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        New Message Board Archives >> 2002 Posts >> what did you think after your very first attack?
        
(Message started by: iukid on Aug 14^th, 2002, 10:42pm)

Title: what did you think after your very first attack?
Post by iukid on Aug 14^th, 2002, 10:42pm

WOndering what did you guys think was happening your first attack. What did you think it was. describe it.

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by BobG on Aug 14^th, 2002, 11:22pm

My first though was "Dang, I wonder what brought that on?"

After it was over I thought "I think I'll have another beer."

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by paul_b on Aug 14^th, 2002, 11:27pm

Too long ago to specifically remember but there is no doubt that when I had my first 10, I thought I was going to die from my head exploding. It was scary. Then when it ended abruptly, I did not know what was going on and proceeded to see my Doc. Had all the tests to rule out anything organic, and then it was trial and error to identify it was clusters and what meds would work. Not a pleasant memory or experience. The Beast aint gone but I am much wiser.

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by Karla on Aug 14^th, 2002, 11:32pm

I am chronic and it took awhile for the drs to figure out what was wrong with me. I wasn't refered to a neuro right away. My dr. thought they were a problem with either sinuses or ears and then when they wouldn't go away thought it might be a brain tumor and finally sent me to a neuro scared to death. I litterally thought for sure that it was a brain tumor because of the intensity of the pain level and the fact they wouldn't go away. I thought I was going to die and now I wish I would die. I can't stand these ha anymore and they drive me insane.

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by Charlie on Aug 14^th, 2002, 11:42pm

OUCH!

Sitting in my chair watching Johnny Carson and the left side of my head tried to kill me. Seriously, I got up and ran around convinced I was having a stroke, cancer, other tumor, or a hemorrhage.

Way back in 1962, I was flying on an old Martin 202 over Newark and as we descended, the same area of my head exploded. It felt the almost as intense but lasted only a minute. It was the only thing that came close to a cluster. Still, from where I sat, I was definitely having a tumor. I was terrified for a long time.

Really reminiscent old Charlie

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by Melissa on Aug 14^th, 2002, 11:43pm

I actually thought I had a migraine, because my mom suffered terribly with them. I just thought they were a different variation... ::)

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by nancyc on Aug 14^th, 2002, 11:45pm

My first cluster came the day after my ex broke my nose...the first thing i thought was...Somebody needs to shoot that SOB...cause i thought i was dying..smiles,nancyc

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by Drk^Angel on Aug 14^th, 2002, 11:51pm

All I thought about was the pain. I was 11 years old, so I didn't think it was gonna kill me... I had no idea what a brain tumor, or anything else that could cause it. All I did was sit there, waiting for the school to do something, anything about it. A couple of hours later, as the pain subsided, still sitting thete, wondering if they remembered I was there, I just assumed it was just a pain you got sometimes... Like growing pains or something. Finally, when the day was over, the principal looked at my eyes for a few seconds, and proclaimed I was fine, and sent me home.

PFDAN......................... Drk^Angel

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by Stampertje on Aug 15^th, 2002, 4:10am

I remember waking up (still living with my parents then) and thinking that something had fallen through the window and pierced my head. After I realized that there wasn't a hole in my head, I started brushing my teeth. This didn't work, then I got desperate. For the first time, but not the last time, in my life I started to bang my head against the wall.
The worst thing of the whole experience was that my father woke up and came to see what was going on. He was totally stunned when saw me. When my little brother came out of his room, my father immediately told him to go back. And after an hour the pain faded away and could go back to sleep.

After this night my life changed...

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by Svenn on Aug 15^th, 2002, 4:25am

I actually thought I had a migraine, because my mom suffered terribly with them.

Svenn

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by Mistory on Aug 15^th, 2002, 6:48am

I thought stroke (my father had several before he died) or aneurism(I had a dear friend die from one while sitting in church.) I thought of tumors (I keep smelling phantom smells and seeing shadows that aren't there...)
Problem is, I'm still thinking those things; I haven't gotten any test results yet.
To sum it up: I'm scared half to death!

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by Cin on Aug 15^th, 2002, 7:04am

I had my first cycle back this last Dec. I woke up with pain on the right side of my face lasted about 10 min this went on for about 5 days same time everynight. Than the pain got harder and longer and I really thought I had a tumor, after 3 weeks of this nasty pain, I finally went to the doc, I was shaking and so scared it wasn't funny. Thank God he knew about cluster headaches, he gave me a shot (steroid) which kept the pain away for 4 days, but when it wore off, I had 4 attacks in one night. He also gave me info on clusters I took it home and read it, also called my brother up and talked to him, he has clusters. He was a big help.

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by don on Aug 15^th, 2002, 7:13am

WOW! I better not snort that stuff again. Pass me another cold one will ya?

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by kim on Aug 15^th, 2002, 7:25am

Too long ago - can't remember specifically first attack...Remember being in school going to nurse. Remember learning to dread the onsets. And then - POOF - they were gone and I forgot all about it. Out of sight - out of mind. That's the beauty of YOUTH ;D

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by Charlie_C on Aug 15^th, 2002, 7:26am

I was teaching in rural China at the time, and thought I was allergic to something, so I cut out, amongst other things, the rare chocolate treats I could lay my hands on. Then I started thinking it was alcohol, or other sins of youth(and other ages) and cut them out.

