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        New Message Board Archives >> 2002 Posts >> Thanks for being here
        
(Message started by: andyg on Dec 17^th, 2002, 7:18pm)

Title: Thanks for being here
Post by andyg on Dec 17^th, 2002, 7:18pm

I'm new to the site. I've suffered from this beast for about 7 years. Episodic nightime every year or two. Going through an episode right now and decided to hit the web to learn more. This is, by far, the best information source around. It enabled me to clearly define and understand what I'm dealing and realize that I'm not alone in this. Took the survey. Thanks for being here!! :)

Title: Re: Thanks for being here
Post by domm on Dec 17^th, 2002, 7:31pm

andy - welcome to the board. Are you having any success with particular meds or treatment methods? Let us know what works or doesn't work for you.
PFDANs
domm

Title: Re: Thanks for being here
Post by Silver_Dolphins on Dec 17^th, 2002, 7:34pm

Welcome Andy. As you can see, I recently found this wonderful place myself. I am on my second cycle in three years, so I consider myself fortubate that I was so quick in discovering this site.

I hope you current episode and cycle pass quickly.

PHDAN

Silver Dolphins

Title: Re: Thanks for being here
Post by andyg on Dec 17^th, 2002, 7:42pm

Thanks for the support folks. I generally take generic ibuprophin (Costco). The attacks tend to go away in 20 - 30 minutes and I go back to sleep. I don't know if the ibuphophin is helping or not but it could be. Guess I should try going without it to find out if it's just the passing of the headache. It may just be the beginning of the cycle. While my attacks are bad, it sounds like some folks have it even more intense. Anyway, the advil type medicines might be worth a shot for some.

rgds,
Andy

Title: Re: Thanks for being here
Post by suzy617 on Dec 17^th, 2002, 7:55pm

Hi Andy and welcome. I took advil for many years, bottles and bottles of it, sometimes 5 at a time and after 45 minutes or so I would feel relief and believed it was from them but now I know it was just the attack ending and advil does nothing for CH. Not just my opinion, the others here will tell you the same. For quick relief, check out imitrex, works wonders on many.
Good luck,

suzy

Title: Re: Thanks for being here
Post by SommelierCH on Dec 17^th, 2002, 7:56pm

andyg,

As always a double edge welcome. Sorry you had to find us, but glad you are here. Put on a hard hat, mouth guard and thigh high boots and wade right in.

What works for me is a triptan, Maxalt MLT 10mg. or Zomig ZMT 5mg. (fast acting, under the tongue dissolving tablets) combined with oxygen therapy. You can’t get many Maxalt tabs from insurance (6 per month max. for me) so you have to save those for the Big One and you can’t take more than 2 in any 24 hour period, so the oxygen is absolutely necessary for all the other times you feel the shadows creeping in. Go to the search button in the top right corner and type in “oxygen” and read up. This site is your one stop information resource, so start reading all the categories on the left hand side of the page, read it all, the more knowledge you have the better you can communicate with the medical community. Be sure to read about and do a search for “triggers”, these are catalysts that can really set us off. My triggers are alcohol (even the smallest amount, like a non-alcoholic beer) and bright light in my right (cluster side) eye. When I feel the shadows creeping in I hit the Oxygen and that pushes them back. However, when I’m asleep I can’t feel the shadows increasing and I wake up with the Big One. Jonny clued me in that if you take abortive triptans (I use Maxalt MLT 10mg. or Zomig ZMT 5mg., both are quick dissolving tabs) before going to bed, they can prevent that night time attack, especially if you get hit, like I do, within 2 hours of going to sleep. The half-life of both of these tabs is in the 2-3 hour range. This has enabled me to get quality sleep these last 2 weeks.Avoiding triggers during your cycle can dramatically affect the intensity, duration and number of attacks.

If you keep a headache Diary, apparently it helps some Doctors and Neurologists to diagnose your condition. Here are links that give info and ready made forms for your journal. This should give you some much needed ammunition prior to your office visit and, it should help speed up the process.

Form for Headache Diary:

http://www.headaches.org/professional/educationresources/PDF/headache_diary.pdf

http://www.headaches.org/professional/educationresources/PDF/howto_diary.pdf

The cumulative amount of knowledge residing within these people on the board, is amazing. Give them as much info about your problem (see “Hints for your first post”) and they will be able to help that much more.

Get to a Doc, then get a referral to a Neuro. Print out some of the info from this site and take it with you.

PFDAN,

David J.

Title: Re: Thanks for being here
Post by cootie on Dec 17^th, 2002, 7:59pm

Hi handy dandy andy....welcome......Pam

Title: Re: Thanks for being here
Post by andyg on Dec 17^th, 2002, 8:11pm

thanks for the advice. Experienced the alcohol trigger the other day. Now I know better. Heading to the doctor Thursday. Now, I'll be prepared.

thx,
Andy

Title: Re: Thanks for being here
Post by domm on Dec 17^th, 2002, 8:22pm

Andy - Oxygen, Imitrex as abortives and Verapamil as a preventative. Read, read, and read some more to prepare yourself. Fire up the printer and take it with you. Ibuprofen doesn't normally touch a CH.
good luck

Title: Re: Thanks for being here
Post by OneEyeBlind on Dec 17^th, 2002, 9:31pm

Welcome to the board Andy. I use the same meds as Domm - Imitrex, O2 and verapamil. They are lifesavers !!!!! You are probably having attacks that last 30 minutes (which may be why you think ibuprophin help), which is pretty short ... if they get longer you are gonna want something that really works !!!

Title: Re: Thanks for being here
Post by echo on Dec 18^th, 2002, 8:57am

Welcome aboard Andy, I hope the beast goes back into hiding soon.

Title: Re: Thanks for being here
Post by cathy on Dec 18^th, 2002, 9:24am

Hi Andy, sorry to welcome you aboard.... my husband used iboprufen thinking it helped but he was only having attacks that lasted 30mins in the beginning, the medication was actually not doing anything....he's now on Imitrex and just recently prescribed O2, this has worked for him, get them to give you 100mg tablets if they work cos then you can break them in half and save money....

Hope this cycle ends soon for you...

Cathy :)

Title: Re: Thanks for being here
Post by Mark C on Dec 18^th, 2002, 5:29pm

Welcome Andy,
Some of my favorite links are attached...good luck,
Mark

http://www.clusterheadaches.org/diagnose.htm
http://www.clusterheadaches.org/library/general/index.htm

http://animatedgif.net/welcome/larwelcome_e0.gif

Title: Re: Thanks for being here
Post by andyg on Dec 18^th, 2002, 11:37pm

:) :) Thanks

Title: Re: Thanks for being here
Post by Mr.Happy on Dec 19^th, 2002, 8:22am

Andy,

You've had a while to settle in and look around. Cool.

Quote:

Thanks for being here!!

The best thanks you could give anyone here is your going to the Doc with tons of info from this place, and coming back reporting success with treatment!

O2 for you, too.........
RJ

Title: Re: Thanks for being here
Post by Drk^Angel on Dec 19^th, 2002, 1:43pm

Welcome to the board! Sorry that the beast is ripping your cranium apart, piece by painful piece, with his dirty, jagged claws. Good luck!

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