Hi Andi..

Are you male/female?  What state do you live in?  Not asking for last names or addresses...but the people here are all over the U.S. and I like to call the newcomers to welcome them.. as well as answer any questions they might have.

     When I came here over 11 years ago...I was so new and was so grateful for this site...We are family here now and you are one that family.  Please just introduce yourself, tell us something about why you're here...OR below my post there is a "PM"   click on it and I will be happy to talk to you one on one

             We are ALL here to help.

Linda

Welcome Andi.........we don't diagnose here and we don't prescribe meds.....but you won't find a more complete knowledge base on CH anywhere in the world. Let us know what meds you're taking, how you were diagnosed, what has and hasn't worked, how often you're getting hit etc. We'll do our best to make suggestions to take back to your doc to help alleviate the pain.

The good news is you're not alone, hang in there.

joe

Hi Andi

Best place this.  Support is here, you do not have to do this alone.

Hugs Jazz

Hey sorry I'm late to the party. Aren't I always though? Anywho, hey! As you can see I'm Felicia. I'm 17, live in NY and I been playing this game since I was 10. I've got two sufferers that I live with and then these guys who I call mine too. They're family. And hopefully you will be too.

I know CH is hard, even though I don't have it. I've had migrains since I was 7 though so I understand what it's like to have other people look at you like you're crazy. Hey it happens. This is the site you run to. No one here will think you're crazy (unless you really are). But to get to my point.

I am the teenage welcome wagon (find my link in the newbie board). I'm here for all the cluster"kids" (I say that in quotes because there are no kids with clusters, they're old before their time) to b*tch, rant, cry, scream, question, and what ever else is needed to. I try to help all I can.

PM, email, Facebook, cell, it's all there. I'm always around when you need some one to talk to. I don't post here a lot but I do keep an eye out. Any way, that's my deal and feel free to ask. But do me a favor and try to answer the questions people ask you here. They ARE trying to help. They know a lot more about meds and stuff like that than I do. I'm just the emotional support. Let them do their thing and you'll be just fine.

Welcome to the family hun. Sorry you need us, glad you found us, and hope you're here to stay.

~Felicia.

Andi,

Please understand that anyone here is going to be hesitant to give you cluster-specific advice if you don't have a diagnosis from a neurologist or headache specialist.

One thing you can do without a diagnosis is slam a can of an energy drink (like Red Bull) at the first twinge. The drink should contain both caffeine (60-140mg) and taurine (1000mg). Drink it as fast as you can stand. This combnation seems to have the ability to knock out a good number of attacks if you catch them early.

thanks for that. i'll be sure to give that a try during the next attack... which is unfortunately on its way. 

Andi:

One thing you can try is the following technique. I post this often for newcomers:

Dr. Wright’s Circulatory Technique

I am not sure what mechanism is triggered by this but whatever it is, at least indirectly helps kill the pain. This technique has nothing to do with meditation, relaxation, or psychic ability. It is entirely physical and takes some work. It involves concentrating on trying to redirect a little circulation to the arms, hands, or legs. It can described as a conscious circulatory flexing. Increased circulation will result in a reddening and warming of the hands. As silly as it sounds, try to think of it as filling your hand with redirected blood flow. The important part is that it has to be done without interruption until it has some effect. Do not give up in frustration. It may not work on the first try. Sometimes it can work quicky but it almost always worked after a time. Try experimenting between attacks. You will find that it gets easier with practice.

I was given less than five minutes instruction in the use of this method. The doctor, while placing his arm on his desk, showed me that he could slightly increase his arm and hand circulation. After several attempts, I was able to repeat this procedure and use it successfully. I have had about a 75% success rate shortening these attacks. My 20 minute attacks were often reduced to 10 minutes or less. Once proven that I had a chance to effectively deal with this horror, I always gave it a try as I had nothing to lose but pain.

I used to try to imagine I was pushing blood away from my head into my arm. Use your imagination. There is one man who wrote that his standing barefoot on a concrete floor shortened his attacks. This may be similar as it draws some circulation away from the head. Cold water, exercise, or anything affecting circulation, seems to be worth a try. My suggestion is to not let up immediately when the pain goes. Waiting a minute is probably a good idea. So long as you do not slack off, this has a chance of working.

This technique is very useful while waiting for medication to take effect or when none is available. It costs nothing, is non-invasive, and can be used just about anywhere. It is not a miracle but it helped me deal with this horror. It can be a bit exhausting but the success rate was good enough for me and a cluster headache sufferer will do just about anything to end the pain. It gives us a fighting chance.

I hope this technique is helpful and I wish you the best of luck.

Charlie

Might I also suggest you take the cluster quiz on the left.  You called them migraines, but said they come multiple times a day.  That sounds more like cluster than migraine, but it would be helpful to differentiate.  However, as was said, we are quite reluctant to point to specifics before a diagnosis.  If teh cluster quiz points to cluster I would read the oxygen info carefully and take the pertinent information with me to the Dr.  Then if you are indeed diagnosed with cluster don't leave the office without a script for O2.

Jerry

Andi,

Warm welcome to ch family.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. We're here to help each other out. You'll find lots of information, lots of support and lots of people who know exactly what you're dealing with.

Lots of PF days your way,

Sanna

I'm new too, Andi.  Seems like a supportive place with a lot of nice folks.  I like it so far.  Hope to see more of you.  Be sure and let us know how the Neurology appointment went.

Andi,

I have  gotten these headaches since I was ten too.  I am a bit older than you now... LOL!

I hope your appt goes well at the Neuro.  Just go in with as much information possible about your pain.  Mention everything.  Be specific.   It will help your doctor help you.  Keep us posted!

Jeannie

Quote:

= path of least resistance.

= they don't want to face the tougher truths.