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Topic: Chicken Pox (Read 2449 times) |
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starlight
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Chicken Pox
« on: Sep 11th, 2006, 12:36pm » |
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Hi All.
For some reason, all the talk recently on these boards past few days about what triggers the hypothalamus to start malfunctioning (at what age) has made my brain start spinning. I am curious about viruses and if they can play some kind of role in weakening or affecting the hypothalamus. Peter Goadsby's research theorizes that cluterheads are born with abnormality of hypothalamus. I am in no way in disagreement with that--I merely want to know if something else helps to trigger the onset of the headaches . Here's a quick question, and I admit it is probably grasping at straws. Did anyone out there get chicken pox at a later age than "normal"--which, according to the Medline Encyclopedia on the internet would be after the age of 10. The reason why this could be important is because getting chickenpox after this age usually leads to a worse case of the illness.
I myself got chickenpox at 11 and did have a bad case.
Again, I am not trying to waste anyone's time, but if anyone knows when they had chickenpox (b/c this is something most everyone gets) please post here.
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| « Last Edit: Sep 11th, 2006, 12:41pm by starlight » |
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Margi
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Re: Chicken Pox
« Reply #1 on: Sep 11th, 2006, 12:43pm » |
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My Mike has never had chickenpox and he's 49. In fact, he never had any of the childhood viruses either. In our 20 years together, I've only seen him have 'flu once. Colds, yes, and they do usually trigger a cycle.
If this is viral in nature, why wouldn't everyone who gets a virus get clusters, though? I think it's because they're not born with dodgy hypothalmi that are pre-programmed to launch cluster headaches when hormones fluctuate. Just my two cents.
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starlight
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Re: Chicken Pox
« Reply #2 on: Sep 11th, 2006, 1:00pm » |
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Margi,
I am in total agreement that people with clusters were born with a screwed up hypothalamus. Total agreement. I just wonder if some virus (or viruses) could further weaken an already abnormal hypothalamus (this would explain why not everyone who gets the "virus" would get the clusters). The reason I wonder this is because I do think it is odd that the hypothalamus will do its job correctly for a time--I think it is so confusing/mysterious as to why it malfunctions at different ages/decades for different people and why it functions correctly at all for years previous to the malfunction. Now, hormonal fluctuations definitely could be the absolute explanation for why/when it malfunctions, but I wonder if a virus (or viruses) could play a role because of the fact that CERTAIN viruses stay in the body forever--maybe the body reacts to their presence at varying points throughout the person's life in some way helping to cause the cluster headaches. Thanks for the info about your husband's history with chickenpox.
It seems like he was a very healthy lad  . Totally just asking out of a hunch (which could definitely be wrong). Star
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Bond007
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Re: Chicken Pox
« Reply #3 on: Sep 11th, 2006, 1:17pm » |
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Hey star,
I had chicken pox when I was very young and it was an extremely mild case -- about 6-8 pox marks all on my butt. So mild in fact that my family doc and mother had me playing with ALL the neighborhood kids who'd come down with chicken pox because they both wanted me to get them a second time. My doc was afraid that I didn't have a severe enough case to be immunized enough against another case later in life. Oddly enough, I never did get them again, and I was exposed several times throughout my childhood, let me tell you.
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starlight
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Re: Chicken Pox
« Reply #4 on: Sep 11th, 2006, 1:29pm » |
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Bond,
Thanks for the response. Interesting right there that you had such a mild case (which usually won't immunize you against them as you said) and Margi's husband didn't have them at all!!! Maybe I am the fluke having had them if this is a trend! Anyway, this is interesting--I appreciate you responding. Star
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Katherinecm
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Re: Chicken Pox
« Reply #5 on: Sep 11th, 2006, 1:32pm » |
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I had them when I was about six, I think. Fairly mild case.
While I didn't have CH until 3 or so years ago I did have other signs of an abnormality in the hypothalamus. I've always had unusual sleeping patterns, a low imune system, and very high pain tolerance. I've also had periodic hormonal problems- heavy/painful menstrual periods, ovarian cysts, etc.
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Bond007
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Re: Chicken Pox
« Reply #6 on: Sep 11th, 2006, 1:42pm » |
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Now that Katherine mentions it, I am a rather "lumpy" individual. I'm VERY prone to sebacious cysts that I typicaly have to have removed surgically every few years. My body also tends to heal itself much more quickly than normal creating far more scar tissue than it normally should. Whenever I have to have surgery, my surgeon normally has to schedule a follow-up surgery a few months later to remove excess scar tissue. That happens every time without fail.
