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Orchid
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Returning after a long break
« on: Sep 13th, 2007, 11:49am » |
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Hi everyone. My husband has clusters and we have been on a 2 year break, but as you all know the beast returns. Some of you may remember him as the king of vicodin & vodka. I have gotten him off that death wish and we have moved on to some other remedies. He discovered Excedrin Migraine and it has been working, but at 20-30 pills a day, I am worried about his stomache & liver! We did go to the health food store and found an herbal compound that is working some times.
Anyways, I am just getting back in the groove so I can stay in touch and have support. Everyone was so wonderful last time I was here!
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lorac
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Re: Returning after a long break
« Reply #1 on: Sep 13th, 2007, 12:02pm » |
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Holy cow.... get off that excedrin, It will cause rebounds.
OUCH sounds like you need to do some more reading.. can't you get him some O2?
Hang in there! lorac
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Paul98
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Re: Returning after a long break
« Reply #2 on: Sep 13th, 2007, 12:19pm » |
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Orchid-
No offence but your husband should stop self medicating. Get him to a Dr. and get some O2. ~25 pills of Excedrin Migraine??? :250 mg acetaminophen, 250 mg aspirin and 65 mg caffeine.
Get him to a Dr. and have his liver checked!
-P.
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DennisM1045
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Re: Returning after a long break
« Reply #3 on: Sep 13th, 2007, 12:31pm » |
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Hi Orchid,
Welcome back home. We left the light on for ya 
Having said that... Tell your husband to stop taking those Excedrin Migraine before he destroys his liver not to mention the lining of his stomach! He's a prime candidate for a GI bleed. I mean it, he's going to do some serious damage.
The component in that drug that is helping is Caffiene. Hand him an energy drink like Red Bull, Monster, Rock Star or whatever is on sale. Have him pound it down at the first sign of the beast and it will work better than the OTC stuff he's taking now. I know because Excedrine Migraine was my first line of defense for 12 years before I found this site 
Next step, get him to see either a Dr he can work with or a Neurologist that knows CH. There are lots of meds that can help him. It is rare to find a Dr who has a lot of experience with CH so you both need to do a lot of reading here on current therapies.
Now I combine 100% Oxygen at 12-15lpm with one 16oz Rock Star to abort most of my attacks with no side effects. You need a Dr to perscribe O2. Failing that you can get a welder's rig. The O2 comes from the same tanks.
-Dennis-
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Brew
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Re: Returning after a long break
« Reply #4 on: Sep 13th, 2007, 1:18pm » |
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on Sep 13th, 2007, 12:02pm, lorac wrote:| ...get off that excedrin, It will cause rebounds. |
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Rebounds are the least of his worries when he's eating them like candy.
Orchid - He has to stop this behavior immediately and get in to see a neurologist / headache specialist. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy.
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Orchid
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Re: Returning after a long break
« Reply #5 on: Sep 13th, 2007, 1:35pm » |
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Ya I know. I have him off the excedrin now and he has an appointment with his neurologist, but it is 3 weeks away. I got him to go to the clinic finally and they gave him some imitrex, norco and vicodin. It's hard because we don't have insurance and he is super stubborn! We have been doing this for 9 years now and know a ton about it, but money is tight! The 02 always works, but can get spendy! I am really happy with the herbal compound, it has knocked out about 75% of the ones he has used it on. I'll get the ingredients and pass it along to everyone.
Thanks for all your replies! We know most of what we need to do, it's just so nice to talk to people who understand. I hate that anyone has to suffer with these, but I'm glad you're all here.
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Brew
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Re: Returning after a long break
« Reply #6 on: Sep 13th, 2007, 1:42pm » |
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on Sep 13th, 2007, 1:35pm, Orchid wrote:Ya I know. I have him off the excedrin now and he has an appointment with his neurologist, but it is 3 weeks away. I got him to go to the clinic finally and they gave him some imitrex, norco and vicodin. It's hard because we don't have insurance and he is super stubborn! We have been doing this for 9 years now and know a ton about it, but money is tight! The 02 always works, but can get spendy! I am really happy with the herbal compound, it has knocked out about 75% of the ones he has used it on. I'll get the ingredients and pass it along to everyone.
Thanks for all your replies! We know most of what we need to do, it's just so nice to talk to people who understand. I hate that anyone has to suffer with these, but I'm glad you're all here. |
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Go the welder's O2 route - not expensive at all.
Many of the preventatives - lithium and verapamil come to mind - are very cheap. So is prednisone as a short-term prevent until the others kick in 10-14 days down the road.
