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(Message started by: Thersites on Nov 11^th, 2002, 3:49am)

Title: First Time in Hades
Post by Thersites on Nov 11^th, 2002, 3:49am

:'(

Holy Hannah, this has never happened to me before.

This is horrible, absolutely horrible. I have suffered tension headaches, caffeine withdrawal headaches, migraine headaches, and sinusitis pain- but this is a first, and it is beyond all doubt the most devastating pain that I could ever have conceived. I wouldn't wish this on Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein. The pain is worse than even any muscle strain. I would gladly have another thoracic back injury to replace THIS pain....

I'm 32 years old. I have a right thoracic scoliosis that, in my prior profession as a nursing aide, would frequently lend itself to muscle strain injury. The spasms were bad-
but they wouldn't make me SCREAM. They wouldn't make me WEEP. They wouldn't make me twist and leap out of my seat like an epileptic who seized- and they could never
propel me from my bed, right out of a deep sleep, only to weep and wail and shout and scream "Make it stop" "Take it away" "Please, I beg you, don't TORTURE me!"

They wouldn't compel me to thump my head and try to squeeze my brain, to try to stamp a hole in the floor, to pump my fist furiously. Not like these. I'm afraid of these.
I sob and cry like a baby when encountered with these.
I thought I could handle nearly any form of pain. I know better now, because I can't handle these. I lose it when I'm subjected to these- and they have been growing more frequent and WORSE (How can Hades get any worse? It can when you suffer from these.) with each passing day.

Not even a migraine headache could do this to me. Migraines announce themselves to me well ahead of time with strange little lines, lights and "auras" dancing in front of me. Those little things are my friends, even though they take away my capacity to see. When I see those, I know that an Advil taken immediately will prevent what I thought- until this week- were the worst headaches that would happen to me. When I took action too late, that Advil was useless to me- but ten minutes lying still on my back in a darkened room (and an Inderal) would take it away. Reflected light off of snow was the trigger for me.
Before long, even in the midst of an attack, I could work at my job and still function (albeit in a foul mood)normally.

But it has been over three years since I've had any migraines. I find myself wishing I still had them. They're better than THESE. I'm completely debilitated when I'm subjected to these. I can only dance around the room, and simultaneously whimper, scream and sob and plead all as if I'm a puppet on a string- unable to refrain from doing these things. And it IS a dance- I'm rocking back and forth on the floor, then I'm jumping up into the air, one arm fails in all directions, one fist pumps robotically back and forth in the air. Then, I hold my head for dear life. Then I pound on the nearest chair. This scares me.

This all began only two weeks past. A terrible cold hit me, resulting in a sore throat that quickly went straight into my chest. Four days after that, I felt the same sinus pressure that I usually feel after this- the cold in my throat almost always travels up into my sinuses or middle ears on the same day that it hits my chest. I smoke.

Sinus pressure became sinus pain, I thought. The pain was centered around my left eye socket and temple. My doctor diagnosed me with bronchitis and sinusitis. He was right about the bronchitis. Only when I phoned him just this night (last night?) in blind panic did he realize what this monster really might be. Never have I had any symptoms as above described with sinusitis. "Probable cluster headache," he said. I told him I had no history, but he said "It sounds like a cluster type headache." I'm to see him tomorrow morning (THIS morning).

Title: Re: First Time in Hades
Post by Thersites on Nov 11^th, 2002, 3:50am

I live in Massachusetts, and I'm posting at nearly 4:30 AM.
You can all guess at the reason I'm awake! It started at 2 AM, and this is the longest yet that it has been. I'm relieved at least that I now know what this is. It's going away, now- but it will be back. The pattern at the moment is from every 3 to 5 hours, and it lasts from 90 minutes to 2 whole hours. I ran a Google site search on the Web. I found you guys, and find it therapeutic to vent.

