Posted by Julie on July 10, 1998 at 09:14:16:
In Reply to: Re: Let's all answer this one . ( tad long ) posted by Wolf on July 10, 1998 at 07:56:35:
Wolf, my CH started after a car accident during which I received a pretty good blow to the head. I now believe that headache started as migraine, and "morphed" into more cyclical clusters after the first year. Got all the cluster stuff; sometiimes watery eye, sometimes stuffy nostril, pressure felt above my teeth on cluster side, sensitive to light, noise during an attack. I have to believe that sleep patterns affect this disorder rather than stress. Often, I'll be awakened in the middle of deep sleep with the headache already full blown. This usually happens in the wee hours of the morning. Research indicates that clusters are probably related to low levels of seratonin (brain chemical). Seratonin is also, I believe, a key factor in REM sleep. The career I have often requires travel across time zones - and I can almost guarantee a CH attack will occur if I get jet lag. Again, sleep patterns get disturbed. Also found out that I had more of these on weekends, when I was more likely to try to sleep in late. I think that stress is definitly a presence in my life, but I believe that the severest stress I experience is as a result of a bout of these things, rather than the cause of them.
I am interested, however, in whether anyone else has experienced head injury prior to CH ???