I have been suffering from SEVERE Chronic Cluster Headaches now for over 2 years, with no break. I get 7 - 8 headaches a day. I just finished having an episode that lasted nearly 2 hours. I was just released from a 5 day hospital stay for a DHE treatment, prescribed by Dr. Peter Goadsby, the treatment didn't work.
I am a Spec. Ed. teacher and professor and my team of doctors have finally insisted I take a medical leave of absence so they can do further medical trials.
The pain I experience on a daily basis is so debilitating, and unbearable, it makes want to die. My life has been reduced to weekly Dr. visits, ERs, O2, pain medication, and the fear of leaving my home. I sit and rock and cry like an idiot for hours a day. My career, relationship and fiances are being destroyed! I'm not sure how much more of this I can take! I have lost my lust and purpose for life, and feel like I'm at the end of the road. I've had every procedure in the book and NOTHING helps! I wonder, will I ever get back to life as I once knew it? This all makes me extremely sad and depressed, I just don't know what to do anymore.

I too am a special ed teacher ( though I haven't taught in a school in several years) and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. I'm also a lecturer.
I'm a part of a team that just opened a diagnostic and treatment center for individuals with autism and related disorders.
As many here can empathize with you regarding the pain and effects of it on our lives, I too can empathize with how it COULD interfere with you professionally.
I've been in this current cycle since March 2004 which means 7 years now chronic. I've also been completely med free with exception of the once in a blue moon emergency injection or pop of zyprexa since January '06 after developing Lithium toxicity. That was the final straw.
I went through the DHE protocol in 2007 after being limited to 2 broken hours of sleep for a few months. that didn't break my cluster cycle but did get me sleeping better again.

In no way would I personally ever consider surgery!!!!
I will also not go on prophylactic meds again but that's my choice. I decided that my whits were way too valuable and the side effects were horrible for me where I was dumb as rock on everything I took with exception to the verapamil/lithium combo which did help but like I mentioned before I developed toxicity.

I cope with OXYGEN and a positive mental attitude. If I do go through extended periods where the nights become too much to bare, I will then start a high dose of melatonin which temds to break my non-sleep cycles as it does function as a preventative for nocturnal hits.

The most interfering part of CH in my opinion is the anxiety and potential depression that comes about as we are in pain and many a time extremely sleep deprived.
If you can deal with that then life will be ok.

You can do it!!!!
YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!

BREATHE stick around and don't hesitate to reach out. We're here!
I'm here!

Best,

Eric

edited for shitty grammar

Richard, do you have a good neuro here in San Diego? O2 is what my husband uses also, he can abort a CH in about 10 minutes. He is episodic, and uses lithium when on cycle as a prevent. He had a 30-year law enforcement career here while living with CH cycles 1-2x per year. O2 was his savior.  He also uses supplements (magensium etc) as mentioned on other threads by Batch.

Christy - San Diego

I'm going to echo what Brew said about clusterbusters.

Many chronics have gone to the message board there Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or only to find other long time chronics for whom the meds had failed, and who were at the end of the line, only to have found relief from "busting"

Pertinent links IMO would be the Newsweek article on the subject of CH and busting: Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

A video talk on the subject by one of our fellow CH'ers: Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

And some nuts and bolts "how to" Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

One more thing - when folks here speak of O2, they're not talking about low flow, rebreather O2 use, as is still commonly prescribed by doctors. The oxygen info link to the left describes what I call the power user method that is much more effective.