At first onset, sinus medications actually relieved it. No more. Not even 800 milligrams of Ibuprofen (prescribed for my back pain) can touch it, and pseudo-ephedrine is worthless. The combination of aspirin, acetomenophine, and caffeine that he first prescribed was worthless. It made no difference, and I climbed deeper down Dante's Inferno. Hopefully, my doc can find me some relief.

Presently, relief comes in hot toddies, believe it or not. A glass of strong tea with honey, lemon and brandy generally has usually reduced this Devil's staying power to 30 minutes. I've been having them so frequently the past few days that I have been able to experiment. If I go without the hot toddy, purgatory lasts four times longer.
Why brandy seems to reduce its length for me when gin and tonics or beer bring attacks on strong eludes me.

However, the hot toddy seems to reduce the length of time that I'm subjected to my new nemesis, and iced coffee seems to lessen its intensity. Keeping myself constantly hydrated also seems of some relief. I suppose I shall have to try to find a way to quit smoking, since I have noticed that smoking even one cigarette more than a pack a day presently seems an immediate trigger. Chocolate has also triggered attacks as well, which at first surprised me since it never factored into my prior migraines. Both heating pads and ice packs near the base of the neck seem to have some relieving effect on pain.

The doctor's over-the-phone diagnosis makes sense, and I look forward to today's visit. I have been having left peri-orbital pain and left temple pain from four to five times a day, each day, terrible stabbing pain like a drill through my brain. It feels like it radiates down the cheek bone and then the side of my neck is in pain- all while the piercing pain in the temple and around the eye continues.
When it wakes me from my sleep, I have vivid memories of a dream- suggesting that it occurs during rapid eye movement. I have been awakened in this terrible way from my sleep every night for the past 6 nights, always at either 1 AM or 3 depending on how late I try to sleep.

My left eye certainly seems to get red and friends have said that my face is unusually pale. I do have a cyst on the back of my neck. I find that even after Satan finally finishes boring a hole into my head, my neck still hurts for several hours. I do have left eyelid edema (puffiness).

Since this hideous thing has only since late October begun, there's obviously no way for determine if I have an episodic cycle or chronic problem. Good heavens, if this "cluster period" ever does end I certainly do hope that it never returns again. This thing is so truly evil that I might actually consider "shrooming" again if what my doctor suspects is truly the case. I quit "shrooming" ten years ago, but hear that it helps and will try ANYTHING.

God bless you all if THIS is how you live! It's the most horrible thing that I have ever felt. I'm going to try to go back to sleep once again. I'm exhausted from both lack of sleep and crying my heart out. It doesn't quit. It's relentless. It's cruel. It hates me, and I am afraid of it.

Title: Re: First Time in Hades
Post by Mark C on Nov 11^th, 2002, 4:36am

Welcome home,
Sounds like you qualify for membership.........I'm sorry.
Since you are here a few suggestions, hit the links on the left of this site and the links on the OUCH site. Print the relevant information and take it with you to your doctor, information is power. There are many medications that are proving to be sucessfull in preventing and aborting CH attacks. Since you are already awake, like me, try to cram for your OV tomorrow. Be prepared. Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Mark

Title: Re: First Time in Hades
Post by Charlie on Nov 11^th, 2002, 5:33am

Sadly, your description hits the bullseye for what I think of as a cluster headache. Lots of advice will be coming and it will be good.

Inderal was drug that worked for me after a time. I've been free of this horror for 11 years and I know how fortunate I've been. For the record, I've been taking anti-seizure drugs for 40 years, haven't smoked in 22 and am 56. What any of that means, I don't really know. It's just information.

Stick around and feel free to join in our ranting. It's one of the things we are here for. Good luck with the MD.

Charlie

Title: Re: First Time in Hades
Post by OneEyeBlind on Nov 11^th, 2002, 7:56am

Welcome to the board. Sorry you have to be here though.

O2 and imitrex injections are my life line during a cycle. They abort the headache fairly quickly. Verapamil is pretty much the drug of choice for lessening the frequency and severity of the headaches and is used as a preventative.

Good luck with your doctors appointment. Let us know how you make out !!!!

