My teenage son was only recently diagnosed with CH after an episode that put him in the ER for hours.  With all the symptoms he exhibited everyone around him thought he was having a stroke, until the diagnosis was made.  It tore out my heart to see such a strong, and otherwise healthy young man curled up in a fetal position whimpering like a little puppy.  Needless to say, I've done hours of reading and research about this horrible monster that has invaded my son's life.  It hasn't been easy, but we are learning to take one day at a time.

Thanks for the welcome. 
We haven't seen the neurologist yet, but that's on the agenda by the end of the month.  In the mean time, he takes sumatriptan as an abortive measure when he feels the warning symptoms.  When he had the first episode and ended up in the ER the pure O2 was the most helpful until they gave him the meds that knocked him out cold.  He was so far advanced into the episode that he was seizing and shaking and had slurred speech and totally lost his vision.  He described it as feeling like someone was stabbing an ice pick into his eye over and over again.  If I live to be 100 I never want to see him like that again.  It was the most helpless feeling I've ever had in the world, to see him lying there and not be able to do a single thing about it.

Joe, we are actively pursuing the oxygen avenue, so that relief is available for him soon.  At the moment we rely on his recognizing the warning signals and hitting it with the sumatriptan. 
We are in the central US, Okla to be exact. 
I've been reading (again) on the Mayo Clinic site and saw that these things tend to be perhaps seasonal, with the most prolific time being during the transition from summer to fall.  Have you or anyone else observed that phenomenon?  It would be good to know if this time of year will always be terrible on him. 
Fortunately, ( and I sincerely apologize to the rest of the CH's out there) he seems to be on the low end of the frequency scale.  Two or three headaches and then he's PF for three or four weeks.  The intensity level stays about the same, but he's not having them as often as I've seen others describe on the site.

Hi there loving Mom!
First let me tell you how great the people who support us "Cluster Heads" are. I can't begin to imagine what you go through when we are having an attack. There may be times that it seems like we aren't greatful or we don't love you. We will lash out, say horrible things, and be very very grouchy for long periods of time. These are the times we really need you the most.
Just so you know, these are the things that really help the most when we are being attacked. We want to be alone (I prefer a cold and dark room...the dark only helps me to distract myself from the hell I am going through). This is very important, because we are trying our best to focus attention elsewhere. Don't go in the room! You will hear us crying maybe even hitting our heads on things. We aren't being self-destructive....its just the nature of the beast. This one will be tough for you to adhere to, but leave him be. Of course make sure there are no weapons or anything like that in the room with him. Secondly, please please please don't talk to us. Please try to keep people from talking to us too. We are trying to "meditate" in a sense. Talking to us only breaks our concentration and causes the pain to rise to a new level. Sometimes you may see him walking out of the room and down the halls and such. This by no way means he's free of the pain. When we "walk the beast", that means that we are almost at the point where the pain can't be any greater. I think we pace to find the most comfortable place in the house. I know you are praying that he's better and your dying to know his condition....allow him to speak first. Third, please try your best to keep the other peoples noise levels in the house to a minimum. This includes keeping them away from him. To be honest, I deal with my headaches the best when nobody is home. When there are, my girlfriend takes my 4 year old outside. Finally, please don't touch us. There will be plenty to for that when the attack is over. He may like cold compresses or hot water bottles to help ease his pain (every cluster head is different....I like neither). Please don't retrieve them for him or get ANYTHING and try to hand it to him. If you do, don't be surprised if he slaps it out of your hands. As crippled as we seem to be, we are not handicapped. Besides, having to get these things for ourselves is helping with the distraction. Its might also be a good idea to turn ringers off on phones. These are the best things people can do for me when I'm under attack, and most others who suffer will agree. I know you may be thinking "What!? Are you crazy? How is that helping!?". Believe me, that will be a MAJOR help! Afterwards he will be tired and cranky. Nows the time for a hug and preventative meds. Maybe you should ask him what would be the best things you can do for him when he's having attacks. My girlfriend mapped out a plan of action and now its routine. Oh and one more thing that will greatly help him. Tell him to become a member here. He will be able to interact with other people who TRULY know what he goes through. You'll hear him laughing about attacks with other members. It helped me immensely becoming a member here because I didn't have anyone to talk to who also suffers the way I do. He will be greeted with open arms and smiling faces. I hope what I said will help things so they won't take a toll on your family. Because we who suffer.....know that those who support us suffer too.

Have him try melatonin. It's an over the counter sleep aid here in the states, not sure about Ontario. Start with 9 mg, about 30 minutes before he goes to bed. Many can avoid the nite time attacks this way. Some go as high as 18 mg to get relief so he may have to play with the dosing a  bit.

Joe

Welcome Mom! I'm sorry we meet under such circumstances, but glad we meet none-the-less.

We can all empathize with your position. Each sufferer is different. Some want to be left alone, others want someone at their side. My partner is one that wants me there. For the little it helps, just my hand on the back of his neck, he has told me is comforting through the tears.

We've not had episodes like that in sometime, thank G-d. I must agree with Tim regarding a  headache specialist. We've been very lucky and successful at management of my partners episodes. We found a low daily dose of Verapamil to keep them from reaching their full intensity. While this may not be the answer for your son, it is worth talking with the Doc.

In any case, as a fellow supporter, I can only say love him as only a Mom can ... and tap into this site for support.

JJ