Ahh, I'm just kidding. I'm new here and just thought I would start off light with a joke ;D . My name is  Rudy and I have been having cluster headaches for around 10 or so years. I'm 29 by the way. I live in tge old west Tucson AZ.
   I am fortunate enough to only get them for about week long periods for the most part. I get them occasionally through out the year but unfortunately I believe I'm coming into the busy season. They always hit me hard around season changes.
It is really nice to have found this site, and to be able to see other people who are having to deal the Beast >:( as you guys may call it. I find this site because last night I probably had the worst attack I think I have had. I have never gotten nauseous with these things before this one hit me hard and made my dinner come up. It lasted about an hour, I think. Felt like 10. Don't really have any remedies that help out to much. I usually just jab my knuckle into the side if my face and try to create more pain than my head is putting out. So then when I release from my face its kind of small relief. For about a second anyways, if that makes any sense to anyone.
So that's a small background. I'm doing this on a cellphone so that's why I'm going to cut it short. Took me about a half an hour to type this on this little key board :)Looking forward to learning a whole lot here.

Hey Rudy,

Welcome aboard CH.com.  Sorry you had to come here, but that said, you've come to the right place.  Start reading and don't be bashful about asking questions... 

BTW, oxygen therapy at flow rates that support hyperventilation is a lot more effective at aborting CH than a knuckle in the temple...  You might want to start reading about this method of oxygen therapy.

Take care,

V/R, Batch

The old knuckle in the eye, trick, eh Rudy? We've done a lot dumber things than that. Tell us about yourself, if you have been diagnosed with CHs and by whom. Cuz there really is help available if that's what you got. Blessings. lance

Wat they said! There's so much available now to treat CH, just in the last 10 years we've made huge advances in prevents and aborts. Start by reading this link:

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

Oxygen has all but eliminated all other abortives for me. 6-8 minutes of huffing oxygen and I'm pain free.

Go to the medications section of this board and read the post "123 pain free days and i think I know why." It’s a vitamin/mineral/fish oil supplement, all over the counter stuff, that’s providing a lot of relief for people who have tried it, it’s a long read, worth the time.

You should try and get a referral to a headache specialist neurologist. Headaches are a highly specialized field. Asking your GP to help you with CH is like asking the 16 year old at the lube and tune to rebuild your transmission. There's a one in a million chance he could....but those are steep odds! ;D A headache specialist neuro will give you the best chance at a treatment regimen. I shudder when I think of the early days without effective treatments, chewing aspirin like candy, beating my head against the headboard....yuck! :'(

Glad you found us, doubly glad you reached out to us.

Joe

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]
====
And, see the PDF file, below.

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Thanks for the welcome and the information you have provided me with so far. I just read the water, water, water treatment. It sounds pretty simple so I think I'm going to start with that for now.
Well I have not been diagnosed yet, I'm not a big doctor guy. Although I just made an appt. with a GP so hopefully he can refer me to a good specialist. I have asked one doctor awhile back about these headaches but he did not seem to know anything about what was going on. I will let you know what I find out.

I can give some more background on my self if I ever have time to sit down at a real computer. Cell phone thing just takes to much time for me.

Thanks again for the help.

The menu of headache possibilities is too complex to be handled by playing around with self-diagnosis and treatment. And the chances of a GP being skilled enough is are rather low, as our collective experience bears witness.

If you have the option, start looking for skill/experience:

LOCATING HEADACHE SPECIALIST

1. Search the OUCH site (button on left) for a list of recommended M.D.s.

2. Yellow Pages phone book: look for "Headache Clinics" in the M.D. section and look under "neurologist" where some docs will list speciality areas of practice.

3.  Call your hospital/medical center. They often have an office to assist in finding a physician. You may have to ask for the social worker/patient advocate.

4. START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE; On-line screen to find a physician.

5. START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE Look for "Physician Finder" search box. They will send a list of M.D.s for your state.I suggest using this source for several reasons: first, we have read several messages from people who, even seeing neurologists, are unhappy with the quality of care and ATTITUDES they have encountered; second, the clinical director of the Jefferson (Philadelphia) Headache Clinic said, in late 1999, that upwards of 40%+ of U.S. doctors have poor training in treating headache and/or hold attitudes about headache ("hysterical female disorder") which block them from sympathetic and effective work with the patient; third, it's necessary to find a doctor who has experience, skill, and a set of attitudes which give hope of success. This is the best method I know of to find such a physician.

6. START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE NEW certification program for "Headache Medicine" by the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties, an independent, non-profit, professional medical organization.
        Since this is a new program, the initial listing is limited and so it should be checked each time you have an interest in locating a headache doctor.

Welcome Ryder and sorry you are having to deal with this beast.  I am also new here (few weeks) and some of the tips and tricks have helped me out so much.

I keep a pot of very strong coffee in the fridge now at all times and when I do get that twinge in the middle of the night, I get up right away and start to chug the coffee.  This has helped, for me, stopping it from peaking.

Also just added melatonin (9 mg every night 1/2 hour before bedtime) and that combined with 240 mg of verapamil seems to be the cocktail that is working for me.  And/or my cycle could be finished.

Please do read everything you find in here, it seems different things work for different people but everyone's goal is to help you find pain free days and nights.

Best of luck!

Carole