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        New Message Board Archives >> 2002 Posts >> Life Struggles of cluster dude
        
(Message started by: johninaz on Sep 13^th, 2002, 5:31pm)

Title: Life Struggles of cluster dude
Post by johninaz on Sep 13^th, 2002, 5:31pm

I'm going though a group coaching class to help get past some struggles in my life. But I don't have any close friends who have had clusters so I am hoping for your help with a homework (life) assignment. I need examples from people who have tried to overcome the following obstacles and find out BOTH what has failed and succeeded:

Some of my struggles:
1) cluster headaches (chronic for the first 13 years, now episodic for two)
2) foggy thinking from either 15 years of cluster headaches or cluster headache medications (confused thinking, memory lapses, depression)
3) obesity (I put on a lot of weight after I quit smoking; & every time I go on predisone I gain 20 lbs. and then only lose about 10 afterwards--I weigh 90 pounds more than I did 6 or 7 years ago)
4) I'm now on a severance package. I am looking forward to leaving banking and go into a different line of work or start a small business of some sort.

(If anyone has any career or business ideas for a guy who wants to support his family, but has the above-mentioned challenges, I would be very grateful.)

If you've had similar challenges, and you failed to overcome them, what didn't work?

If you've had similar challenges, and you succeeded in overcoming them, what worked?

Thanks for all your help.

Title: Re: Life Struggles of cluster dude
Post by Drk^Angel on Sep 13^th, 2002, 5:37pm

Welcome to the beast! Sorry that the beast shoving dynamite up your nose, packin' your cranium full of gunpowder, and filling your eyes with nitro, then sitting back and watching the fireworks. Welcome to the family!

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

Title: Re: Life Struggles of cluster dude
Post by Charlie on Sep 13^th, 2002, 5:48pm

Hi and sorry for all the challenges. My CH disappeared 11 years ago...I have no real idea why. I was 45 at the time and there is some slight....only slight evidence for an age factor. I have no modern experience with drugs.

If you are considering another career, don't do a thing unless you have no choice, or until you have something you know will replace a reliable income. Also, if you find an employer tolerant of your CH, you may want to stick around. That's a real plus for a clusterhead.

Keep reading us as you'll find many of your answers in the myriad posts here and in the archives. It can be fun too. Stay well.

Charlie

Title: Re: Life Struggles of cluster dude
Post by Jabeen on Sep 14^th, 2002, 9:23am

Sounds like a lot on your plate-you don't say what medications you have tried-but if you read around here, there are lots of people with lots of ideas-some work, some don't and we all know what works for one, doesn't work for the next. After a few misses, Wellbutrin worked for me (anti-depressant, SSRI, no side effects, no weight gain). When my CH's started up again after 5 years, I went back on them (figured it was a good place to start) and within a month, they were gone. I will stay on them for a while and then wean off.
As for new jobs-I don't know what you are into-but in a dismal economy people opening these "Curves for Women" gyms are making a killing. www.curvesforwomen.com for franchise info-
It's a new concept in exercise-
My 2 cents-good luck0Jabeen

Title: Re: Life Struggles of cluster dude
Post by NancyMcFree on Sep 14^th, 2002, 12:28pm

Ok, for the cluster pain I use O2, Imitrex shots, and verapamil. It works really well for me, if you have tried this already perhaps some other suggestions on this board will be your ready made mix for life. You will find one though if you keep trying.

As far as your job, I would NOT make a change. You do realize that you can apply under the Family Medical Leave Act and request "interim leave" based on how you are feeling. If you get no sleep, you can go in late and your boss can't say a thing. You can also request a reduced work schedule. Just get the paper work, fill it out ... have your doctor fill out there part and wala ... your job is safe and you wouldn't believe what a difference it makes in a bosses attitude knowing that there really is something wrong with you and you are not just lazy. It too work in banking and while it ain't my life's dream .... I am staying where I am at for now.

