Keep that spot for as long as it feels good and BREATHE DEEP.  Now let it out VERY slowly.  As you slowly exhale, imagine you are breathing the pain out of your mouth.  I cannot stress enough how important the visualization is.  As corny as it sounds, believe that you really are letting out the pain.  Call it meditation if you will, but it is very effective. If the sweet spot disappears rinse and repeat until you find another.  Get on your knees, lie on your back, but you will find a position and you will know it when you find it because you will feel a let up in the pain, however slight it may be.  Remember to breathe, that is very important because when we are in excrutiating pain, we don't breathe well.  I have successfully beat these this way for years.  Unfortunately, this doesn't always work. Usually if they get too severe or I wake up with a thumper it is too late for this.  This method works best if you catch it early.  The absolute best way to beat the extreme ones is to hop in the shower and set the water as hot as you can stand it.  The heat from the water will give the nerve something else to focus on and the effect can often times be immediate.  I cannot tell you how many nights I been standing (or sitting if too severe) in the shower at 3 in the morning.  I have tried massages, hot packs on my neck/head but this generally makes it worse, sometimes way worse.  Remember, even when in the shower, DEEP BREATHES.  The mind is a powerful tool.  As crazy as it sounds, I have even (imagined of course) drilling a hole in my head and letting the pain spew out as I let a deep breath out slowly. It works, I have gotten to the point where I don't have too many of the severe ones where your beating your head on the wall.  The worst ones are the ones that you get in a social setting where you cannot do these things.  Its difficult to explain why the veins on one side of your head are bulging, the eye on the same side is tearing/bloodshot and your nose is running like you just ate a jalapeno.  I pray for the day when they just don't come back but I fear that day will never arrive.  Until then, keep breathing and hang in there.

Welcome to the board, several of the techniques you suggested are used by many on the board. I quoted part of your post:

The absolute best way to beat the extreme ones is to hop in the shower and set the water as hot as you can stand it.  The heat from the water will give the nerve something else to focus on and the effect can often times be immediate.

And want you to read the following link:

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

This is ABSOLUTELY the fastest, most consistently effective method for me to abort an attack in 6-8 minutes. 02 is about as natural as it gets, no med side effects, no risk of overdose, there isn't much to dislike. The first time you abort an attack with 02 you'll see why we preach it like old school revival ministers.  ;) It gives you serious power over Mr. Beasty.

Glad you found us, thanks for the post detailing your coping methods. Hope we can throw you some ideas to avoid the pain. By the way, if you haven't yet, visit our sister site, they use alternative methods to deal with CH that are all natural:

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

Wishing you peace and some pain free time.

joe

Thank you for the response.  Part of the reason I have given up on medicine is every time I gone to the doctor for these they automatically assume its allergies, its stress, migrains or some other bullsh*t reason.  No one seems to take cluster headaches seriously.  They want to put me on muscle relaxers, which don't do squat, or some nasal spray for allergies.  After a while I just gave up and learned how to deal with them myself.  In my twenties, the headaches used to be unbelievable severe.  They were horrible.  Thankfully mine have never been exceptionally long.  I think my longest was around 45 minuntes, maybe an hour.  Over the years they have seemed to lessen in severity but I contribute that to learning how to beat them before they get to that point because if I do nothing, they will turn into monsters.  The worst ones are the ones I wake up with because they are already bad by the time I wake up.  In those cases, its straight to the HOT shower, which dissolves them probably 75-80% of the time.  Very rarely does a super hot shower not cure it.  Thanks again for the reply.

Wendy1 wrote on Jul 31^st, 2011 at 11:05pm:

Norco is a pain reliever (acetaminophen plus hydrocodone)... I need to know that when I start a h/a that if it's not gone in 1/2 hr, I am at least getting a LITTLE relief...  I go to ER to get a shot of Demerol...   my main concern when the beast hits is getting relief from the PAIN!

Many here (myself included) would testify that making narcotics part of the regular routine will only keep the routine going.

And going, and going, and going....

Brew wrote on Aug 6^th, 2011 at 1:37pm:

Wendy1 wrote on Jul 31st, 2011 at 11:05pm: Norco is a pain reliever (acetaminophen plus hydrocodone)... I need to know that when I start a h/a that if it's not gone in 1/2 hr, I am at least getting a LITTLE relief...  I go to ER to get a shot of Demerol...   my main concern when the beast hits is getting relief from the PAIN! Many here (myself included) would testify that making narcotics part of the regular routine will only keep the routine going. And going, and going, and going....

Which is also why I chose to learn how to beat them on my own.  As bad as the pain can be, I don't want to sacrifice my liver or whatever by getting hooked on narcotics.  I do not judge because I know the eye popping pain but I don't think that it is the correct course.  Besides, I tried painkillers and they never did squat for me.  They just took too long to start working.

