Hello Matt, im Bill 40year old male in Cleveland. Your gonna be ok, and your gonna make it!! Matt you should consider the family medical leave act, its just 1 page the doctor fills out and your employer cannot fire you do to the condition you suffer. Bosses hate FMLA but it saved my job, my advise would be go to a local family MD. you will see him alot faster the the nero, Tell him you were previously diagnosed with cluster headaches and tell him what helped break your last cycle, print out the 02 info you get and show him!! tell him your last doc retired inbetween cycles and your left with this?? He will take you on and the scripts he writes are not druggy drugs so he will help you with his pen on the 1st day!!! Also you better get OXYGEN  get the right 02 mask and you should be ok soon. also when you feel your next round coming on drop and give me 50 push-ups, that worked for me a couple of times and it also will give you a mental push me back attudude that the beast cant stand. good luck PM me if you wish for more tricks on how to battle the beast with no insurance. Coach Bill

understand ur feelin alone, matt, however, we all here are here to help....................u r  absolutely not alone here!!!!!!!!!! maybe try some melatonin @ night for the evening hits, may aid in the sleep and hold off "da beast"...................tried Red Bull to knock down some hits a couple of notches? ice? heat? black strong coffee?........i am hopefully @ the end of my 5 mth first ever cycle, 4 days no Ch!!!  however, when/if HE (yes my beast is a male!!) returns, i will fight him with all i have, and then some more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i wish u PF times, vent all u want on here, that's what we are all here 4!
deb

Stand fast! The band of "Old Farts" will gather round to help!

First, get a good doc:

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

5. Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or Look for "Physician Finder" search box.  Call 1-800-643-5552; 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.
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Here are links to two sites for info on current therapies:

Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

Here is a link to read and print and take to your doctor.  It describes preventive, transitional, abortive and surgical treatments for CH. Written by one of the better headache docs in the U.S.  (2002)
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Michigan Headache & Neurological Institute for another list of treatments and other articles:

Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or
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MANAGEMENT OF HEADACHE AND HEADACHE MEDICATIONS, 2nd ed. Lawrence D. Robbins, M.D.; pub. by Springer. $50 at Amazon.Com.  It covers all types of headache and is primarily focused on medications. While the two chapters on CH total 42-pages, the actual relevant material is longer because of multiple references to material in chapters on migraine, reflecting the overlap in drugs used to treat. I'd suggest reading the chapters on migraine for three reasons: he makes references to CH & medications which are not in the index; there are "clinical pearls" about how to approach the treatment of headache; and, you gain better perspective on the nature of headache, in general, and the complexities of treatment (which need to be considered when we create expectations about what is possible). Finally, women will appreciate & benefit from his running information on hormones/menstrual cycles as they affect headache. Chapter on headache following head trauma, also. Obviously, I'm impressed with Robbins' work (even if the book needs the touch of a good editor!) (Somewhat longer review/content statement at 3/22/00, "Good book....")

HEADACHE HELP, Revised edition, 2000; Lawrence Robbins, M.D., Houghton Mifflin, $15. Written for a nonprofessional audience, it contains almost all the material in the preceding volume but it's much easier reading. Highly recommended.

Matt,

     Sorry you are here but this is a great place to be!!!  Everyone here will help you and although you feel alone, as most of us do when suffering, we are all in the same boat together!  I agree with the previous reply's, get into a neuro right away, try ice on the back of the neck, energy drinks, melatonin at night and 02!  As far as your family understanding, search this site and find the "letter to family and collegues", print it out and give it to them.  As much as I have read, it explains "the beast" the best.
     Wish you the best my friend and PF times ahead.

Dave

Hi Matt,

Hang in there. I have had very long remissions also. If you are getting multiple daily hits, a Prednisone taper may be worth taking to give a week long break. That stuff tightens up the blood vessels and keeps them tight. All that remains of clusters in my case is a comparitively mild burning sensation in the temple area. They have to give a fairly strong dose, and then taper you off of it for several days to ensure your immune system isn't weakened. While you are getting a break with the Prednisone, they likely will try Verapamil at a fairly high dose too. It is a blood pressure med with fairly mild side effects (makes me tired). Maybe you've been through all this 8 years ago? It works well for many of us. Staying on the verapamil for 4 or 5 more weeks and alternating Maxalt tabs and Stadol nasal spray (if someone will prescribe it) to abort breakthrough attacks has worked well for me. Also, I've zapped the crap out of my temple, jaw, scalp, back of neck, etc with a TENS machine (electricity that makes your muscles jump). It seems to help some. Did you happen to have a rather bad cold or flu that kicked you into another cycle? Or perhaps some excessive stress prior to or during the onset of cycle? I'm wondering, as these have been appearant triggers for me. It may be more significant to note any suspected trigger in our cases, since we have unusually long remissions. Good luck with the work and your family, don't give up bro! Hope to hear back from you, Rich

I'm not sure if it was a "fluke", but last night I injected 6mg Imitrex and was relieved within ten minutes.   We'll see what happens tonight.

Thank you all for the support.

Matt

All,

Since you seem to be the only people besides my family who understands what I'm going through, I wanted to tell you what a new Neuro said regarding treatment.  Please reply with any comments:

Melatonin 9-12 mg's at night
Depakote er 500 mg..2 at night
Frova  two at night.

Also, he advised me that I can't do workouts with heavy lifting.
Any comments on this plan would be appreciated.

Matt

Matt,

PF wishes your way.

Sanna

hi matt,
  i have 4 or 5 years between my cycles. this is a great  place to be when  you're  too scared to sleep. no matter what time of day, you can post something and usually get a quick response.

Hi Matt and welcome!
Eight years huh? Must be a bummer then to realise it's not gone after  all. But hang in there you might be due to another 8 years painfree after this cycle. It's a pain you wouldn't wish on anyone (except for people like Bin Laden, I'd love to see that cockroach suffer....).
To me it seems like the Verapamil helped abort my cycle this time. And off course the Imitrex are a blessing.