Can't help with the weight gain. Steroids do tend to put on the weight and are not considered the #1 pick for aleviating the clusters if something else will work. They have way to many side effects (which include depression, I believe).

Go back and talk to your doctor, fill out the paper work for FMLA, get on an anti-depressant if you need to, and come here to talk whenever you want to vent ... or just laugh.

Welcome to the board. Hope all works out well for you.

Title: Re: Life Struggles of cluster dude
Post by oringkid on Sep 14^th, 2002, 12:38pm

Here's a little tid-bit that might help with the weight and the clusters. Drink lots of water. One of the most successful weight loss programs I have seen in work stressed drinking lots of water and eating 6 low fat small meals a day. The idea is to naturally increase your metabolism. If you skip meals to try to lose weight, your body will try to conserve. If you eat a lot of small meals it naturally speeds up the metabolism which allows you to lose weight.

Also, with CH some have found that drinking a lot of water decreases the frequency of the CH attacks and may even abort a cycle.

What have you got to lose?

Sherry

Title: Re: Life Struggles of cluster dude
Post by iukid on Sep 14^th, 2002, 6:06pm

I got a good solution. WOrk out and run a couple of times a week. It will help with your depression and raise you metabolism. It might even help you CH's. I think it helped mine.

Title: Re: Life Struggles of cluster dude
Post by 2late on Sep 14^th, 2002, 7:00pm

charlie, i love it when you say they dissapeared 11 yrs.ago ....... say it again!!! ;D ..............2late

Title: Re: Life Struggles
Post by johninaz on Sep 14^th, 2002, 7:05pm

Thanks, you guys, for your advice. I will, Charlie, go ahead and review the archives for ideas. A few years ago, before the new format, I was a regular visitor and poster to ch.com. Thousands upon thousands of posts have been added since I last looked through them much.

Jabeen, I think I will ask my neurologist for a prescription for Wellbutrin once I'm cleared to go on medication again. It's nice to know that it can work for clusters; I just saw an article saying it actually encourages weight loss.

Recent lab tests came up with something wrong with my liver and thryroid, so I have an appt with a gastroenterologist, an endocrinologist, and a new neurologist all coming up in the next 3 weeks or so. I can't go on any medicine at all until my liver gets a clean bill of health.

Orinkid, thanks for reminding about the water & six small meals. I will incorporate that into my new weight loss routine. I recently started up again an old routine that worked years ago. First thing each morning alternating between NordicTrack one morning and an old Tony Little weight training video the next morning. I've added 10 minutes of NordicTrack after each meal when I'm home. Iukid, the aerobics definitely have helped my mood; thanks.

Charlie & Nancy McFee, thanks for the advice on staying at my job, but it's a bit late. I was laid off, and have a couple of months left of severance pay. What I meant was, rather than look for another job in banking or at another credit card center, I want to just change directions altogether and get into a different career or business.

I sometimes get pretty discouraged at the prospect of finding a way to support my family with my "foggy brain." But I remember the story of the class reunion where the dumbest guy in the class, to everyone's suprise, had gone on to become wealthy. He told them it was easy. He just bought sprockets wholesale for a penny each and then sold them for four cents each. He said, "It's really amazing, I make all that money with just a 3% profit margin."

He may have been dumb as a stump at percentages, but he had a good way to make money. I just need to find mine.

Thanks, Jabeen, for that business idea. I'll definitely check out that website.

Thanks again, folks.
johninaz@cox.net
John in AZ (Arizona)

Title: Re: Life Struggles of cluster dude
Post by Charlie on Sep 14^th, 2002, 8:08pm

Ok 2Late...They disappeared 11 years ago.

Time for my epilepsy to do the same. >:(

Charlie

Title: Re: Life Struggles of cluster dude
Post by 2late on Sep 14^th, 2002, 8:41pm

i agree charlie, at least you don't have to deal with both! that musta been hell! >:(