Hi Mindy - well that is unfortunately a familiar story around here what with the doctor not diagnosing your  CH because you are female. How unbelievably ignorant can these idiots be?! 

So the medical types just aren't offering you adequate relief at all. That's very familiar also, but here's the good part - the very very good part:

Screw them! Much more significant relief, remission even, can be obtained, and is regularly being obtained by us CH'ers with non toxic treatments, and I'm about to list some critically important ones (IMO):

High flow 100% oxygen for aborting attacks. This is not the way it is routinely, mistakenly prescribed by doctors - this is much more effective. Read all about it here:
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Where do chronics go when they're at the end of  their rope, and they are getting no prevention help? The lucky ones find clusterbusters.com. Many chronics have gone into remission with the clusterbuster approach. This Newsweek article and this video serve as a good introduction:
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Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

There's a newer CH D3 regimen that if you tried it and went into remission you definitely wouldn't be the first. Plus it's something we should probably be doing anyway - it appears to be very good for general health: Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

As you can see there is tremendous hope. 

Glad you landed here. 

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Given your long and complex headache history, my first reaction is that your current treatment plan appears to be inadequate.

Appears you are not now using a preventive med--but perhaps we need some more history from you (why the first paragraph).

If at all possible, we encourage working with a headache specialist. This is a far more complex area of medicine than is generally appreciated and most neurologists have quite limited training with complex headache disorders.
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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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A specialist can work you thru a broader range of treatments in a systematic manner. Our collective experience is that so many docs simply are not up to date on the new treatment developments.

At this stage, I'd encourage you to avoid jumping from this treatment to another in hopes of finding a fix. When in pain, the urge to try this approach is understandable but a skilled hand has more potential to offer you.

Hi Mindy and welcome to your new most valuable resource.
I too have been confronted with disbelief and treated like a drug addict by professionals who have no clue what CH is all about. 
I personally am an oxygen pusher... best treatment out there. Completely non-toxic, relatively cheap and out of pain in usually under 10 minutes (often under 5). Take every bit of advise here seriously. It comes from people suffering like you and is offered BECAUSE IT WORKS! Though everyone is different, we also have every type of clusterhead here as well. There are good Docs out there so don't settle for anything less than someone who you feel understands what you are going through. My rule of thumb, if the first two things they give you aren't O2 and Imitrex injections, wrong Doc... keep looking.
Keep reading, researching, experimenting... and get some O2 ASAP.
Best wishes.