Hi Christine!

You would need to get a proper diagnosis from a Doctor, we are not Doctors.  We are CH sufferers and CH supporters.

Please Take the Cluster Quiz on the left and print out the Cluster Traits and see your physician asap as Symptoms of Clusters can also be other more serious conditions.

Also it will help if you keep a Headache journal so show your Doc when you go in, it helps for them to see a record of your headaches in black and white.

Here's what you will need to note in your Headache journal.

Day/Date:      
Time of Day of CH hit:   
On pain Scale 1-10 10 being highest what is your pain at?
Duration of Headache:
Symptoms that come with your Headache:
What, if anything you tried to get rid of HA:

Good Luck and Let us know how it goes.

Welcome to the board! My CH started in my late teens with what I now know were "mild" CH attacks. By my mid 20's they were in full swing! Like you, I had many of the classic CH signs, without the intense pain.

That being said, it's always a good idea to go through a headache specialist neuro to get a firm diagnosis. There aren't many things as complicated as the human brain! With literally hundreds of headache types, meds for one are useless for another. A headache specialist neuro s your best bet to wade through all the possibilities and make sure you get an accurate diagnosis, and an effective treatment regimen.

Hoping if it is CH it never grows to its adult form for ya. Wishing you peace and some pain free time.

Joe

LOCATING HEADACHE SPECIALIST

1. Search the OUCH site (button on left) for a list of recommended M.D.s.

2. Yellow Pages phone book: look for "Headache Clinics" in the M.D. section and look under "neurologist" where some docs will list speciality areas of practice.

3.  Call your hospital/medical center. They often have an office to assist in finding a physician. You may have to ask for the social worker/patient advocate.

4. Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or ; On-line screen to find a physician.

5. Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or Look for "Physician Finder" search box. They will send a list of M.D.s for your state.I suggest using this source for several reasons: first, we have read several messages from people who, even seeing neurologists, are unhappy with the quality of care and ATTITUDES they have encountered; second, the clinical director of the Jefferson (Philadelphia) Headache Clinic said, in late 1999, that upwards of 40%+ of U.S. doctors have poor training in treating headache and/or hold attitudes about headache ("hysterical female disorder") which block them from sympathetic and effective work with the patient; third, it's necessary to find a doctor who has experience, skill, and a set of attitudes which give hope of success. This is the best method I know of to find such a physician.

6. Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or NEW certification program for "Headache Medicine" by the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties, an independent, non-profit, professional medical organization.
        Since this is a new program, the initial listing is limited and so it should be checked each time you have an interest in locating a headache doctor.
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A goodly number of CH problems turn out to be masks for more serious disorders. This is a good reason for working with a headache doc--to sort out the real from the "fake". See PDF file, below.

What they said, although I'm afraid you are now part of the family.  Don't just assume it though.  There are other much more serious things that can have similar symptoms.  Worse than CH?  Sure, after all CH is ONLY a headache!

Jerry