I'm similar to you Max, in my 20's and 30's, the attacks were by far the worst, 2 hour barn burners I thought would kill me. Back then my only defense was lidocaine nose drops and oral cafergot. I'm 51 now, my remissions have gotten longer, last one almost 2 years, and my cycles have gotten longer, from 2-3 months to 8 months! Thanks to Lithium, Oxygen and the occasional Imitrex jab, I cannot remember my last KIP 10.

One more natural route for you to look at. Go to the meds section, read the post " 123 pain free days and I think I know why" One of our research minded members stumbled on a vitamin/mineral/anti inflammatory regimen that's helping a lot of people on the board. Worth a few minutes to read the technique and some of the responses to it.

Joe

sbertram wrote on Aug 4^th, 2011 at 2:26am:

* grab large cup of ice water * light a candle * turn on a super hot shower * turn off all lights and stand under the hot shower drinking the ice water * constantly try to blow my nose until the left side feels clear * turn off the water and rock back and fourth with my head in my hands (thank god nobody sees our rituals) breathing the warm wet air from the hot shower. * once enough of the sticky stuff comes out of that nostril I go sit in the basement in front of a fan until I can go back to sleep for another hour or 2 and repeat the fun all over again. As you can tell, my ritual is one that works for me and is as drug free as I have chosen. It's taken 22 years to refine my ritual. That being said, I am always looking for other non medicinal options so I hope everyone keeps posting.

i do about everything thats been mentioned here. i like o2 and ice water in the shower. sometimes a hot shower works. sometimes an ice cold shower helps. i like a bucket of iced water and a dunked hand towel. the towel works well to put over your mouth so you dont wake up your family or neighbors. any kind of extreme cold to the face helps. a frozen bag of peas is good. if you hold it on there past the point of the stinging sensation your usually goes numb. i've rolled the window down in the dead of winter going down the road with my head in the wind and a toboggan on. 

i would be careful about  blowing your nose. with me it seems to pressurize my face and accelerates the pain under attack.

i've also been known to rip off my clothes like in "american werewolf in london" and run around out in the snow in my boxers. (yes i know. we're into august now. just sayin)

some times in a heavy part of a cycle nothing works

My arsenal:

I start with number 1, and move down the list
1. Strong Coffee
2. Peppermint chap stick right on the eye lid, mygrastick on temples and forehead if it's hurting there
3. Drink water like a fiend
4. Smoke cannabis, but not too much or it'll make it worse
5. Tryptamine psychedelics unless I've been taking enough recently that I have too high a tolerance
6. Triptans
7. Narcotics
8. Harmala alkaloids---Don't try them unless you know what you're doing!
9. Emergency Room--Usually get shot up with Triptans or  opiates, once I got IV magnesium and it seemed to help a lot (my guess is NMDA receptor antagonism--ask me about that sometime and I'll talk for hours :))



And just to answer the question that always comes...I've tried O2 at 65 LPM through a non-rebreather mask, hyperventilated for over 20 min and felt like I was going to die or have a seizure.  A lot like nitrous oxide without the euphoria...Still had my cluster.

-Ricardo

To Brew and anyone else who disagrees with painkillers:

I have dealt with the beast for 30 yrs..., while being a full time working wife/mom with whose now 23yr old baby was transplanted with a heart at age 5. 

I have been to every neuro in w. mich, tried every Rx and over the counter med you could possibly imagine..  I have been to the Diamond Headache Clinic and the Headache clinic at U/Mich... to no avail.  Let me tell you...  I have been stuck in A LOT of nasty places/situations with these things!

Right now I am trying the 123pfd... with crossed fingers. 

I am not privy to taking O2 to work, I have tried imitrex every which way only to have rebounds and be cut off.. I HAVE NO ABORT that works for me.  My dr is VERY stingy with and pain medication, I have been with him for 25 yrs and he knows I have clusters, but is still reluctant.  My theory is to get pain medication in my system, so I KNOW that if I don't get relief from the SUICIDAL PAIN, I can at least count on the painkillers taking some of it away. period.

My MAIN concern is relieving myself of the P A I N.  Maybe your pain is not as bad as mine, I don't know, but there is NO WAY I could sit 30-60 mins with this kind of pain; I would die.  If it means rushin my a** to ER for a shot to take pain away, so be it.  Let's face it, you can only become an addict if you have someone supplying it willing...  I do not.

I am frustrated and disappointed (first time since being here almost 10 yrs), that any of you would judge how we choose to get rid of the beast.  I am sitting here with 'him' shadowing in my eye, praying he doesn't come tonite..  thank God I can use the oxygen while at home...

So, please be gentle on here, really take time to read and really pay attention before dishing out judgements...  I for one am no newbie or fool to the beast...  pfnad to all

Look, I'm not judging you. I'm merely reporting that many, many cluster headache sufferers have found the narcotic road to be a dead end - that narcotics do a poor job of relieving the pain while setting the user up for more and more rebound headaches.

By utilizing this class of drugs as a primary abortive, you may be working as your own worst enemy. That's all I'm saying. No value judgement.

#1. Oxygen
#2. Imitrex injections
#3. Red Bull
#4. Ice packs, frozen bag of peas, cold wash cloth, face in freezer/walk-in cooler/in front of AC fan
#5. Firmly massage neck, temple
#6. Grab favorite kleenex & blow nose
#7. Pace, Scream, Cry Loudly

NOTE: None of the above is in any particular order, except #1  ;)


and after 33 years of suffering with extensive research and countless efforts of trial/error, I would NEVER ingest a narcotic or OTC drug for CH's as it is well known by 99% of us to be worthless for the abort and almost always creates rebounds.

Sometimes I feel like I get worse rebounds from my triptan drugs than from my opiates...Some times after I've had a shitload of narcotics I even have a pain free day the next day, which is pretty rare.

As for the post above:
I agree completely.I have never been keen on taking pills but if thats what helps then whats the choice? I can honestly say if I knew heroin would stop this pain Id be the first to shoot up.Like many have said...whatever it takes to ease the agony.

  ps   lets not start experimenting with heroin!

There are actually a couple people on this board who use opiates as their primary relief for CH. They are rare exceptions, who carefully tried and chronicled all the main stream treatments and simply couldn't take the pain. They have educated themselves as to the potential pitfalls and dangers, and are appropriately monitored by their care givers. I would no more judge them then I would judge a mother giving her child tylenol. I do worry sometimes about knee jerk reactions of people automatically saying narcotis=evil.

That being said, since the vast majority of people find relief using mainstream meds, it just seems silly to not try the high percentage, low risk  avenues FIRST! Any educated person will tell you a doctor whose FIRST treatment option for CH is narcotics, is a doctor CLUELESS on CH treatment.

There...Joe is done venting! ;)

Joe

Well said, Joe....  speaking from someone who had one of her worst beast days ever.

As I have said in previous posts, I have tried everything (the one that really sticks in my head was someone told me to try a blowdryer to the temple, during the beast, OMG, it made it 10 times worse..what was I thinking!).

It's only in the beginning of my cycle that I am hit so hard that I can't deal with the pain, not even for 5 mins.. I need to know I am going to be relieved from the pain... at ANY cost.  This was the whole point of this original thread/post, I want to learn what others do, hoping something, anything might help me or others.

My story today, (I get up at 430a to be to work @ 630a).. I woke at about 330 a with a 6-7, I was out of my pain meds, (like I said, my doc is stingy), tried coffee, ice pack, o2.. nothing worked!  830a getting naseaus from the pain, out of o2, so I drag my sorry a** for some refills... o2 still didn't work..  I was just dying!  10:30 went to er, with one of the most horrible experiences I've had in 30 yrs..  seems they are no longer treat h/a with narcotics (despite my note from my local dr on a Rx pad stating an order for demerol and phenergan...   The best they could do was Toradal (Yep, been there too, does nothing for me).. I left ER with the same pain I went in with : (    I missed a day of work, hoping I still have a job tomorrow, and am just now at 8:30p starting to feel somewhat normal again....  I AM EXHAUSTED....   and THANKS for letting me vent.

I did get my backup doc to call in more pain med (mine was on vaca)... so I know if the beast comes knocking tonite, I have some small hope that some of the pain can be taken away...

I love all of you and pray for an honest to goodness cure... I just don't know how much more of this I can take  :'(

Wendy, have you got a high flow regulator for your o2?  Very surprised the o2 is not aborting, that is why I ask.  Give your employer "the letter to employer" that you can print from this site.  PF wishes to you.

Here's  link to the letter LV mentions:

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

My ritual starts before I go to bed at night. I take a pain pill before, so that when the demon comes knocking on my door, I already have something in my body to get a jump start on the pain. Until I see the neurologist on Friday, this is my solution for now.

When the beast jumps on me with all four feet, I leave my bed and stumble down the hall to the kitchen. I start up my Keurig coffee maker and throw the heating pad in the microwave to heat for two minutes. Take a pain pill, make my coffee, grab the heating pad out of the microwave, and then I go sit on our back deck.

If I am lucky, this cluster will last only twenty minutes. If not, I can be outside up to three hours, crying and begging God to let me die. I try to stay in my chair, but more times than not, I will be pacing the deck or even rolling on the deck in pain. When the pain subsides, I crawl back into my bed and hope to sleep at least two hours before the next cluster hits me.