It was only when I got home and pestered the doctor for several months that I got a diagnosis.

Just wish I could keep my head together during a bout and after so I can keep my job going...

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by catlind on Aug 15^th, 2002, 7:49am

My very first experience with the beast I thought it was just another one of those migraines. Except that it lasted 2 weeks so I went to the Doc. Migraines he said, then said he could get me an MRI in 6 months. I said forget it.

I never realized there was a pattern to my headaches back then, I always thought I had sinus ha's and migraines. They went away for 7 years and I never gave another thought.

Then when "General Cluster" brought his entire friggin army to visit, it was Thanksgiving day 2000 (US t'giving) and hubby was deployed along with several of my neighbours so we all had t'giving dinner together. I got a headache and kept saying this just won't let up. The rest of that day/night on and off I was miserable. After a week of it hubby came home (Mark Leigh Monica - neighbours) saved my skin that week, they would check on me often and find me holding my 4month old crying my eyes out and they would take him over to their house and give me a break, you can't get better friends than that outside of clusterville. Hubby made me go to ER - then the nightmare started. CT Scans with abnormal results, MRI's fights with insurance, more MRI's, Neuro after Neuro, after Neuro, and the entire 9 months I was taking oxycodone 4/day (needless to say - REBOUND) then my family doc (bless her soul) put me on pred and they went away. OF course no one had a diagnosis at that point, my doc was scratching her head, all the neuros would just look at me (no exam, test, symptom list nada) and say Migraines. FINALLY just this past month we found someone who knew...that was after I found this board. And now I have O2 and life is looking pretty damn fine :)

Okay that was my short novel LOL

Cat

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by Bob P on Aug 15^th, 2002, 8:39am

Fuck!!! That hurt!!!!

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by echo on Aug 15^th, 2002, 8:46am

What the hell is that? Fuck - I'm going to die.

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by oringkid on Aug 15^th, 2002, 9:36am

I thought I was being punished by God for something. I couldn't think of anything offhand but I was 11 or 12 at the time. And starting to question the idea of God. (I was brought up as a catholic) then when it went away I forgot about it.

My mom figured it was sinus or allergies or something.

I wasn't diagnosed with ch until I was in my mid 20's.

Sherry

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by SFChris on Aug 15^th, 2002, 10:17am

I was convinced that a blood vessel burst in my brain behind my eye, and that I was about to die...as my eye began to weep, I ran around hoping my friends weren't lying (I was at a party this past New Years') that my eye wasn't actually leaking blood... I think my friends thought I was having a bad acid trip or something.

Chris

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by ave on Aug 15^th, 2002, 10:25am

First; thought, aneurism.

Second; thought, tumor, for some idiot neurosurgeon had just had an article in a popular paper, saying that too few people with sudden unexplained headaches wnet to see neurosurgeons (him, duh!) while they had tumors!

Third: felt very scared.

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by TomM on Aug 15^th, 2002, 11:46am

I thought I was dying , going nuts, had an aneurysm, and to add insult to injury my wife thought I was being a girl thingy...until I tried to jump out of the car while she was driving on I-95. I noticed that the keg beer @ Camden Yards (Baltimore, MD) gives me a HA EVERY time and almost instantly. Keg beer is out of my life but not beer, thank God. Can I say God. Hmm...another can of worms. --TomM--

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by TomM on Aug 15^th, 2002, 11:51am

Wonder what girl thingy DJ has for the 'C' word?

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by DougL on Aug 15^th, 2002, 11:55am

I had had a very bad cold.
Was in the bathroom blowing the heck out of my nose and Bam!
I thought I had blown my nose so hard that i exploded somthing in my sinuses.
8 months later I found out I had clusters.
DougL

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by Ted on Aug 15^th, 2002, 12:06pm

First thing I thought of:
"I think I'll call these things 'cluster headaches.' It kind of feels like there's some sort of relationship with this and my hypothalamus, and as a matter of fact my hypo always felt larger than normal. I'll betcha whatever that was I just felt is a neurovascular condition and breathing O2 at 8-10 l p/m using a non-rebreather mask will sometimes abort them. Why, someday someone should build a website, whatever a "website" is, that people can access on a computer, whatever a "computer" is, with lots of info on this disease."
Then I started gurgling.

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by Jazsaunt on Aug 15^th, 2002, 1:08pm

My husband stayed up several hours longer than he normally does after work and then fell asleep on the couch. About an hour or so later he woke up with severe pain in his right eye. That was his very first cluster attack. He swore that he had a tumor that was causing such pain in his head. Really freaked him out. Found a good neuro and soon learned that it was clusters.

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by ChristineL on Aug 15^th, 2002, 1:53pm

It was 1972 or thereabouts. It woke me up in the middle of the night and I thought for sure I had a brain tumor and was going to die

Chris L

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by 9erfan on Aug 15^th, 2002, 3:01pm

That was in 1985 and I remember I thought I was dying because I had never felt that kind of pain before. Up until that time I really never had any kind of headaches. Nothing like starting off with the good stuff!

Title: Re: what did you think after your very first attac
Post by kim on Aug 15^th, 2002, 7:56pm

Just think..........O.U.C.H. ;)

One good thought deserves another.