After another restless night I stumbled across a link to this site.  I was amazed.  31 years old and been suffering from CH for a couple years now.  It's been a stuggle recently as my headaches have gotten a little longer and stonger in length and intensity.  It was especially nice to see that the "shadows" I had been having were real and not just in my head. lol pardon the pun.  The biggest struggle I have recently is with my sponsor.  As a recovering alcoholic, it is hard to get my sponsor to understand what I am going through.  He thinks I am just slacking off when really I just need to get some rest.  For it is very hard to come by these days.  I printed off the Wikipedia sheet for him as a start which I will give to him today.  Anyways, look forward to talking to and hearing from you all.  I don't feel so alone anymore here in Ga.

Hey Patrick, and double welcome! Glad you found us. It's really important for your sponsor to know (at least intellectually) what you're going through. Perhaps the best way is to get him on to this site. Maybe do it together and troll for an hour or two. You know the importance of support vs pity, or worse, self pity and the bad places that can take you. So...help him support. Also, there are a lot of docs who want to prescribe narcotics for this. As a rule, they won't help the hit, the CH or the cycle. And maybe you need to be especially careful with that. Anyway, glad you're here. Look forward to hearing more details about what you've tried and what hasn't worked. God bless! lance

The most difficult task of our life is to develop autonomy without becoming isolated.

Some of us are in a position where this struggle is harder than for others: Guess I would put you in that group. The bind between your capacity for self-care and the powerful belief system of 12-step-groups can be a tough knot -- but in the end it is OUR life to shape/control/for which we find purpose.

You have needs for self-care which your sponsor, perhaps the group, cannot understand, therefore, support. Then, the choice is: whose life is primary?
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It is only possible to succeed at second-rate pursuits—like becoming a millionaire or a prime minister, winning a war, seducing beautiful women, flying through the stratosphere or landing on the moon. First-rate pursuits—involving, as they must, trying to understand what life is about and trying to convey that understanding—inevitably result in a sense of failure. A Napoleon, a Churchill, a Roosevelt can feel themselves to be successful, but never a Socrates, a Pascal, a Blake. Understanding is forever unattainable. There lies the inevitability of failure in embarking upon its quest, which is none the less the only one worthy of serious attention.

           Malcolm Muggeridge,
quoted in, IF IGNORANCE IS BLISS, WHY AREN’T THERE MORE HAPPY PEOPLE
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We all row this boat together--yet apart. But we can all find support for our personal trip.

Have you considered that it might be this:

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

Sadly, the issue of preexisting conditions may be a hard barrier to overcome. Suggest you work with an insurance agent who represents multiple insurers vs. dealing with one oufit at a time. An agent can get information more quickly, for more companies, making your search easier.

In the meanwhile, use the following info to search for sources of low cost care.
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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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It appears that you don't have a clear diagnosis yet and the changing symptoms compound the issue. These changes are not uncommon but makes it most helpful to be able to work with a headache specialist. (So many docs lack minimal training/experience dealing with complex headache disorders that trying to find a specialist will, ultimately, save you time and $.)

I see that you are not to far away from a couple of population centers which may have more to offer you, even if it involves some travel.