Heya,

first of all I'm very sorry to read about what you're going through.

You say you're chronic but that the only treatment you're currently on is propanalol. Have you tried anything else before?

A lot of people here use Oxygen as an abortive method and that seems to work really well for many people. I haven't tried so far but I'm going to look into it during my next visit with my new neurologist.

Have you tried medication such as imitrex, topamax, verapamil before?

I'm not chronic but during a cycle I have difficulties not taking sick leave either. I can't help you with the medication as I'm still trying to figure things out for myself but maybe if you can let us know what you've tried before I'm sure there are many people here who can advise you to try or discuss certain abortives/preventatives with your neurologist.

I hope you'll get some relief soon!
My thoughts are with you!

Sympathy is cheap grace but about the only thing that folks, being outsiders to your health care system, can offer.


This mixture of messages from a couple of members in GB may give you some leads:




Message: "Dyno", Tenby, Wales, UK, Aug 9, '09:
[Bob-excludes Wales per Dyno]
looking at their website it looks like a better alternative  Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

Why not ask to see the top man in the country - Dr. Manjit Matharu at UCL. Under Patient Choice - look at the link below - you have the right to choose who you see.

Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or .

and this - copied from the OUCH(UK) website

Quote:

You can ask your GP to refer you to one of our hospitals for treatment
Central to the government’s healthcare policy is that patients should be given the opportunity to be more involved in making decisions about their healthcare. If you and your GP agree that you need to be referred to see a specialist, then you have a choice of at least four local hospitals or clinics. Since May 2006, that choice has been extended. You can now also choose to go to any Foundation Trust in the country, including UCLH. Whether you’re from Cornwall or Camden, as a patient you now have the right to choose UCLH. You can ask your GP to refer you to one of our hospitals for treatment.

[Source: UCL website]
===============================

City of London Migraine Clinic [and other types]  Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

What Brew said. You need to find a doc knowledgeable in CH treatment, or one who will listen to the info you bring them. I worked for 30 years with these damned things by having an effective prevent, for me Lithium, and keeping oxygen close at hand for the break thru attacks.

We say it a lot here but sitting down in front of a doc and saying "fix me" is a recipe for years of pain. It's incumbent on you to educate yourself and work WITH your doc to tame the beast. We'll help you all we can.

Joe

Hello Zopiclone

There's quite a lot of us Brits on this board so no need to apologize you are very welcome .

What is being said about energy drinks is good advise Red Bull really helps me with shadows although I've not tried it with a full on attack yet but others on this board have managed to abort low level attacks and reduce stronger ones with these .

I know red bull is expensive but it is about the only one I can drink because I don't tolerate artificial sweeteners , if this is not a problem for you sainsbury's and asda do there own brands , I think one is called blue bolt and comes in liter bottles for less than the price of a can of red bull and they have the required amounts of caffeine and tuarin . I find 350 ml is enough in one go .

The other thing that I can think of that might help , did you know that you can now get a pre pay card for your prescriptions , I had one about half way through my first and only cycle so far , if I remember rightly it cost £28.00 and covered all your prescriptions for three months , it saved me about £100 in prescription charges. they also do longer ones which cost more but the saving is also grater , ask your pharmacist about it and they'll tell you how to sort it out.

The London Migraine clinic looks like a good place to goto if you are having trouble with doctors but they do ask for a donation , suggested £100 but it's not compulsory could be worth a look.

other than that try clusterbusters , link to the left , allot of real good stuff going on there it could be just the thing for you if you don't mind stretching the law a little .

any way , really hope your luck changes soon . You are in my prayers .

God bless

Nigel

Thanks a lot for all the helpful replies, everyone.

I've not really thought about coming online for a while, I spend most of my day sleeping or having headaches now. Work's the least of my worries, at least!

Red bull, or "Red Rooster" from the Co-op does have some benefits, I must admit. The biggest one for me is that it simply peps me up for an attack, makes me a little more alert and ready for it (if that's even possible.)

I will be buying a pre-payment card very soon. My neurologist has put me on Verapamil for now, which is definitely a step in the right direction. Those links all look very interesting, I'll read through them all at some point. My concentration is shot!

Another Neuro appointment on the 7th, so I'll see how things go.

Thanks a lot for all the replies, everyone. I really appreciate it.

Dave.

Edit: I actually just recently applied for Employment Support, I'll have to see how that goes, if they ever get back to me. I'm already down 3 months in SSP.

And if the traditional meds fail you....please do look into   clusterbusters.com         we've seen some pretty amazing success stories from people who had not found success any where else.

Joe