I just wanted to introduce myself and talk about a new trigger I found after over 2 years pain free.

I have suffered from CH's since I was 19 years old, so over 20 years now.  I am episodic, my CH's start once a year in September or October and usually last 3-4 months.  While in the military I would get to skip a year if I moved to a new location, every time.  So if I PCS'd to a new base, the CH would stay away for the first year.

The last time I suffered was in 2010 (my 2nd year at a new base.) Then I retired in June of 2011 and moved back to ND where I have been pain free ever since....This morning

I woke up at 430am with a feeling I couldn't put my finger on.  I ran to the bathroom and as soon as I saw myself in the mirror, I knew the f'er was back.  I ran to the fridge and gulped down a red bull with four Motrin and sat in the chair to see if I caught it in time.  My wife came out of the bedroom, she took one look at me and said "they are back, aren't they?"  The pain only reached a level 2-3 before the red bull took affect...

I read somewhere that CH's are caused by a dilation of blood vessels in the brain?  Anyway, I am a weight lifter and have been for awhile.  Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I took a supplement called Nitric Oxide to try and increase the intensity of my workouts!  I never even put 2 and 2 together, but what does NO do?  It dilates your blood vessels to increase blood flow to your muscles.  You know what else it does?  Triggers cluster headaches in CH sufferers. 

I'm an idiot.  I don't know what I was thinking, except that over 2 years pain free you start to forget.  I guess Ill never know if the Nitric Oxide is true cause of this latest bout, unless I get brave enough to try it in the spring (when I have never gotten a CH episode in 20 years).  The good news for me is that if I can catch the CH early enough, a 20 o..z red bull to abort and 800 mg of Motrin usually stops the CH before it gets over a 5.

Damn it to hell!   

Thanks!  Because of my weightlifting, I take between 800-1600mg of motrin per day...So I am pretty sure that isnt my trigger.  This one is kind of weird, Ive had shadows all day, and this one is a month or 2 earlier than normal

I have had luck with motrin keeping the swelling down in my knees and shoulders, I do take a mix of Gluclosamine and Chondroitin daily.

With help from a doctor I have found that as long as I stay below 2400mg of motrin a day my stomach can tolerate it.  Unless the joints are really hurting, I can get by with 2 800mg doses per day.  One of these days I am going to have to give up lifting.  2 bad knees and one bad shoulder is going to force me out I think.

I have been skimming the anti-inflammatory regimen and I think I will give that a try.  All I can say is red bull is my very best friend!