Also, puberty for me was rather rough, meaning my body produced enough oil to power a small city for several years without needing any support from OPEC!
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| « Last Edit: Sep 11th, 2006, 1:44pm by Bond007 » |
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starlight
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Re: Chicken Pox
« Reply #7 on: Sep 11th, 2006, 1:43pm » |
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Katherine--
Thanks for your response. I see what you're saying too--that maybe there are signs of abnormal hypthalamus and/or hormonal manifestations (heavy periods, etc.) before the actual onset of the headaches.
I was "hoping" everyone would say they had chickenpox as teenagers and then we would maybe have caught the beast red-handed!
I think it is so strange--like I know many other people have tried--to find that one thing we will all have in common--like hazel eyes, left-handed, etc (that all turned out to be false)--and it is just so elusive.
PFDAN, Star
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starlight
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Re: Chicken Pox
« Reply #8 on: Sep 11th, 2006, 1:50pm » |
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Bond--
I am laughing at your first sentence! Very descriptive--I love it!
I am not sure what to make of the scar tissue thing you mentioned. But it must mean something.
I guess we all have some type of hormonal stuff going on?
Star
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Bond007
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Re: Chicken Pox
« Reply #9 on: Sep 11th, 2006, 1:52pm » |
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Well, the hypothalamus does control so many different areas of our bodies that it may not manifest itself as the same thing for each of us. I'm just guessing, though. But, pherhaps there's particular combination or maybe an overload of many things that contributes to the malfunction? Just hypothesizing out load.
I do know that when I was young, I very rarely ever got sick. Even as an adult, I'm typically very healthy except for the occassional head cold.
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Bond007
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Re: Chicken Pox
« Reply #10 on: Sep 11th, 2006, 1:56pm » |
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I had some shoulder surgeries a few years back. Typically, one surgery should have fixed my particular malady. 6 months later, I was in excrutiating pain so my ortho scheduled another surgery for the first shoulder. He found enough scar tissue to make up the size of a softball in my shoulder joint. He was amazed that my body would heal itself so damn quickly that it would create that much scar tissue. One year later when I had to have the same surgery on the left shoulder, we scheduled 2 surgery dates: 1 for the repair, and the 2nd for the "clean-out" 6 months later! UGH!
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starlight
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Re: Chicken Pox
« Reply #11 on: Sep 11th, 2006, 2:11pm » |
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Bond--
I was super healthy as a kid too--didn't know what a cold was--chickenpox probably first time I got sick at all. Then not so healthy as teen cause I had bad mono.
Maybe there could be something with having too good of an immune system at least during childhood? (although Katherine is saying that was not the case for her so I am probably barking up the wrong tree) One weird thing as you mentioned shoulder surgey--one of my shoulders dislocated a lot as a kid.
For some reason, I wonder about cluster headaches thinking that it was some injury or illness that had something to do with them. I guess until they "cure" these things, find out exactly what causes them, we'll all wonder. Take care, Star
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Bond007
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Re: Chicken Pox
« Reply #12 on: Sep 11th, 2006, 2:25pm » |
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It's probably some errant gene and until someone with more money than Bill Gates throws their stash at the problem, no one will take the time ro the resources to try and find the damn little bugger and figure out a way to turn it the F off! UGGGGGGHHHH!!!
If you can't tell, I'm dancing with the Beast right now. And, I'm not the least bit happy about it, either! OUCH!
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Guiseppi
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Re: Chicken Pox
« Reply #13 on: Sep 11th, 2006, 2:38pm » |
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Funny, y'all rang a bell with me! I was never sick as a child, rarely sick as an adult. Never had the chicken pox that my mom knows of. I'm from a family of 14 kids so it came thru the clan several times, if I caught it it was too small a case to notice. I'm 46, real clusters started in early 20's, in hind sight I was getting the beginnings of CH by about 18. Grasping at straws isn't a bad thing, it passes the time and who knows??????
Guiseppi
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BigCoffinHunter
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Re: Chicken Pox
« Reply #14 on: Sep 11th, 2006, 2:45pm » |
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I had the regular dose of chicken pox when I was in 8th grade. Don't think I was more or less sick than average.
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starlight
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Re: Chicken Pox
« Reply #15 on: Sep 11th, 2006, 3:01pm » |
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Guiseppi--
Very interesting...when I got it all 4 of my sisters got it at the same time--all 5 of us had it at once (what a wonderful time for my mother). You would really think in a family of your size with chicken pox coming through a couple times you would have caught it--but you didn't. That is odd. Because I think it is very contagious. Also it is odd that so many adults here haven't had it. Or had a mild case--that's kind of like not having it if it was mild enough. Now for me to have gone to age 11--and I was around TONS of kids and lots that had it--you know playing with kids and not catching it--it is technically late to get it.
