Posted by Cathy (24.95.189.166) on November 02, 1999 at 17:35:26:
In Reply to: Question for people who say that they have clusters and migraines. posted by doug l on November 02, 1999 at 15:25:24:
Margi did well in describing a migraine. I do suffer both and DEFINITELY know the difference. And, yes, my neuro did diagnose me with both clusters and migraines. He has not, however, told me I have "cluster migraines".
Here are key points for my description of a migraine:
**lasts 24 to 48 hours with no break
**is on one side of the head for me
**pain is moderate---Kip scale doesn't apply
**the pain only increases slightly, usually with movement or light
**an aura is common, although not for me
**I need to lay down and sleep
**I need a dark, quiet room
**can't stand light or noise of any kind
**I get very nauseous
**I get physically ill, throwing up
**movement of ANY kind makes is worse
**sometimes my hand tingles
Key points of a cluster for me:
**my ch lasts from 45 minutes to 3 hours, no longer
**wakes me up from sleep, usu. 2 hours after going to bed
**I get ch's when "relaxing" or after a nap, but has never happened more than 2 times in one day
**it is always one-sided
**the pain is very severe, as stated on the Kip scale
**the pain escalates quickly
**with a ch, I cannot sit still, lie down or sleep
**I rock, pace, bang, hit, etc.---there is always some movement of my body
**I do not get physically sick
**noise and light do not affect the ch, in my case
As for cluster migraines, we'll leave that for another day.
And, don't ask me which is worse. Both are terrible and disrupt my daily life. I have even asked my husband, from observing me with both, which HE thinks is worse. He doesn't know either. He knows the pain is worse in a cluster, but the pain will be over with shortly. The migraine pain, while not as severe, has many more "side effects" that render me useless for 2 to 3 days. (Sorry, Drummer......)
Cathy