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        New Message Board Archives >> 2004 Cluster Headache Specific Posts >> Is I or Ain't I?  
        
(Message started by: Jerry_b on Apr 14^th, 2004, 1:30pm)

Title: Is I or Ain't I?
Post by Jerry_b on Apr 14^th, 2004, 1:30pm

[smiley=huh.gif] The doc says it sounds like ch, and the pain pattern sounds like what I read here. But the hits don't seem to follow any schedule. I get one about every three days but at different times of the day.

One woke me up one night after I had been in bed for about an hour. I started drinking water. Also, nicotine is a vasso-constrictor, right? ;;D So I loaded up the pipe and fired it off. I have responded to later attacks with the pipe; and with water and with tonic water, both clusterhead suggestions.. The attacks were shorter, but I don't know if I aborted the attacks or if they just went away on their own. One day at work I had shadows; and got to know the water cooler very well, but no full-blown attack. Obviously, this doesn't work for everbody here, or tonic water would be very expensive.[smiley=laugh.gif]

I don't think the two rounds of prednisone the doc gave me prevented much. Pain Killers? [smiley=slowlaugh.gif]

Anyhoo, I'm planning a campaign upon my PCP to think about a neuro referal, to rule out other things. I'm sixty-three, a late bloomer; except that the pain was familiar and must have been arond for a time.

Title: Re: Is I or Ain't I?
Post by Rock_Lobster on Apr 14^th, 2004, 1:39pm

Hello Jerry

They can hit you anytime. Once every three days... smile! How do you fare on the 'cluster quiz' over on the left? Sound like you?

My first nighttime one is consistent... 0200. The next one can be anytime. The daytime ones happen whenever they feel like it. Severity is pretty random for any of them.

How much pred did you take & for how long?

Rock

Title: Re: Is I or Ain't I?
Post by Prense on Apr 14^th, 2004, 6:44pm

Jerry,

I have no real daily cycle to my attacks other than I will most likely get hit at some point every day. Some days, I can get five attacks...some days, none.

Chronic's point of view...

Chris

Title: Re: Is I or Ain't I?
Post by pubgirl on Apr 14^th, 2004, 8:02pm

Jerry

Random attacks are more than possible with ECH, though if your attacks are ALWAYS random, that does suggest something else.

What is more significant is how long the attacks last, what the pain is like and where it is located, whether there are other symptoms at the same time (autonomic symptoms such as weeping/reddening eye, blocked/runny nose, and also what you do while the attack lasts e.g. lie down/move about.
The other indicator is what treatments work, and what don't.

Wendy

Title: Re: Is I or Ain't I?
Post by Jerry_b on Apr 16^th, 2004, 9:45pm

on 04/14/04 at 13:39:26, Rock_Lobster wrote:

Hello Jerry

They can hit you anytime. Once every three days... smile! How do you fare on the 'cluster quiz' over on the left? Sound like you?

Sounds like me,OK, recently, anyway. Haven't had enuff evperiece to answer some questios. Rock

::)

My first nighttime one is consistent... 0200. The next one can be anytime. The daytime ones happen whenever they feel like it. Severity is pretty random for any of them.

How much pred did you take & for how long?

Started an 8-day tapering round from 40mg; then the doc restarted with a second taper from 60 mg. About ten days, I guess

Title: Re: Is I or Ain't I?
Post by Jerry_b on Apr 16^th, 2004, 9:52pm

on 04/14/04 at 20:02:04, pubgirl wrote:

Water/ tonic water aborts it most of the time. Since I read about it here, in fact. I think a hit of the pipe helps, but don't know. Have done pacing and hair pulling (my own :P)

Title: Re: Is I or Ain't I?
Post by west17m on Apr 17^th, 2004, 3:22pm

Hey HA's don't settle into something predictable until I start up my verapamil which lowers severity for me and many others. Most family practioners are very familar with verapamil as prescribed for hypertension so he or she should have little reservations trying that out. One note is that the normal dosage for CH is almost an order of magnitude higher than for hypertension (I take 600mg/day) so letting your doc know you'd like to ramp to that level is a good idea.

Imitrex and zomig are both abortitives your doc should also be familar with, and you can probably get samples for either from them ... just don't ever mix them.

From my personal experience, I've found more docs are willing to start like this than to go right to oxygen and some of the other meds that are more recent on the scene. Let us know how you're doing.

-- Tag