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        New Message Board Archives >> 2002 Posts >> Has Anybody Hear of
        
(Message started by: Jim R on Sep 20^th, 2002, 5:19pm)

Title: Has Anybody Hear of
Post by Jim R on Sep 20^th, 2002, 5:19pm

the Diamond Headache Clinic in or near Chicago? My GP said he wanted to send me there, but when I looked it up on line, it is a PRIVATE clinic (READ BIG BUCKS!). They're information looked pretty good on-line though - seemed pretty up-to-date on CH information (I did a search and came up with it...). I'm SURE my HMO wouldn't be impressed.... - Jim R

Title: Re: Has Anybody Hear of
Post by BobG on Sep 20^th, 2002, 5:40pm

The Diamond Headache Clinic is one of the better known headaches clinic.

Use the Search button above and type in *Diamond*.
You'll get at least 75 answers.

Title: Re: Has Anybody Hear of
Post by don on Sep 20^th, 2002, 8:53pm

Bob

I tried that and only got your reply

Title: Re: Has Anybody Hear of
Post by BobG on Sep 20^th, 2002, 9:00pm

Did you use the Search button under the words 'Message Board' or the one in the upper right area under the h in Clusterheades.com?

It should take you to
http://www.clusterheadaches.com/search.html

Title: Re: Has Anybody Hear of
Post by Ueli on Sep 20^th, 2002, 9:06pm

Don, that's because you searched for posts between 0 days and 0 days old. ;D ??? ;D

Title: Re: Has Anybody Hear of
Post by Geotan on Sep 20^th, 2002, 9:33pm

Hey, I talked to them yesterday. I almost died laughing! $200.00 deposit, first visit can run $500.00 to $1500.00. If you require an inpatient stay(most people do) that's $3000.00 a day, min. of a 21 day stay! We don't have insurance. I said to the lady I thought it was a clinic? Her reply was everything has it's cost!!!! I have a friend that worked there she gave us all the info they give their cluster people and the first doctor we had was doing all that they were doing there. The lady I talked to yesterday didn't like that to much. Good Luck!

Title: Re: Has Anybody Hear of
Post by NancyMcFree on Sep 20^th, 2002, 9:47pm

I just saw a post today from someone about "the diamond head clinic". I'll try and find it for you. I believe they had actually gone there .... remember now, I haven't slept in a really long time so I might be halucinating !!!!!!!! You might want to lookas well.

Title: Re: Has Anybody Hear of
Post by Jim R on Sep 21^st, 2002, 6:49am

Thanks Nancy - but never mind. After reading Geotan's response - it is definitely out of the realm of reality, in fact, somewhere out in deep space! LOL! $3000/day for 21 days - OMG! What is wrong with my doctor for even thinking of that - am I going there on scholarships!! LMAO! - Jim R

Title: Re: Has Anybody Hear of
Post by Jackie on Sep 21^st, 2002, 9:58am

Our experiene with Diamond......NOT GOOD!!

Blake was an inpatient for over 2 weeks at a cost of over $20,000.00. Within days of our return home the CH was back as bad if not worse than ever. The treatment was 2 weeks on IV's....what a joke. They also decided he needed LOTS of other expenseive tests...heart, liver, mental, etc.

The money issue with them is a big one...better have good insurance because they will check it out before anything is done. They wanted to admit Blake but sent us away for several hours while waiting for the insurance company to give them an OK. We saw two of his roommates kicked out the second the money ran out. Every time we called for med. refills or with questions it was $$$$$$$$

Maybe things have changed there. This is just our experience. Perhaps some have had good results. WE DID NOT. After reading the information on this site and OUCH we discovered that they were very "behind the times" with CH treatments.

I could go on but.............

Jacks 8)

Title: Re: Has Anybody Hear of
Post by Ueli on Sep 21^st, 2002, 10:49am

Yeah, what Jackie said. From old posts I remember other not so favorable reports. It is said that old Diamond did care for clusterheads, but his daughter who runs the clinic now is a meegrainer and what she knows about CH may be seen from

a quote from http://www.diamondheadache.com/issues_0102.html:
Frequently, patients with cluster headache are tall men, with ruddy complexions, who smoke.
During the attack, the cluster headache victim is unable to remain still and will pace the floor, may become agitated, and possibly aggressive.

