Posted by John G Reynolds, Phoenix, AZ on September 09, 1998 at 14:01:25:
In Reply to: Misery posted by GhostRyder on September 08, 1998 at 20:34:30:
Buddy, you need some new doctors. Have you been hospitalized with a DHE drip? How have you reacted to predisone? To nasal DHE? I've had to fly to Los Angeles to get better treatment, but I eventually had to do it.
I've certainly been seriously depressed over these headaches and recommend a book called "Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy" by David Burns. I used it without a therapist, but I may have gotten even results with one.
These headaches are not called "suicide headaches" for no reason. I've had success off and on (on when I'm able to be very regular with it) with the full-spectrum light therapy that you can find more about by emailing me and by looking at the cluster link's page here at clusterheadache.com for Paul's Cluster Headache Homepage. It seems that most of us work or did work weird shifts that threw off our sleep cycles. Most of the meds that do tend to work also effect the brain chemicals involved in our sleep/wake cycles. And at least one university is doing reseach on clusters and sleep cycles/disorders.
Anyway, don't give up the fight. First, keep switching doctors till you find one that has dealt successfully with lots of chronic cluster patients (you may have to travel or have your doctor consult with an out-of-town doctor). Second, treat the negative, hopeless thoughts with the easy exercises that are in that Feeling Good book. Third, keep trying different things that might help like light therapy, jumping rope at onset of headache, breathing cold air from you car's a/c...and any other odd-ball thing that might work that you find here or at other web-sites.