I have increasing frequency and severity, chronic cluster-like headaches for 10 years. Slightly overweight Male at 55 years old. They feel exactly like brain freeze. 2 to 3 times a day, can last 2 days if not aborted. Lamactil as preventative, indomethacine and sumatriptan as abortive.

So one day my doctor decides all my headaches are rebound headaches. So he says go off all drugs and ride one out. I have not ridden one out all the way for years for I always have an abortive in my pocket and they are very effective for me luckily, that is if they don’t kill me with a stroke.

So I ride this headache out. 36 hours of hell. About 20 hours in it peaks at level 10. I have a belt around my head to hold two rolled up socks to put pressure on my temples. I am pacing frantically around the room. I am drinking water by the gallons and peeing every 5 minutes. My brain is visualizing electric flashes and sparks like a welding shop. And I have, not a vision, but a flash of insight. Instantly I see two paths for my life. One in which I continue what I am doing and when my kids go to college my wife leaves me. Another where I make 10 changes and we live happily. The list flashes at me and I instantly choose the list path. Things like throw away my Walmart clothes and buy nice clothes so I can go to cocktail parties with my wife. Sell my boat (remove a hole in the pocket) fix up my family’s old house (a project), exercise (I weight lift, and bike and have lost 30 lbs and most of my belly). etc. this event was a flash, maybe a half second. Totally change my life.

I have since seen people on TV who have had near death experiences and they talk about how it changed their life. Usually they go religious. I am not religious. Mine was a pathway to good marriage and fiscal responsibility.

These headaches mess with your brain. But for me, it was a horrible pathway to something good. Has anybody had anything like this happen to them?