Big Coffin Hunter--age 13 is late to get chicken pox--not a bad thing--just late-- it means you avoided getting it for quite a length of time.
OK...my very non-scientifically oriented brain will hazard a guess--is it possible that--and I am only saying possible-- that somehow we as clusterheads, that our bodies reacted differently to the chickenpox virus--as in--fighting it off too well?
To have a mild case, to remain insusceptible until a later age (over age 10), or to not get it at all (which is unusual)--it means that we are not easily giving in to the virus (at least until a point). Again, this is a childhood illness--most people will get it before age 10. Anyway, only food for thought.
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| « Last Edit: Sep 11th, 2006, 3:03pm by starlight » |
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StressFree
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Re: Chicken Pox
« Reply #16 on: Sep 11th, 2006, 4:49pm » |
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Had mild chicken pox at 2 years old. Cluster attacks began around 15 years old. Severe case of chicken pox at age 25. I've wondered too about what could cause it to start in each of us. Why don't we all have it all our lives? (some do I hear). Many don't start getting attacks until later in life, while some quit having attacks in middle age or later years. Very odd, that's for sure!
Prayers for all, Rich
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starlight
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Re: Chicken Pox
« Reply #17 on: Sep 11th, 2006, 5:23pm » |
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Stressfree--
Wow! Another person who did not develop immunity to chicken pox as a young child. I don't know what to make of all this. But i think it is interesting.
At the very least, it could point to something regarding the immune system in cluster heads. What that is I don't know.
Is our immune system too good? Are some of us getting a "taste" of chicken pox at a young age (with mild or not even noticeable symptoms) and it is affecting us differently--rather than getting full-blown cases as children under age of 10?
Sure, it's getting sci-fi with the whole thing. I too have always felt there was something that "started it". I hope someone figures it out one day! Star
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| « Last Edit: Sep 11th, 2006, 5:25pm by starlight » |
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eyepopper
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Re: Chicken Pox
« Reply #18 on: Sep 11th, 2006, 5:24pm » |
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I'm 47, and I never had the chickenpox. The only virus I can attribute the CH attacks to is "pregnancy", and that was one whopper of a virus! My attacks began two weeks after my daughter was born (never had an attack before that).
I have alway wondered if some post partum "gilitch" triggered these for me.
. . . but, that wouldn't explain why those of the male persuation get them, now would it? 
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Katherinecm
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Re: Chicken Pox
« Reply #19 on: Sep 11th, 2006, 5:25pm » |
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How did you arrive at the conclusion that chickenpox might have something to do with it?
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nani
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Re: Chicken Pox
« Reply #20 on: Sep 11th, 2006, 5:25pm » |
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I had the worst case of chicken pox the doctor had ever seen. I was 6 or 7, I think. I still get shingles now and then, so the virus lies dormant in between the breakouts.
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starlight
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Re: Chicken Pox
« Reply #21 on: Sep 11th, 2006, 5:30pm » |
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Eyepopper--
I certainly understand why you would wonder that! And certainly would point to something hormonal without a doubt.
Although--wow it is just so weird to me that so many are saying no they haven't had chickenpox as kids or AT ALL!!!
And also sometimes hormones can affect the immune system--like women are more susceptible to getting sick during their periods because as a result of the change of hormones that allows for menstruation the immune system becomes lowered.
Thanks for the responnse, Star
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starlight
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Re: Chicken Pox
« Reply #22 on: Sep 11th, 2006, 5:36pm » |
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Katherine--
Not totally sure! Well, I guess in a nutshell just the fact that certain viruses, as Nani mentioned, do lie dormant and sometimes reemerge (one example is shingles). Just the fact that chicken pox, Epstein Barr, herpes viruses--they hang around in the body forever. Made me wonder if they could be "acting up" or something?
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starlight
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Re: Chicken Pox
« Reply #23 on: Sep 11th, 2006, 5:38pm » |
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Or if maybe since they are kind of powerful viruses if they could have helped to weaken the hypothalamus in certain individuals (which would probably not be as sci-fi). Star
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starlight
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Re: Chicken Pox
« Reply #24 on: Sep 11th, 2006, 5:42pm » |
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Nani--thanks for the response.
That is interesting that you had such a bad case (the worst the doctor had seen). You know--maybe this stuff could be important with histories of illnesses and such.
I really think there could be something to this whole thing with viruses, but I just don't what.
Star
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