Im new to the board but have been dealing with my husbands cluster headaches for 2 yrs now. he is a chronic suffer, the beast is always in the shadows!!!!! the 1st yr the beast started in oct, 2nd yr in sep, this yr which is the 3rd yr they have started in aug. he has felt it coming on for 4 or 5 days then whamo this morning the beast reared his ugly head full blown!!!!!! he was bed ridden most of the day, now after 12 hrs has gotten a little relief. i made him take a cold shower and put an icepack on his head. he is going to take melatonin and magnesium in a while before bed.  does anyone have anyother advise before he goes to the dr. on monday to get SCRIPT for oxygen? HE IS WILLING TO TRY JUST ABOUT ANYTHING AT THIS POINT!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the info and the advise!!! I will print out the info on the oxygen for his dr. he had a horrible night. he has an ice pack on his head now and is drinking coffee. i will go get him some energy drinks today!!! Thank you!!!!!

I can't give you any advice, but we're here for you.  Being a supporter is it's own hell.

And I can send vibes and prayers for an easier time of it for your hubby (and you).

Glad the Red Bull helped and definitely get the oxygen if you can!!!   Beats chugging a lot of Red Bull, but it works in a pinch. 

Good Luck with the Doc!! 

Kas,

Sorry to know about your husband really, but here is an advice:

Let your husband drink as much water as he can, and I mean it literally, as much as he can, in addition to the abovementioned advices.

Once you go to the doc, get a prescription for Imigran / Imitrex injection. When he uses is, please read the "Imitrex Tip" to the left of this page. Imitrex can change your husband's life. In the event Imitrex was not an option for a reason or another, here is a medicine that is originally administered for migrane not CH, but it works really better than any other medicine for CH. It is called "Zomig" (Active Ingredient:Zolmitriptan). Zomig should be taken at the very onset of the attack, 10 mgms not less, and heavy coffee shall be taken right after.

Hope this helps.

PS: O2 is VERY helpful, try to get a regulator ASAP, especially when Imitrex injection gets less effective the more frequent you use it.

sarah wrote on Sep 10^th, 2009 at 6:01am:

I'm sure your doc just wants to rule out any other problems with the additional tests.

I've been that low before too. HANG in there You WILL Make it Through!

I'll be Sending Pain Free wishes to you!

Hi Sarah, I hope you don't mind but I've moved your post up here - you'll reach a wider audience in this area.  Thanks Delta and Brew for letting me know about Sarah.

I'm so sorry to hear you're running out of rope over there!  My husband has been where you are right now and the only way we've gotten through it is to get him sleeping again, sometimes the sleep deprivation makes clusterheadaches seem totally unmanageable. 

The best thing we've found to get him some sleep is Gravol (I think it's called the same in the UK?  If not, maybe it's Dramamine?)  It's a seasickness pill that causes sleep as a side effect.  It also prevents you from getting to the REM phase of sleep which is where the middle of the night attacks find you.  You're not supposed to take it more than 7 days in a row because *gasp* you might become sleep deprived.    (obviously written by someone outSIDE the CH lifestyle.)   My hubby is 5'7" and 165 pounds.  He takes 3, 50mg pills before bed and it will most always get him through the night without being wakened for the deep REM CH attack that always seems to be the worst one of the day.  This stuff won't make CH go away but it just might give you 8 hours of sleep and pain freedom.  When you're peaking in your cycle like this - that alone can be golden. 

(Sorry if this is repeated advice, I'm on the fly here and couldn't take the time to read the whole thread.)

Hope you find your balance soon, Sarah - always know that it IS possible.

Big hugs to you,
Margi

p.s.  when Mike was on Verapamil, he had a horrible cycle.  It did work after awhile but it was the longest cycle ever for him.  He's had better luck with just the abortives rather than the preventatives like Verap.  He now uses O2, ice and Zomig Nasal Spray (Zolmatriptan).  This concoction is HIS balance and I believe every clusterhead is different in this regard.  Each one needs to reach that point (and CAN, with the help of the fellow warriors here!)

edited twice because a) fingers going faster than brain and b) apparently, I'm parenthetically challenged!

Kas

  Absolutely get the 02 as soon as possible . . . it is the first-line abortive for most of us.  If used early-on in the attack I can abort in 5-10 minutes.   I can't use Imitrex due to some artery blockage and high cholesterol, so 02 is my only abortive.


Sarah

  In the UK, see your doc, have him fill out a HOOF (home oxygen order form) form and "tick" the box for cluster headaches.  They'll deliver to your home with proper regulator and mask. 

  PF wishes to both of you,

    Be Safe,

       PFDANs

         Richard