Title: Re: First Time in Hades
Post by Thersites on Nov 11^th, 2002, 8:44am

Thank you all.

Still experimenting. I'm finding strong hot coffee works even better than hot toddies. My latest, just now past, lasted only 20 minutes after my third cup. That's my second headache today, and it's not yet 9:30 AM here.

Good gravy, how long will I have to keep blowing my nose? The left side is really watering.

I'm worried about my subtitute teaching job. I've had to turn down two days already. This has also made attending evening classes rather difficult. I had to miss one class, and I ran out of my other one whimpering. The Professor could see that I was in pain that night and relieved me. Twice, I had to run around the whole campus that night before my nemesis would allow me to drive.

This is such a handy site. I'm taking a LOT of notes. I have no choice! It seems I'm among the lucky .07% of the population. I think I'm this doctor's first case...

I will see him after today's ceremonies. I desperately want to go to those ceremonies. I'm with the Sons of the Legion. My late father was a Korean War veteran.

I should be fine if the pattern holds. I'm not expecting the next attack before noon, but they have increased in frequency the past two days. Some are milder than others. The most devastating ones assault me during the night. That's when I scream and freak the cat out.

I will ask the doc to schedule an MRI, just to make sure that I have no hidden surprises. I'm off now to the Veteran's Cemetary, then to the doc's. Keep ya posted!

Title: Re: First Time in Hades
Post by domm on Nov 11^th, 2002, 9:40am

Thersites - sorry you are in pain, but you found the right place for advise, and support. Oxygen and Imitrex work for me as abortives, and I use Verapamil as a preventative. Make sure you read up on O2 use to do it correctly. There is an oxygen primer posted here that has great info in it.
good luck with the doc and make sure you get the stuff you need to survive.
Welcome
domm

Title: Re: First Time in Hades
Post by Mr.Happy on Nov 11^th, 2002, 9:56am

Thersites:
I'm sending one of the Sisters right out to
the Temple of Wotan this instant to sacrifice a small pink child for the return of your health. It's the least we can do. Besides, we're overstocked on small children right now and Sister Testicler wants to clean out the warehouse.

You definitely qualify for membership in THE CLUB. Have an eye on your mailbox......you'll be receiving your CH Pocket Protector any day now, as well as instructions for the "Secret CH Handshake".

Keep your chin up, and savor every moment of pain.......for one day, you too shall return to the realm of "normal" mortals. As someone somewhere must have said at least once " Hey man, things COULD be worse." (What a complete JERK that was).

Best of luck on your journey, and remember our corporate motto:

"Better living thru chemicals!"

Welcome to the ****_Really_ Far Side****

Title: Re: First Time in Hades
Post by Thersites on Nov 11^th, 2002, 11:32am

Now, my doc has doubts! :o

He said my "pupils look the same." Of course, I wasn't having a headache in his office. He noticed no redness in my left eye. The redness I witnessed at 2 AM this morning indeed is gone. He couldn't explain for me the reasons I keep waking up from a sound sleep screaming. :P

"Sinus headache," he says. He's prescribed me Percocet.

We'll see. Should this persist in spite of what he's prescribed, then I shall get a second opinion.

Thank all of you for your sympathy, sound advice and suggestions. I believe I shall stick around...

Title: Re: First Time in Hades
Post by 9erfan on Nov 11^th, 2002, 1:02pm

Thersites-

Welcome, and sorry you have to be here. :( Here's hoping the Dr. gets your diagnois correct.

One thing I do disagree with you on....I would surely wish this beast on Osama Bin Laden AND Saddam...wait, wait...maybe this is too good for them >:(.

Hope you have a better night tonight!

Title: Re: First Time in Hades
Post by pjbgravely on Nov 11^th, 2002, 1:29pm

Thersites,
Get your doc to at least take a x-ray to confirm sinus problems. Relafin is the drug of choice for severe sinus pain. If narcotics make things worse then it's probably CH. I believe that all my cycles started with bad sinus problems hence my misdiagnoses. PJB