Posted by Bob H (24.4.252.169) on July 26, 2001 at 13:13:47:
In Reply to: My husband posted by Tanya on July 26, 2001 at 06:57:13:
Hi Tanya,
I've had clusters for 50 years, and know how debilitating they can be. Just
about all the information you could imagine is contained within this site.
I'd be happy to correspond with you and share my experiences, but they will
be only what worked for me over the years, and may not work for anyone else,
as cluster headaches seem to be, to some degree, elusive and enigmatic.
I noticed it is you, and not your husband, who is searching for information.
Does that mean that he's less interested in finding out information than
you? If this is the case, then perhaps what you do find will be of less
importance to him than it is to you. I am not trying to be 'hurtful' here,
just direct. Usually information presented to someone is who is not looking,
is just that - information. "When the student is ready, the teacher
appears," is an old cliche, but sometimes appropriate. If I'm wrong about
this, then please accept my apology in advance.
I encourage both of you to familiarize yourself with all the information on
the CH website, and I hope that either of or you will feel free to drop me a
line anytime I might be able to provide some clarification or tell you about
my experiences with a particular item, remedy, or whatever. Your 'post' on
the website did not give any of your husband's specific symptoms, etc., so
it is rather hard to respond to any specifics without more information. And,
please remember, I'm not a doctor, only another sufferer..., I'll only
relate my experiences to you, NOT make any recommendations. You might want
to take the information from this site and give any 'relevant' information
to your doctor. If he's any kind of doctor he will listen, and then advise
you. I finally found an excellent family practice doctor who really works
with me. It can make the difference between successfully 'coping' with the
'beast' and being totally disfunctional.
Karen, your support and understanding of your husbands condition is also
critical. Especially when he gets to 4-5 on the Kip Scale (see "the kip
scale" tab on the website). When I reach this stage, I get up and start
pacing around, don't want to be bothered by anyone, don't like noises and
bright light, etc. My wife says my personality changes at this point. This
can be totally frustrating to someone living with a 'clusterhead.' I know
your concerned about the lost work, etc. That, as you mentioned, has already
had a big impact on your family life.
Best wishes to you, and
PFDs (Pain Free Days) to your husband
Bob Hanshaw
Pensacola, Florida