hi my name is chris i am a 45 year old male and have been suffering from cluster headaches for about 23 years they were only diagnosed about 4years ago and went untreated aside from prescription painkillers which did very little. my usual time to get my bouts was early spring lasting until mid summer or so, i have been in remission for about 2 years but have recently(the last two weeks) been getting the again . this time of year is new to me not sure why they are back but i did re-injure my shoulder at work. mine are on the right side of my face affecting my jaw ,nose, eye, top and side of head, neck and shoulder. so glad i found your forum, look forward to reading more about our little gift from hell

Altough waiting times may be long, it would be wise to seek a headche specialist. This area of medicine is far more complex than the word "headache" conveys.

Learning about Cluster is a good way to gain some sense of secuity and comfort about the problem.
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Cluster headache.
From: Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or (Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases)
[Easy to read; one of the better overview articles I've seen. Suggest printing the full length article--link, line above--if you are serious about keeping a good medical library on the subject.]

Leroux E, Ducros A.

ABSTRACT: Cluster headache (CH) is a primary headache disease characterized by recurrent short-lasting attacks (15 to 180 minutes) of excruciating unilateral periorbital pain accompanied by ipsilateral autonomic signs (lacrimation, nasal congestion, ptosis, miosis, lid edema, redness of the eye). It affects young adults, predominantly males. Prevalence is estimated at 0.5-1.0/1,000. CH has a circannual and circadian periodicity, attacks being clustered (hence the name) in bouts that can occur during specific months of the year. ALCOHOL IS THE ONLY DIETARY TRIGGER OF CH, STRONG ODORS (MAINLY SOLVENTS AND CIGARETTE SMOKE) AND NAPPING MAY ALSO TRIGGER CH ATTACKS. During bouts, attacks may happen at precise hours, especially during the night. During the attacks, patients tend to be restless. CH may be episodic or chronic, depending on the presence of remission periods. CH IS ASSOCIATED WITH TRIGEMINOVASCULAR ACTIVATION AND NEUROENDOCRINE AND VEGETATIVE DISTURBANCES, HOWEVER, THE PRECISE CAUSATIVE MECHANISMS REMAIN UNKNOWN. Involvement of the hypothalamus (a structure regulating endocrine function and sleep-wake rhythms) has been confirmed, explaining, at least in part, the cyclic aspects of CH. The disease is familial in about 10% of cases. Genetic factors play a role in CH susceptibility, and a causative role has been suggested for the hypocretin receptor gene. Diagnosis is clinical. Differential diagnoses include other primary headache diseases such as migraine, paroxysmal hemicrania and SUNCT syndrome. At present, there is no curative treatment. There are efficient treatments to shorten the painful attacks (acute treatments) and to reduce the number of daily attacks (prophylactic treatments). Acute treatment is based on subcutaneous administration of sumatriptan and high-flow oxygen. Verapamil, lithium, methysergide, prednisone, greater occipital nerve blocks and topiramate may be used for prophylaxis. In refractory cases, deep-brain stimulation of the hypothalamus and greater occipital nerve stimulators have been tried in experimental settings.THE DISEASE COURSE OVER A LIFETIME IS UNPREDICTABLE. Some patients have only one period of attacks, while in others the disease evolves from episodic to chronic form.

PMID: 18651939 [PubMed]
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Three sites which are worth your attention: medical literature, films, plus the expected information
about CH.

Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or
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Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or Search under "cluster headache"
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Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or
  Full of articles, blogs, book: written by one of the best headache docs in the Chicago area.
  Worth exploring. The latest book is in e-book edition, $10; comprehensive and worth buying for
  a careful read.
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A good doc who as knowledge/skills should be treating you from the meds outlined in the PDF file, below.

thank you for all the info and kind words. i will def look into getting the o2, and the energy drinks, i did get some relief with zomig 5mg nasal sprays but found they worked less the more i used them, but they do provide some relief in the beginning.(i had one left over from my last bout 2 years ago. i am going to try the valporic acid 250 mg i have left over from then as well. i will be seeing my family doctor tomorrow for a different reason but hope to fit in some time to talk about the ch's return and get some prescriptions. i know there is no good time to get these, but i am trying to research schools and courses to return to school. the timing couldnt be worse. at least i knew my previous job well enough to go on medicated auto pilot.
thank you all
chris