Who wouldn't get aggressive reading such old BS?

And since in olden times CH was also called "Histamine Headaches" they do "intravenous histamine desensitization". This fits nicely into their business plan as it involves a 2 weeks stay at $3000 a day. >:(

Title: Re: Has Anybody Hear of
Post by Jackie on Sep 21^st, 2002, 10:59am

Thank you, Ueli.... :)
I was hoping you would get in on this thread.... :-*

When it comes to Diamond it ain't about the " CH "....it's about the " CHeese".... ::)

Jacks 8)

Title: Re: Has Anybody Hear of
Post by jonny on Sep 21^st, 2002, 12:23pm

Ya know, Jacks......for say 25% of that 20G's ya lost Ill get it back for ya.

The Burrow will drop me off to check in and once I do Ill push one of those million dollar machines out the back door on to the Burrows truck.....LOL

Deal?......LMMFAO ;D

................jonny

Title: Re: Has Anybody Hear of
Post by sailpappy on Sep 21^st, 2002, 12:26pm

;D ;D Jim R,
Back in 1974, when senior Seymore Diamond was actually running his clinic I had many occassions to talk to him and Dr. Ninnan Mathews from Housten Texas as well, My headaches are Service Connected but the V.A. would not pay the price to send me to Dr. Diamonds Clinic, A lot of the common theoretical Practices are based in his work along with Ninnan Mathews and the so often quoted Dr. Goatsby.
My V.A. Doctors,Dr. George Taylor and a Neurologist nammed Cunningham consoulted back and forth between Seymore Diamond and Dr. Mathews, who at the time was a Cartiologist for the V.A. in Texas, We tried everything they suggested and not One thing ever even phased my attacks.
After years and years of Dr. Taylor documenting the severity of my condition he tried again for funding for the Diamond Clinic and once again they denied it, $5000.00 just to get in the door and like was said at least a 21 day stay, if you were being treated on an out patient basis you had to hang around Chicago until they decided what to do with you, the total funding requested was in excess of $20.000.00 so the V.A said no, but the silly thing is they have paid me over $350,000.oo in compensation that has no end in sight, I might have been cured or at least treated in some manner that might have helped, they use the Histamine distention method still there, as well as the channel blockers and a host of other treatments , all of which the V.A. has tried, I'd say Don't waste your money going to Diamond Clinic, if your a Veteran they have the same systematic treatment schedual that Diamond uses, and if your not the try to find a young, progressive thinking Neurologist that is willing to listen to your input! you will be much beter served by going that route than going to any pain management clinic or Headache clinic.
I have been to a number of private headache clinics and I wonder to this day why I wasted the Money a $5000.00 to $10-000.00 a pop to get nowhere at all.
Oxy contin is the first drug that has touched my clusters and for almost a year now I have been living anew life, I don't like to tout pain meds, but this one was the BOMB for me, so much so that I think I would rather Tie my legs to the Dock and my head to the aft of a large departing ship before I would intentionally go back to 7 to 15 clusters a day! JMHO Pappy!

http://www.gifs.net/animate/sungulls.gif
http://www.gifs.net/animate/sailboat.gif

Title: Re: Has Anybody Hear of
Post by Jackie on Sep 21^st, 2002, 2:33pm

Sounds good to me, jonny... ;D

You and Burrow might need to give it a bit more thought....I believe the Diamond suite was on the 3rd or 4th floor. I'm not worried...you all can do it... ;)

SMOOOOCH,
Jacks 8)

Title: Re: Has Anybody Hear of
Post by Jim R on Sep 21^st, 2002, 3:08pm

Thanks everyone. As soon as I heard the price and then saw their website, I knew it was a joke. "Private Clinic" was a big clue...there seem to be many avaricious physicians around and when they band into group and form a clinic - watch out!

Jim R