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        New Message Board Archives >> 2004 Cluster Headache Specific Posts >> Vision prescription change with CH?
        
(Message started by: scottf200 on May 4^th, 2004, 10:49pm)

Title: Vision prescription change with CH?
Post by scottf200 on May 4^th, 2004, 10:49pm

Hello here is my story as described to my friends and family? I've search the archives here and elsewhere on the internet but I haven't found anything that ties/possibly_ties vision prescription change to CH. My vision prescription was only 6 months old! THANKS FOR THE SITE! [smiley=huh.gif]

[[On April 14th a pain started in my right eye. Felt my entire eye socket hurt…literally like a 3” ball. I just took Advil. My eyes have been sensitive to light as well…ie. Drive with visor down even on cloudy days, turn off lights in kitchen, etc. My racquetball friend who is an eye doctor suggested I change my contacts and see him if it didn’t help. My 6 month old prescription was off by 1 in my right eye and .5 in my left. As I told a few people I would have been worried if I actually noticed this vision problem but I did not! Perhaps I chalked it up to contacts getting dirty but I didn’t really notice it. I got a new trial contacts to correct the vision but was still concerned about what was going on. I am/was seeing slight double vision. Playing r-ball was weird (!) on Tuesday…I aimed for the middle of the 2 balls <grin>. Eye (head) ache switched to left eye area the next day. Few days later switched back to right some but overall much better.

Saw a general doctor on Thursday and described all that has happened in past six months (more r-ball, dieting, etc). After talking about the location of the pain, it switching locations, my runny nose, eye issues, not-noticed sudden vision change (without vision test), he believes it is very likely cluster headaches. Information below [link to this sites info page and another was below].

I’m just going to take Advil during the “cluster period” unless it stops working. I take it now fairly often for my wrist (typing) and for my elbow/arm (racquetball). If this doesn’t work for the cluster headaches then there are numerous types of drugs taking daily and/or during the periods. Strenuous exercise is one of the things people do to help during the headache period…perhaps r-ball will be my think or a quick bike ride during the painful times.

Overall it could be much worse so I’m feeling pretty good about this. Of course, it may be psychosomatic and not actually be clustering headaches…I could just have a brain tumor (think the Arnold movie Kindergarten Cop (1990) : Kid: "It might be a tumor." Kimble: "It's not a TUMOR!")]]

Title: Re: Vision prescription change with CH?
Post by Karla on May 4^th, 2004, 11:35pm

First I seriously doubt anything over the counter would touch a cluster. I have not heard of it working for anyone around here. I have vision changes when I am getting hit. I have been in the eye drs office when a cluster headache hit and my vision becomes horrible and non correctable. No matter what the dr does he can not correct my vision. However, when I am not getting hit I have 20/20 vision.

Title: Re: Vision prescription change with CH?
Post by HypnoticFreddy on May 4^th, 2004, 11:36pm

Welcome.

Sensitivity to light sounds more like migraines.
CHs are generally not light sensitive headaches.

Switching of sides of head where pain happens (this rapidly) is also uncommon in clusters.

Sorry about your pain. Advil does nothing for CHs.
Keep reading.

-Scott

Title: Re: Vision prescription change with CH?
Post by scottf200 on May 4^th, 2004, 11:45pm

on 05/04/04 at 23:36:02, HypnoticFreddy wrote:

<snip>Switching of sides of head where pain happens (this rapidly) is also uncommon in clusters.<snip>

Thank you for the welcome. I'm reading and reading.

It was at this site where I read:
Quote:

It is always unilateral, and generally affects the same side in subsequent bouts. However, it may shift to the corresponding region of the opposite side in 15 percent of patients (Manzoni et al, 1983b), usually for the duration of a bout, less often switching sides within a bout.

Title: Re: Vision prescription change with CH?
Post by scottf200 on May 4^th, 2004, 11:53pm

on 05/04/04 at 23:35:52, Karla wrote:

First I seriously doubt anything over the counter would touch a cluster. I have not heard of it working for anyone around here. I have vision changes when I am getting hit.<snip>

Thank you for your feedback. With so many post (your high count) I can appreciate your point about Advil/OtC not working for others around here.

The thing is that prior to this, I very rarely got headaches. Whenever I would some "lite" OtC medicine would usually take care of it. SOooo...my thinking (flawed perhaps) was that for my case...my body/head is some way "built" to avoid headaches or "resolve them".

I realize I'm ignorant about all this but who knows ones body better than oneself.

I admit it is entirely possibly that I have various symptoms of CH but do not actually have it/them.

Of these (headaches.about.com)

Symptoms of Cluster Headaches

a) excruciating pain, usually on one side of the head, often around
the eye, often described as "piercing" or "stabbing"
b) excessive tearing, swelling and redness of the eye on the affected side
c) miosis <http://headaches.about.com/library/glossary/bl-miosis.htm>
on the affected side
d) inability to lie down or remain still
e) drooping of the eye eyelid on the affected side
f) sweaty forehead or face
g) runny or stuffy nose on the affected side
h) anxiety, depression, dejection, irritability

I had a, b, d, and g (co-workers/wife may argue about h).

Thanks again.

Title: Re: Vision prescription change with CH?
Post by HypnoticFreddy on May 4^th, 2004, 11:59pm

No yer right a lot of those symptoms do sound like CHs.
Some of them don't. Good luck.

If indeed it is CHs and you are discovering them and getting proper diagnosis.......be prepared for a long road with lots of doctors, waiting for doctors, doctors not knowing about CHs, and being a guinea pig for taking some serious medicines.

Sorry man!

-Scott (another Scott)

Title: Re: Vision prescription change with CH?
Post by purpleydog on May 5^th, 2004, 8:25pm

Hey Scott,
I am one of those people where O2 and most other drugs don't work for me. I finally found that I can take 3 Advils and 1 tablet of vicoprofen and it will stop the CH. The light bothers my CH eye so much that if I go to the ER I can barely let them look in my eye! Maybe you are getting both migraines and CH. I am unfortunate enough to have both, and at the same time. When I'm in cycle, I have major blurryness in the affected eye, almost seeing double. I couldn't get my glasses until I was out of cycle. And my CH changes sides everytime I get them, 1st in the left eye, next time in the right.
Get informed on treatments available, so you can discuss them with your doc. I have been to several neuro's, but now my family doc treats me. He has educated himself on CH and migraines ( I am chronic migraine). Interview docs, see what they know. Good Luck.
purpleydog

Title: Re: Vision prescription change with CH?
Post by Prense on May 5^th, 2004, 9:06pm

Be careful when taking alot of OTC meds. Even if they are working for you...CH, by nature, normally hits several times a day. Popping 3 or so advil, 4+ times a day is probably not healthy (I'm just guessing here).

I actually was administered a vision test during an attack at an ER, and I tested better than 20/20. Of course, I had to continuously wipe my right eye dry during the test.

I hope to hell it isn't CH.

Chris

Title: Re: Vision prescription change with CH?
Post by scottf200 on May 5^th, 2004, 9:57pm

Thanks for the additional replies and telling me about how CH affects you. From all my reading and then this thread it sure seems that everyones body reacts differently to CH or a combo of CH/migraines...and also that various types of medicine interact/help.

I did NOT mean to belittle anyone with my seemingly minor pain compared to some of the sufferers here. :-X

Since I wear contacts the excessive tearing cause them to float more and screw up my vision so it is harder to test.

I'm not taking Advil very much. