well hi guys n girls , today has been a very enlightening day for me , im a 30 year old Englishman and ive been suffering for 15 years now with these cluster headaches  :-[ today after the worst night of clusters i have ever had , i finaly decided to go see a doctor ( it was so bad last night i convinced my self i had got a brain tumour ) .You might think why did it take so long to see someone about it ? , i dont know, i just kind of put up with it ,thinking what i had was a normal migrain and this 'evil' pain was what all migraine suffers were going through.
So yes i went to doctors,basically told her everything i had been going through all these years and she diagnosed me with having cluster headaches , as soon as she started reading me the info about them , i knew instantly that is what i was  definately suffering from .
It kind of feels good to actualy know what it is now .although im still sat here at 1.21am , trying to put off going to sleep ,as long as possible, as i know what is coming  :'( :D :-[.
its been nearly a year since the last lot , and i thought i might of fluked it and somehow they wernt going to come back , but about 3 weeks ago i got that dreaded tingling in the back of my right eye ,and i knew they were back.i have been suffering 3 or more ,attacks every day since .Mine seem to be more painfull if i get one during the day, but im not sure ,it may just seem that way.
I have found over the years that no painkillers ,such as parecetomal etc etc work, infact im sure ive used some painkillers that have made the headaches worse.
theres only one thing ive been doing, that has helped with the pain when im going through these terrible attacks , and it might sound crazy to you , but i hold my breath, put both my hands on my head, and tilt my head to the side the pain is on (wich is allways my right side and allways has been ) somehow this helps a little , ive figured it must be holding my breath, stoping the oxegeon going to my head , ive held my breath so long sometimes that ive nearlly passed out .sounds crazy but at the time its somehow relieving a bit of the agony im suffering , and believe me if chopping my own arm off would stop my pain , i would of done it twice by now lol .
Its hard to believe ive never looked into properly what ive been suffering from (not having the internet probally a massive reason ) it feels like a massive relief to me knowing that im not, dieng im not a freak and other people are going through this aswell.
Ive been prescribed today ..ZOMIG 5MG NASAL SPRAY zolmitriptan, as this is all my doctor was allowed to prescribe .She told me about other medicines but said i have to see a specialist to get these other medicines .
Im allready doubting if these nasal sprays will work , ive not had to use one yet , so i dont know, nothing else ive ever tried has worked .Im allso worried about any side effects from this medicine .
She told me about injections i could take but i dont like the idea of that , unless i knew they would definately work then i suppose injecting yourself is less painfull than the headaches , and she told me about pure c02 wich i like the sound of but i have no idea how much that will cost me or how i get it .
I  feel i have so much to say ,its hard for me to think of everything i want to say, and ask you guys, so im going to end my first post here , and start to read the other posts so im not asking questions that have been answrd a million times . :P thanks for reading and any comments or advice will be greatfully recieved  , im sure i can add my experiences to the website and help others with things in the future , regards Rich

forgot to add my email is richardwatkins26@btinternet.com

Hello Richard & Welcome to Clusterville

  OK . . . the injections your doc was referring to is Imagran (Imitrex in USA) . . . see the "imitrex tip" . . . link on left.

  The Zomig nasal spray I would guess would work within 15 min.  I can't use either as I have some artery blockage and high cholesterol . . . triptans are out for me.

  The 02 is a miracle abortive for most of us.  Even those with Imitrex injections available abort most attacks with 02 and save the Trex for hits that don't respond to 02 or if they're away from their oxygen tank.

  Your specialist will/should fill out a HOOF form (home oxygen order form) and the NHS will set you up proper.

  Contact ouchuk.org . . . they have a hotline with CH savvy folks on the other end of the line and they will help you navigate the NHS system. 

  Besides an abortive, you will need a preventative to reduce the frequency/intensity of attacks.  There are many.

  More folks will be along shortly with more info, but for now know that you've found the motherlode of CH info/caring/sharing and we truly understand your pain.

  You ARE NOT alone!

     Be Safe,    PFDANs

        Richard

Hello, Captain Cluster Head. I am new here and still learning, but just wanted to say welcome. You are in good company here and we all understand the pain that you are going through. I found that that helps me to know. :)

There is an abundance of information here. Make yourself at home and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Hey guy, and welcome. You wrote:
Quote:

she told me about pure c02 wich i like the sound of but i have no idea how much that will cost me or how i get it .

I assume you mean pure O2 (oxygen) and it is the best. You might be gaining some benefit from increased O2 absorbtion with the technique you describe. Wait til you try the real thing. It will cahnge your life. Couple the O2 with an energy drink (caffeine and 1000mg taurine like Red Bull etc) and pound it down before hitting the O2. I have found this reduces abort rates to 3-4 minutes when using 25+lpm O2. It is nothing short of miraculous.  Many of us have found melatonin (3-18mg/day) taken at bedtime also has a positive effect on reducing nighttime hits. Best of luck and God bless. lance

As to the cost, it isn't that expensive. If it was to cost an arm or a leg, I'd just ask "left or right". It is that much a life changer for me.

Welcome to the board, I'll echo what others have said about high flow 02. It's been a real game changer for many on the board. Read this link, complete with fancy color pictures to show you how easy it is to set up and use oxygen. My aborts run about 6-8 minutes. Beats the hell outta the old 90-120 minute runs! :)

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

Joe

Thanks for the kind words and advise guys , ive just had to use the nasal spray for the first time and it has worked FANTASTIC im pain free in less than 15 mins .It feels like an absolute miricle to me , i cant believe it has worked so well .

Don't ya just love stuff that works? 

   Richard

Having ANYTHING  that works takes a lot of the fear factor away from beasty. So glad you're getting some relief!

Joe