Posted by Jackie M. on February 25, 1999 at 08:19:35:
In Reply to: G-Wellcome Reply (BS) posted by Barbara D. on February 24, 1999 at 15:04:11:
As far as pharmacutical companies go, I think the "D" in R&D stands for "dollars." Clusters aren't the only type of headache misunderstood or misrepresented. I think that migraines are terribly misrepresented on those irritating Excedrin Migraine commercials too. When they have Jacqueline Zeman, a bubbly, beautiful soap opera actress, touting how she just takes those little wonder-pills when she gets a "migraine" because the show must go on, they are misrepresenting all those migraine sufferers who have the vomitting, sensitivity to light and sound, visual disturbances, and other hellish symtoms that go with the headache. The problem with both migraine and cluster is that both are mistaken for "bad headaches." Hell, a bad headache for me is a walk in the park. But for the millions who have never suffered cluster h/a's or a severe migraine, they have nothing to compare a "bad headache" to. They just don't get it. Maybe the first step to understanding is to get rid of the word "headache". It's like calling a large gaping wound a "boo-boo." As for Glaxo Wellcome; until the CEO is afflicted with a nice long cluster cycle, we'll probably get nowhere unless we put up the big bucks.
Pain free days and nights,
Jackie M.