Posted by Margi on November 01, 1998 at 22:09:29:
As we all know, our sufferers will do anything to try
to avert an attack. There are two things that my
husband has tried and he wanted me to let you all know.
The first is: at the onset of a CH, sometimes if he
makes himself sneeze, he can lessen the sinus pressure and
thus, the pain. He does this with Q-tips - tickling his
sinuses. I know, it sounds weird but it seems to help
him. Perhaps pepper may also cause you to sneeze. In effect,
he is draining his sinuses before the ensuing buildup.
The second is: to prevent that waking up CH, I've given
him two gravol when going to bed. Although this should
not become a habit as you can actually become sleep
deprived and "dependant" on the gravol - not addicted -
just feeling like you can sleep better with it. I've
had a medical doctor tell me that Gravol prevents you
from getting into the REM sleep (which causes deprivation to
some extent, but it might be worth it for a few nights).
I read here that the REM sleep and the resulting movements
of the eyes are what is believed to cause the CH after
the eye movement slows down. It has worked for my
husband and we all know that a CH is a shi**y way to start
anybody's day.
Good luck, everyone.