My recommendation - get to an urgent care facility and try to get a diagnosis so you can have the doc there write a script for one or more of these mentioned above. Also, someone will be along to advise you on getting hooked up with welder's O2.
Vicodin will get you nowhere with this animal.
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2late
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Re: Returning after a long break
« Reply #7 on: Sep 13th, 2007, 1:43pm » |
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does he have a neuro if not get one immediatly...put the aspiran down and keep him off it,there plently of other meds he can try for relief....oxygen is a good abortive ,very benign, also there are alot of prevenative meds aspiran ain't one of them.
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Charlie
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Re: Returning after a long break
« Reply #8 on: Sep 13th, 2007, 8:09pm » |
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Taking all those pills doesn't have much effect on CH but hit you in other ways. Self medication doesn't much help.
While waiting for your doctor, try this thing. It has no side effects:
Dr. Wright’s Circulatory Technique:
I am not sure what mechanism is triggered by this but whatever it is, at least indirectly helps kill the pain. I do know that this technique has nothing to do with meditation, relaxation, or psychic ability. It is entirely physical and takes some work. It involves concentrating on trying to redirect a little circulation to the arms, hands, or legs. Think of feeling your pulse in your hand. Increased circulation will result in a reddening and warming of the hands. The important and difficult part is that it has to be done without interruption through the pain. Do not give up in frustration. It may not work on the first try. Try experimenting between attacks. You will find that it gets easier with practice. Every now and then it will work almost immediately. I lived for those moments.
I was given less than five minutes instruction in the use of method. The doctor, while placing his arm on his desk, showed me that he could slightly increase his arm and hand circulation. After several attempts, I was able to repeat this procedure and use it successfully. I have had about a 75% success rate shortening these attacks. My 20 minute attacks were often reduced to 10 minutes or less. Once proven that I had a chance to effectively deal with this horror, I always gave it a try as I had nothing to lose but pain.
I used to try to imagine I was pushing blood away from my neck into my arm. Use your imagination. There is one man who wrote that his standing barefoot on a concrete floor shortened his attacks. This may be similar as it draws some circulation away from the head. Cold water, exercise, or anything affecting circulation, seems to be worth a try. My suggestion is to not let up immediately when the pain goes. Waiting a minute is probably a good idea. So long as you do not slack off, this has a chance of working.
This technique is very useful while waiting for medication to take effect or when none is available. It costs nothing, is non-invasive, and can be used just about anywhere. It is not a miracle but it helped me deal with this horror. It can be a bit exhausting but the success rate was good enough for me and a cluster headache sufferer will do just about anything to end the pain. It gives us a fighting chance.
Good luck.
Charlie
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chewy
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Re: Returning after a long break
« Reply #9 on: Sep 13th, 2007, 9:13pm » |
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on Sep 13th, 2007, 11:49am, Orchid wrote:
Anyways, I am just getting back in the groove so I can stay in touch and have support. Everyone was so wonderful last time I was here! |
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Yup. Evryone stayed wonderful for the two years you bailed out to. Maybe stick around after the cycle this time and give a little back ya think?
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ski2k
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Re: Returning after a long break
« Reply #10 on: Sep 13th, 2007, 9:25pm » |
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If the Excedrin Migraine is working, the first thing that comes to mind for me, is the caffeine in it. Lots of us have success aborting a cluster headache with coffee. Even better, in my personal experience, has been the energy drinks. Caffeine and Taurine. Seems to work well for lots of us. Give it a try. No prescription needed, and fairly inexpensive. It's gotta be easier on your liver and kidneys than that much excedrin. Some use Red Bull, which I don't like, so I've been using NOS energy drink, or, my fav, Rip It (citrus flavored). Tastes just like orange crush soda to me.
Wishing you and him the best of luck,
Adam
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nani
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Re: Returning after a long break
« Reply #11 on: Sep 14th, 2007, 12:14am » |
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Judging from his choice of "treatments" I'd say CH may be the least of his problems. 
Besides liver damage, too much Excedrin migraine can make his blood dangerously thin. Tell him not to cut himself anytime soon. My sister almost bled out after surgery by overusing them, and she was only taking about 4 - 6 a day.
Welder's O2 is my O2 choice. I bought a brand new tank for $135. and the refills are only $24. I ordered a clustermasx (which you may not be able to do right now, there are ordering issues) so a non rebreather mask from a medical supply place will work.
Just so you know....narcotics are a trigger for me. He may end up making things much worse just by using them.
modified to add: I forgot to mention that I got a 540 regulator that was purchased on ebay.
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| « Last Edit: Sep 14th, 2007, 1:06am by nani » |
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