Hello there!  I have never been a part of a forum before so forgive me if I am not posting in the correct area. I'm 28yrs old happily married with two young children and recently diagnosed with having cluster headaches.  They started about two weeks ago and have been getting three a day every day all lasting at least an hour. It's crippling affect is causing a lot of issue with work and home life and I can already see the strain I am causing my wife who is helping me every chance she gets. I have done a lot of reading as of recent but wanted to get other input from people that are also dealing with this personally not just a doctors point of view.

With that being said I had a few questions If I may...

How long have you been suffering with cluster headaches?
Do these cycles some times go away and never come back or do they never end? 

I'm honestly at a lost right now and this has been a very humbling experience. I have always been that tough guy who shows no pain and I can honestly say that this breaks me down to nothing and for my children to see me this way is killing me right now.

Any information would be greatly appreciated and welcomed. Thanks

G'day Slippa, and welcome. In the words of a wonderful woman, we're not doctors here but we're expert patients, so you're in the right place looking for answers.

First and foremostly is getting a true diagnosis of Cluster Headache. Reason being if it's not CH then you may find yourself taking serious medications which will do you no good while another, perhaps serious, condition is going untreated.

Let us know how you're getting on and we'll help you every inch of the way.

We care, because we know too well what this can do to people and loved ones.

It will help us to direct you to good sources of assistance if you will tell us where you live (city & state, if U.S. or country). At the Home page: Help button-->Edit & Profile --> Location. (This will add your location, just below your name, every time you post a message.
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Are you seeing a doc skilled in treating complex headache disorders? If not, urge you, if at all possible, to find a headache specialist. First, you need a good diagnostic work-up for there are many disorders which mimic Cluster but which are no headache disorders.

Second, assuming Cluster and your age, the odds that they will disappear afrer 1-2 attacks are very low. This means you need to start learnin how to care for yourself so that can, as much as possible, be in control.
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LOCATING HEADACHE SPECIALIST

1. 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.

2.  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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.
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WHY A HEADACHE SPECIALIST IS RECOMMENDED


Headache. 2012 Jan;52(1):99-113.
Cluster headache in the United States of America: demographics, clinical characteristics, triggers, suicidality, and personal burden.
Rozen TD, Fishman RS.

THERE REMAINS A SIGNIFICANT DIAGNOSTIC DELAY FOR CLUSTER HEADACHE PATIENTS ON AVERAGE 5+ YEARS WITH ONLY 21% RECEIVING A CORRECT DIAGNOSIS AT TIME OF INITIAL PRESENTATION.
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I'd urge you to not get into a self-diagnosis, self-treatment effort. Especially, avoid the temptation until you have had a good work-up/diagnosis.

I assume that, since you have been reading here, you have seen recommendations about where to find good materials to help you learn how to care for youself. Apart from learning how to care for youself, learaning will help to reduce your anxiety and fear of how this will affect your family.

The odds are in you favor that learing and good treatment will stabalize your situation, so getting to work with a good doc is important.