Here's a bit about my demon.

My CH is episodic, with cycles lasting usually 4 weeks, remission for 11mo, usually striking in the autumn.

Attack always begins with shadows of the mind (a minor alteration of consciousness, or, "I just know"), and a tension in my neck at the maxillary gland, which swells, connects with the next gland up behind my ears, spreads to crown on my left side and comes shooting out my eye.

Have tried rizatriptan wafers, imitrex (injection and oral), prednisone, high dose ibuprophen, O2, excercise, marijuana, psylicybin, T3/codine, masturbation, self-abuse and just about everything else to prevent or break an attack to no avail. The only things that provide a minor sense of comfort are cold things and pressure - a gel pack from the freezer wrapping from my neck, around behind my ear, over the top and onto the eye is a favorite fallback, as well, I have a 6" chunk of steel tube I keep in the freezer and wrap in a tea towel to apply pressure to the base of my skull over the affected glands. And cold running water on my head. Ice cold.

These efforts do not "relieve" anything, but they're the closest to doing anything that does anything. Heh.

Typical characteristics are present, ptosis and lacrimation (or "the amazing melting face" as I call it), stuffed nostril (note SINGULAR), severe watering.

The attacks first began when I was about 17 and was unable to be diagnosed for a good five years. My GP would give me photocopies of methods for relaxing muscles. HOT WATER DON'T HELP FOO! I did my own research (being educated and resourceful) and made my own diagnosis as it's pretty much a casebook example of an episodic CH sufferer, but my GP again thought I was exhibiting "drug seeking behaviour" and it wasn't until I happened to be walking past his office when an attack happened and I walked in and said "Tell me I'm faking this" that his eyes were opened.

I've been able to intellectualize the experience, which is probably how I'm still alive and haven't taken the name of "suicide headaches" to heart, by kind of "falling in behind myself" and observing the symptoms, feeling around my consciousness and thinking about different things. It feels like I step aside - I still feel the pain, even in the upper ranges of the Kipp scale I've gotten beyond punching myself in the head and screaming and pacing.

I lay down, move my ice pack around, and allow the pain to wash over me, knowing that I will remain. Like Frank Herbert's "Dune."

Now, this sounds unusual and I've talked to other clusterheads who've told me "if you can just tune it out then it's not a cluster!" However, I am an expert on pain. I know it sounds odd, but I can (*usually!*) meditate myself through it since medicating myself through it doesn't work. Heh. Probably better for my liver too!

"Cessation of pain is one of life's truest pleasures."
- me

Hope this helps

Welcome starflower, your story sounds very familiar ! Numerous others,(myself included) have come here as newbies and written virtually the same thing. In my case, I gave oxygen another try, after reading here that i was using it improperly. The results were amazing!!!!!!!!!!!! I also learned here about mlatonin, to avoid the nighttime hits,,,, that too was amazing!!!! One thing that I, and MANY others , and probably you will learn from this site is that we dont "eliminate" CH, we simply learn to fight it, fight it with GREAT success!!!!!!!Never fear it, arm yourself with newfound "fighting techniques" and get out there and LIVE!!!  The info on this site is ENORMOUS starflower,,, just read, read, and read some more. No doubt you will try MANY more things and lots will fail, thats why we are here. This is the place to come and vent, and BE UNDERSTOOD! But,,, NEVER give up,, keep trying and you WILL find a method to help deal with your beast.   Good luck,, and again,WELCOME       Tuck

Well saw the local MD at the hospital the other night and got some prescriptions out of him... talked him into letting me try O2 but at a max 5lpm and getting to MediGas is difficult, so I managed to score some samples of Maxalt RPD (rizatriptan benzoate) out of him a couple days later, after trying to fill the prescription and getting charged $23 for a single hit. Cheaper than imitrex, but seriously... did one last night when the beast woke me up with a cowboy kick to the left eye, didn't work right away but I don't remember much after about 20 mins so I must have fallen asleep. Or maybe I was still experiencing the pain but it wiped my memory. Now there's an existential dilemma for you

That's better than nothin!

My spidey senses are telling me that I'm getting close to the end of my cycle. Ha, here's hopin.