I think I'm up to 7 today. Can't wait til it's over.

Believe me when I say we all empathize with you. 

May tomorrow only see you with 3 hits and the next day/month/year with none at all.

Hang tough and Like Christy said... what are you doing for aborting?  If you don't have 02 try to get it.   There is an excellent primer to the left (in yellow)

In the meantime...get some energy drinks wiuth caffeine and Taurine in them, cold packs like bags of frozen peas,  Breathe deeply in front of an AC vent.

I wish you nothing but some pf time.

Hoping you get a peaceful, pain free new years day. Do tell us a bit more about yourself. There are many newer treatment options available.

Joe

Got slammed hard at 2 AM and again at around 8 AM.  Def the worse of the cycle yet.  My nose was stuffed on the right side and I just kept trying to blow it out - which usually makes it worse. I felt like I had 100lbs of blood pumping in to my head and a little demon poking around every so often, so I put it under hot water for a while. In the early stages of a cycle ice will help me, but once the big ones come, I need hot water.  Sleep clusters are just the worse, but I'm praying it's downhill from here.

For relief, I use 33mg of Imitrex as long as I get to it in time.  I split a 100mg pill into 3.   I've always wanted to try Oxygen and will def be getting it for the next cycle.

My cycles usually last for about 4 weeks and return every 18 months or so, like clockwork.  In past cycles, I would start off with 1 per day, then 2, then 3, 4, 5, 6,7 - and then back down the same way to 1.  I'm 42, been getting clusters since I was in my early 20's. After years of never being properly diagnosed, I found this site and tested positive. Just knowing that there are others whom understand the pain has helped me immensely.  I've never met another cluster head but would really like to attend something in the near future to reach out and just be there. 

I used to be a heavy coffee drinker since my late teens with bad sleep habits - less then 7 hrs. About 3 years ago, (2 cycles previous) I decided to quit drinking coffee on a daily basis and improve my sleep habits to see if it made a difference on the next cycle. While this change has not stopped CH from arriving timely, I have noticed a noticeable change in the duration of new cycles. My last cycle in 2009 was about 3 weeks, with approx 10 days of agony. I didn't record the amount of clusters, but there was definitely less than all previous cycles. Previous cycles always produced approx 80 in 4 weeks. My current cycle started officially on December 26th (I had very light shadows for a week beforehand). It now appears to be moving through fast.  I could be back to shadows in a few days. Up to 3 so far today, 1-1-11 at 6:15 PM. 6 hours to go for a total daily # count.

Is it possible that the one thing we all have in common is the destruction of our sleep quality? My theory, and it's only a theory, is that there are a lot of things in life that Clusterheads have in common that may have turned the gene on.  Things such as high stress,SAD, drugs like caffeine, weed, tobacco,alcohol, prescription drugs, etc., all affect your body's sleep chemistry.  It took me approx 22 years to develop cluster headache.   In my later teens and early 20's, I abused the hell out of quality sleep at the REQUIRED time my body demanded. - (Staying out all night, smoking stuff daily, drinking, tobacco, sleeping 4-6 hrs then napping later in the day, etc, - and then putting a BAND-AID on the problem by addictive abuse of  coffee, (16-24oz) every single day for 18 years, to make up for poor quality sleep habits). 

Don't get me wrong. I understand that there's some genetic factors involved and our hypothalamus' are affected in some way. But is it possible that genes are just blueprints? I guess what I am trying to say is that even though I may have been born with the cluster gene, it was OFF for the first 22 years of my life. In the 6 years prior to their development, did I (or we) follow the wrong paths in life which turned the gene ON?

Steve C

spc351 wrote on Jan 1^st, 2011 at 6:18pm:

   Why wait till next cycle?

            Potter

Joe, do you have any more details on the twins? Sounds like a very interesting story which proves some genetic factors for sure, but I wonder if their lifestyles influenced the actual onset of CH? Twins tend to do the same exact things together. Could the development of bad sleep habits be the one thing that eventually led to the onset of their headaches?

Just as a quick response to your survey and the patterns you lived: my history was nothing at all like yours, and I've had these things for 24 years, episodic at first then chronic (still) for the past 3 years. I think it's like Joe said-a ticking time bomb. Or we just hit the CH lottery, lucky us. Blessings. lance

1st off... Joe your ramblings are never worthless

Potter: I'm with you on the O2.  Don't wait.  Especially now when you're getting the crap kicked out of you.  Muster up the energy and save yourself a lot of pain in the long run.

Imitrex pills are next to worthless.  Injectibles, melt tabs or nasal sprays are the way to go if you want to use triptans.

I hope you find some relief soon. 

-Dennis-

spc351 wrote on Jan 1^st, 2011 at 6:18pm:


Hi Steve...I'm sorry you are suffering.  Question:  Don't know if I'm missing something here, but have you ever been formally diagnosed by a physician...preferably a headache specialist?  While it can be difficult to find a doc educated in CH, you certainly want to rule out other things and have a "go to" person.  Since your cycles seem to be relatively short, some prevents may not be necessary, but you would have someone to prescribe the O2 & imitrex injections.  Just sayin....take care and wishing you pf.

"His  Wife",

Don't know if I'm missing something here, but have you ever been formally diagnosed by a physician...preferably a headache specialist? 

I've taken the cluster quiz and scored a 100, but never been formally diagnosed by a specialist. My primary Dr. still thinks CHs are considered migraines, so I really have to stop going to him. He did send me for an MRI 10 years ago though to rule out other issues.  There's no recommended CH specialist's anywhere within 50 miles of me, I'll have to travel a bit. It will be worth it though.

While it's intersting to try and figure out what "started" them, it's not a productive use of my time. They're here now, I spend my time planning to defeat the beast when he raises his ugly head!

Joe,

Nothing worthless in your replies.  Thanks for your feedback.

Thanks for the updates. I have been keeping a log of all my headaches this cycle. I remember 2 cycles back, I recorded every moment of my life for 3 months prior to getting the CH cycle.  I recorded everything I could possibly think of - food, drinks, supplements, time slept each day, how I felt in the AM and PM, aches and pains, energy levels, dreams... you name it, I recorded it - bowel movements too - and the list goes on and on.  I was hoping to find some reason for CH but found nothing out of the ordinary. I guess it's to to review it again.  For some reason, I can't seem to get past the fact that I get a CH cycle every 1.5 years and that's that.

Sadly, as soon as you think you have a handle on predicting your cycle, the beast likes to morph on you.

Joe