Posted by Todd (216.199.4.188) on January 11, 2000 at 17:04:17:
In Reply to: Noticed a few variances over this last cycle..... posted by Sonnie Parker on January 11, 2000 at 12:45:47:
I had tried to qualify my statements with a liberal dose of 'typically', etc. There certainly ARE variations in symptoms, BUT there are also some fairly well established ranges. 1 1/2 to 2 hours is on the outer end of the duration range, but certainly NOT unique. 12 - 18 hours, however, DOES NOT fit into any description of CH symptoms I've ever seen. Of course, I'm not a medical professional and don't know everything, so I could be wrong.
As for the 'aura', I think we have a linguistic difference here. I also get 'warning signs'--in my case a stuffed nostril and a 'tightness' in the affected temple that is so mild in 'pain' it doesn't even register on the Kip Scale. It's by learning to recognize and 'read' this shadow that I know when to take the Imitrex tab early enough for it to work (my personal theory about the tab effectiveness is user-related). BUT, when the actual cluster begins, by which I mean the PAIN which defines a cluster, elapsed time from first stab to full-blown is TYPICALLY 1-2 minutes. On occasion, perhaps as long as 5. If I apply every ounce of every 'mind control' technique I've developed over the years, I might push it to 12-15. That may be my poor performance at mind control or, as many have suggested, the fact that I'm trying to control something which doesn't exist, but either way, that's as long as I can go.
One final thought...considering the emotional and physiological stresses we suffer during a cluster, is it really such a stretch to accept that, on occasion, the conclusion of a cluster is followed by a 12 - 18 or 24 hour stress or tension or musculature-based headache? Bumped my head the other week...earned myself a major knot on the old noggin which hurt like the dickens for 1/2 hour or so. When that PRIMARY pain finally subsided, I got a nasty little headache that stuck around all day. Was the head bump the instigating cause of the headache? Probably. Was the headache the same as the head bump. Nope. Were either a cluster? Would they have been a cluster if I were in cycle and had just gotten over an attack? Nope. Pigs can graze in hayfields all day long and they still don't become cows.
KTSSU,
T