This is my first post here.  My name is Becca.  I had my first experience with cluster headaches when I was in college 13 years ago.   My roommate at the time kept trying to make me quit smacking my head with the heel of my hand and lay down because she thought it was a migraine.  I've had sporadic bouts of cluster headaches with cycles of migraines with aura and lots of neurological symptoms in between.

A few weeks ago I began cycling through migraines again--aura, facial numbness, loss of balance, etc.  Today the first cluster headache hit.  I was fine and then the next thing I knew it felt like someone stuck an ice pick in the left side of my forehead, my eye started watering and my nose started running.  The pain was so bad it would have brought me to my knees had I been standing.  All I could do was press the heel of my hand against my forehead as hard as I could, rock, and make a point of not screaming like I felt like doing because my two year old and five year old were standing there.  I know at about 5:00 tomorrow afternoon--while I am in a graduate class-- it will hit again.  As I told my husband today--if a gun had been nearby I would have shot myself when the pain hit. 

I don't want to do this again.  I don't want to end up back at the neurologist, on Topamax and having to get a MRI done.   I just don't.   Can anyone suggest anything I can do in terms of diet, exercise, etc. that will help?   

Excuse me if I'm whining but this is a part of my life I never, ever, ever wanted to revisit.   

Oh there's a ton of stuff (including drugless ) you can find out about here for fighting this beast back.

As far as diet and exercise are concerned, yeah those'll work great for avoiding the top killer diseases but pretty much aren't going to do jack squat for you right now as you start this CH episode. That part is just my opinion.

Soooo...how about starting with the latest approach to using O2 to abort headaches? No drugs involved there and there are now legions of cluster heads here who swear by it. The site here unfortunately presents a technical glitch for some visitors - I'm going to provide a link to the oxygen info, since the link may or may not already be showing up in your left hand view, arbitrarily depending on how you navigated here:
Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

For other natural remedies, some folks report encouraging results with melatonin, the herb Kudzu, and amino acid taurine.

Others feel they have knocked episodes out entirely with mother nature's own Rivea Corymboa seeds.

Personally, I still find myself needing to rely a bit on meds (imitrex for the big hits that nothing else will touch, Neurontin as a preventative to lessen the frequency of hits), but hey I like to just go ahead and abort 100% of my CH hits, and I have done just that for 2 out my last 3 episodes.

PS - Glad you're not into just blindly following what some neurologist tells you to do for this go 'round. You have to go into your appointment well informed because someone in the room has to be.

Becca...welcome.
   Sorry you have to be here, but glad you found us.
Have you tried the Oxygen route yet.  It works, without all the nasty side effects.

   Don't just go along hoping for the best....take action girl...there is no need to suffer more than you need to. Especially with little ones to care for!

     Do a bunch of reading in here, and you will find all your answers.  I think there are many who also have the migraine here too, and they will likely be along soon.

  I see a TN in front of your name,,,,are you in Tennessee.?   I am. that's why I wondered.
                             hang around, we'll be here, no matter how much you beat yourself in the head

        I do that too.               Lorac

Hi Becca

  Sorry the beast is at your door . . . but you've come to the right place.

  I'm in Tennessee also (Crossville) . .  chronic since 1/01 . . . . by the time my wife found this site for me 2/02, was having 6-8 attacks daily, sometimes 3-5 at night, Kip 5-9s, most 20-40 min. long and the occasional 1 1/2 -  2 hr+ horror. . . . was a basket case, exhausted, afraid of sleep, always afraid of the next one (how soon will it come, how bad will it be, how long will it last?).  This place gave me the info/ammunition to finally have some control over this beast of ours.

  You need a preventative and abortive.  Verapamil worked for me and I had my first PF day in over a year within 3 weeks of copying the info off this site and taking to my doc (had three attacks that night, but had 02 to kill them).  Verapamil is a taper drug . . . the doc will increase the dosage until it reaches effectiveness . . . it is a blood pressure med, so your BP needs to be monitored.  I didn't get the PF day til I reached 240mg . . .got as high as 480mg, then reduced to a 360mg maintenance dose . . .  many take much larger doses and sometimes combined with other drugs like lithium.

  Oxygen is a MUST!  It works for 70%+ to abort an attack.  If used early-on in the attack, I can kill the beast in 5-10 minutes . . . been going through a lot of tanks ("E" tanks . . . $10 ea . . ) lately.  It's cheap if insurance won't pay for it.

  Imitrex injectibles work in minutes . . . the pills take too long to take effect . . . inhalers quicker, but take several minutes more to work . . . I can't use any form of Imitrex due to some artery blockage and high cholesterol . . . VERY dangerous for me. . . so 02 is my only abortive . . . a real miracle for us.  I think most here abort most of their attacks with 02, and save the trex for the attacks the 02 doesn't reach.

  Please read the "water X 3" link on the left.  The last four years or so, that has been my preventative.  I stopped the Verap because my BP got uncomfortably low.  Other medical conditions made it mandatory to consume large quantities of water . . . attacks reduced in frequency and intensity . . . and of course I always have 02 handy to use quickly.  IT IS NOT EASY TO DO!  . . .  a sharp reduction in water intake will usually set off a series of attacks for me.

  If you haven't already, identify your triggers.  For me, alcohol in any form, exhaust fumes, certain chemical odors like carb cleaner of other solvent type solutions.

  Start keeping a journal of your attacks.  Note the time, duration, intensity (use the Kip scale . . link on left) and take your journal and a copy of the Kip scale with you when next you see your doc . . .and don't for get to take the info to aid in getting an 02 script.

  You have much reading to do and many questions to ask . . . fire away.  The info/caring/sharing you will get here comes from folks who truly know your pain. 

   Be  Safe,     PFDANs

     Richard