Posted by Barb D (205.188.196.28) on August 29, 2001 at 14:11:49:
SUICIDE!
My neuro has two questions he asks a "potential" CH patient: What do you do when you have a headache? and Have you ever thought of suicide? Laying down in a dark room and "no" will NOT get you in to see him. So this leads me to believe that suicide is one of the "dangers" of CH - thus the term "suicide headaches".
Yes, we all have suicidial thoughts and most of us have a "plan" in the backs of our minds somewhere. How the hell could we endure the pain we do without thinking about it? In the small town of Gladewater I've known two people with CH who actually DID take the big sleep because the pain got to the point they could not endure it any longer. One was a teenager the other a doctor. Yes, I've been to the point of thinking this was my only out a few times myself, but (and this is a big BUT) I AM NOW IN REMISSION because I found a drug that WORKED for me.
Yes, it took years and years and an unnecesary surgery, but there WAS something out there and I finally found it and now, I am not hurting (most of the time).
We're here to offer each other support, but sometimes it seems that we're just offering an avenue for more self pity to each other. What I've seen the past few weeks is the same thing I've been seeing for the past several years. Everyone saying the same thing - Don't do it -we understand. Yes we do understand, but how is that helping? Maybe we should change our tactics - maybe we should offer some positive support for help.
Everyone seems to feel we're not worth anything because we HURT and our families don't understand because we can't do what "normal" people do. Well maybe we should start doing AFFRIMATIONS - I am worth a lot to the human race. I am a positive person and will get through this today! If everyone on this board would do that each morning maybe we'd all begin to BELIEVE it and we wouldn't be so inclined to think we aren't worth as much as people who don't have CH.
I don't have the answers. Maybe some of our medical members could offer some insight into this problem. How do we help those who think they can't go on any longer BEFORE they get to the suicidal point. Especially the chronics among us (since I was chronic for over 3 years I know from which I speak here). We all WANT to help, but we're not really doing anything the way we're going now.
Maybe some of you have some ideas of what we can do to help those who need help BEFORE it gets to the point where we can't help.
Hugs BD