Hello everyone I am new here obviously. I am 25 and have suffered since the age of 18. I have tried everything over the years to help, well everything that doesnt cost any money as I haven't had any insurance since the age of 18. Anyway within the last two years, and this might sound EXTREMELY wierd to some people.

I have been blowing my nose really hard into a wet towel or cloth through only one nostril usually the one on right side of my head, which is where my Ch's occur, I immediately follow the blow out with a really hard breath in through the same nostril until i can hear a crackling noise in my right ear.   OK REALLY WEIRD RIGHT? 

It seems to help relieve my headaches about seventy five percent of the time. What I would like t know if anyone as ever heard of, or tried this, and does anyone think that this could be doing any damage to me, as some people I have told this to seem to think it may be doing.

Thank you for being here everyone. This is a great site and im reading everything I can.

I used to also hyperventilate in the past to help as well but not anymore.  When I do Blow my nose I try to do it as early as I can and it seems to help. Sometimes I'm not really in a place where I can and if it gets to a higher level, then no, it doesn't really work well.

Do you know if he is at all worried about any effects it might have on him by blowing?

Sneezing is a definite precursor to CH attacks for me also.  I even get nose bleeds on the affected side from blowing too hard so I try to avoid the hard blowing. It really sucks getting hit at the same time as a nostril gusher! I’m sure the nose bleeds are from dry air because I only get them in the winter so I keep the humidifier cranked up to 40%.

Getting that tickle in the sinus is a warning for me to get to the O2 tank post haste.

Rolo..

George wrote on Nov 17^th, 2008 at 11:20am:


Yup. I grab a big handful of heavy duty paper towels, then bury the thermostat setting to the bottom on my way to my cluster-chair where my O2 tank is waiting.

I hear people say that their nose "gets a little stuffy" during an attack - man, that ain't me! Between my eye and one side of my nose I'm just flowing.........

Marc

God, my nose isn't just stuffy during an attack usually, it runs like a frigging faucet. There are some attacks when I don't have it running like crazy, but that's rare. I keep a crapload of kleenex on me at ALL times.

I've tried doing the whole thing where I make my ears pop... It sometimes helps when the CH is affecting my ears, but, my eustacian tubes are messed up...so there's no telling wtf the CH is causing them to do.

As soon as we can afford it, I'm getting some name brand 4-way, and gonna try aborting with that.

im no doc but the trigeminal nerve (that plays up with cluster headaches) runs behind ya eye and down ya nose so thats prob why everyone gets the nose stuff happening...but remember to use non scented paper when ya blowing ya nose as for me this can make a hit alot worse..

it also connects to nerves down the neck and thru the rest of the body...so that could ne why ya get a weird arm.

i get it too down my neck and arm AFTER a hit...espec with the bad ones...but i find normal pain killers can help with the residual pain for this if it gets bad...for me the side and back of my neck gets very tired too...kinda like the feeling after "dead arm" when you are corked by someone...


Hey you are from Melbourne? in VIC?
would be good to hook up with someone with similar
stuff if ya were  
for some reason my profile wont change that im not in japan anymore...lol

I'm new to the site too.  CH affects my right side, eye turns blood shot, puffy and swollen and my nose runs (i'm sure crying is what is making my nose run).  I have noticed that when I blow my nose, during the blow, there is no pain.  Too bad I can't constantly blow my nose during the tough ones!!  I also get severe pain in my neck and shoulder.  I think it's because my whole body tenses up during the HA.  After the pain subsides, or at least mostly subsides, i have strong muscle spasms.  One time my whole body shook after I passed out from a toughie. 

Anyone else get like this?

I've tried proactive nose blowing. Take a mouthful of Listerene, breath in and out, loosens everything up. also Tiger Balm or the like, dab it around your nostrils BEFORE you have a headache or precursor and breath deeply. Rub some on a kleenex and breath through the Kleenex, and the mucus should flow. I'm usually congested through the episode most times, sometimes blowing my nose mid cluster feels like popping my eye out of its socket, the less the better. It MAY also cut down on length a/o severity a/o onset/number of clusters, who the hell knows, but it SEEMS to help me in a minor way.
Don't chuck the drugs or icepacks, almost 40 years with this ****, I'm still experimenting.