Hey, I'm pretty new to the site. Been coming here for a few days but I didn't want to join up until I had a concrete diagnosis but a question came up today that I wanted to ask.

I basically found out about Cluster Headaches from WebMD after thinking I was dieing on the 20th. I went there, checked my symptoms, and googled Cluster Headaches and found you guys. Reading about the symptoms here and elsewhere it definitely sounds like what I have, so I went ahead and made an appointment with a doctor to see what he said. Had my appointment today and without me telling him he suggested it sounded like cluster headaches. I got an MRI and blood drawn and all that good stuff to make sure I'm not going to keel over next week from an exploding head. He gave me a script for Fioricet (tension headaches) and told me to take it when I get a headach and see if that helps any and as long as nothing urgent appears in the MRI he'll see me in 2 weeks.

So that's where I am now in my quest for a diagnosis, On to the actual question

I'm only 21 and if I do have CH this would be the first cycle I've ever had. I had my first attack on the 20th, it has also been the worst I've had. For a week I had 3-4 a day. The worst being an early morning attack around 7-8AM. If this was not a MWF (I have an early class those days) then this attack would wake me up. MWF I did not have an early morning attack. I get up at 6AM MWF so I definitely didn't sleep through them (LOL...if only I could)

Wednesday (yesterday) I got to sleep in because of the weather canceling classes. I woke up late, headache free and have been headache (of the cluster kind) free since then. This would make my total cycle exactly a week long. Is that too short? Everywhere I read says cycles last at least a few weeks. Does anyone here have cycles that short? Are 2 pain free days enough to say my cycle is over? I know every situation is different but even then there are certain boundaries that you have to stay in to have a specific condition. I'm just wondering if I have crossed over.

I realize the MRI could show something and then all of this is irrelevant, but I'm going off the assumption that I'm not dieing yet. 

I hope and pray your cycle is already over.

The first one that we BELIEVE I had was when I was 16. It lasted for 2 weeks. I had other medical problems, and was on medications that also masked the problem to a certain extent. I had an MRI to make sure I had no tumor, and a day or two afterwards the cycle ended. I didn't think anything of it.

Until a pain in the left side of my face, specifically near my eye, began last year...

EVEN if the fioricet works for you, if the headaches continue, get oxygen, and get on a preventative. The beast likes to morph.... :/

PFDAN.
Mystina

If, at your next appt, you get a firm diagnosis of CH--then you should be given a treatment drawn from the following.

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:

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Suggest you print out this entire article for your learning benefit.

 
Cluster headache.
From: Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or (Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases)
[Easy to read; one of the better overview articles I've seen. Suggest printing the full length article if you are serious about keeping a good medical library on the subject.]

Leroux E, Ducros A.

ABSTRACT: Cluster headache (CH) is a primary headache disease characterized by recurrent short-lasting attacks (15 to 180 minutes) of excruciating unilateral periorbital pain accompanied by ipsilateral autonomic signs (lacrimation, nasal congestion, ptosis, miosis, lid edema, redness of the eye). It affects young adults, predominantly males. Prevalence is estimated at 0.5-1.0/1,000. CH has a circannual and circadian periodicity, attacks being clustered (hence the name) in bouts that can occur during specific months of the year. ALCOHOL IS THE ONLY DIETARY TRIGGER OF CH, STRONG ODORS (MAINLY SOLVENTS AND CIGARETTE SMOKE) AND NAPPING MAY ALSO TRIGGER CH ATTACKS. During bouts, attacks may happen at precise hours, especially during the night. During the attacks, patients tend to be restless. CH may be episodic or chronic, depending on the presence of remission periods. CH IS ASSOCIATED WITH TRIGEMINOVASCULAR ACTIVATION AND NEUROENDOCRINE AND VEGETATIVE DISTURBANCES, HOWEVER, THE PRECISE CAUSATIVE MECHANISMS REMAIN UNKNOWN. Involvement of the hypothalamus (a structure regulating endocrine function and sleep-wake rhythms) has been confirmed, explaining, at least in part, the cyclic aspects of CH. The disease is familial in about 10% of cases. Genetic factors play a role in CH susceptibility, and a causative role has been suggested for the hypocretin receptor gene. Diagnosis is clinical. Differential diagnoses include other primary headache diseases such as migraine, paroxysmal hemicrania and SUNCT syndrome. At present, there is no curative treatment. There are efficient treatments to shorten the painful attacks (acute treatments) and to reduce the number of daily attacks (prophylactic treatments). Acute treatment is based on subcutaneous administration of sumatriptan and high-flow oxygen. Verapamil, lithium, methysergide, prednisone, greater occipital nerve blocks and topiramate may be used for prophylaxis. In refractory cases, deep-brain stimulation of the hypothalamus and greater occipital nerve stimulators have been tried in experimental settings.THE DISEASE COURSE OVER A LIFETIME IS UNPREDICTABLE. Some patients have only one period of attacks, while in others the disease evolves from episodic to chronic form.

PMID: 18651939 [PubMed]

 

Well it's not over yet, having one now but it's fairly benign. Wouldn't rank it more than a 2. Still, it's enough to let me know I'm not out of the woods yet. I don't drink though, so nothing for me to worry about there. Still haven't gotten the MRI results yet which I'm hoping is good. They'd probably would have let me know by now if I was going to die next week.

You guys will probably laugh, and I'm sure this will change the minute I get hit hard, but I'm usually pretty adverse to taking any kind of medication. The worst attack I've had was only a 7 and signs point to getting better at the moment rather than getting worse so for now I don't plan to ask for any oxygen or a preventative next time I see the doc. He might prescribe something anyway but I'm not planning on going out of my way for it (yet). I do plan on continuing my journal though and thank you for the links, I'll definitely need something to show him if I start demanding specific treatments.

My first cycle at age 20 was 4 headaches over a 5 day period.