I do have other serious health problems. Until anything I want to try is checked out by my doctor, I will not try it. We know what is safe for me and use that for the time being. [smiley=wink.gif]

1. Monster Lo Carb/Red Bull Sugar Free
2. Cambia
3. Go for a run/spin bike (depending on how late it is)
4. lay on the couch and watch tv (the tears usually still roll down my face intermittently)
5. compartmentalize the pain as it comes on (a way I meditate, I suppose)
6. All else fails, shot of Sumavel (Another $90 gone)

Wendy, I am so surprised when you said about bringing O2 to work.  I've been on disabilty since January because of my back.  Thankfully I was accepted for disability before the no good s.o.b. beast hit me hard in late Feb. 2001 so I do not work any more at age 55.  How could I?  I am on 15 lpm using a non re-breathe mask and I use an MTank.  Thankfully BATCH helped me more than my own damn neuro about O2 therapy but thats another story.  My question is Wendy, how the hell could you bring an M-Tank to work with you anyway?  Assuming you are using an M-Tank. 

Imirtrex 100mg tablets twice a day have been my live savior with 15 lpm O2 from the M-Tank.  I've boosted it up from 12 lpm on BATCH's advise.  And I was using the stupid Cannula for months until I got on to this website and board.  I made the switch to the non re-breathable mask at these wonderful peoples insistence.  As I say, I've gotten more help here, than my own neuro. Use the O2 as often as you need it.  And get on Imitrex tabs.  They last about 7 to 7 1/2 hours.  But time everything right so you can sleep at nite.

Looking for feedback on the Imitrex pills and/or spray...  I get rebounds bad (no matter how little I use) from the injectable.

I shared a copy of the 'employer letter' with my boss... not quite sure, but I think she put it in the shredder... : (

Wendy1 wrote on Aug 10^th, 2011 at 7:36pm:

Looking for feedback on the Imitrex pills and/or spray...  I get rebounds bad (no matter how little I use) from the injectable. I shared a copy of the 'employer letter' with my boss... not quite sure, but I think she put it in the shredder... : (

Hi Wendy...

Imitrex pills never worked fast enough for me, usually kicked in after 30 to 45 minutes, so I gave up on them. 

Nasal spray I never liked because my nostril is usually clogged shut or too runny. 

Do you have an HR dept?  If so, you might consider having them add this to your personnel file.  If not, make sure a 2nd supervisor receives a copy of that letter, so that you are documented with a healthcare need.  Your boss should have karma coming to him/her very soon, be patient  ;)

Wendy1 wrote on Aug 10^th, 2011 at 7:36pm:

Looking for feedback on the Imitrex pills and/or spray...  I get rebounds bad (no matter how little I use) from the injectable. I shared a copy of the 'employer letter' with my boss... not quite sure, but I think she put it in the shredder... : (

The nasal is effective on CH hits if you get it in you soon enough...BUT it takes twice as long as a shot to work.  Inject-able or O2 is best.  I have sometimes had to use two shots to kill a hit (my doc said that was ok, but can't use any the next day.)

I have a copy of the letter save to my pc at work since we tend to go through supervisors like horses go through oats.  I try to remember to give one to each new sup...Thanks for the reminder btw have to give one to our newest sup.  ;)  Email yourself a copy at work and save, since HR isn't always as helpful as it's supposed to be.

1.  Get to the the 02

If the beast is being stubborn, I will grab an icepack and wait him out because I'm even more stubborn.   ;)

Until I found this site, I would just take my sumatriptan and sit in a hot shower. Sometimes that would not work so I would get out of the shower, turn my A/C in my apartment down to 70 and pace and shiver till it went away. Since joining this site yesterday I have added a can of red bull slammed right after my pill and it seems to have cut my time in pain in half twice now. Also I read somewhere in this post that meditation may work. As a person who practices daily meditation for spiritual purposes, my response is that it can work, but is extremely difficult. It requires a stilling of the body and mind which I find difficult when in extreme pain, but that does not make it impossible. I do meditate for pain on occasions when I have low to moderate pain in other areas of my body such as back pain or arthritis, which is effective most of the time. However, I have tried during an attack, and while I was able to keep my body still, I was not able to keep my mind still. I am truly happy for anyone who can find relief through meditation as we all wish for some kind of relief. I just wanted to comment about the meditation for those who expressed or have doubts. I urge those people to not dismiss meditation entirely until you have tried it as meditation has been proven to assist in the removal of pain, illness, and disease. You just have to have the discipline to follow through, and unfortunately for me I haven't reached that level of discipline yet. Someday. Someday.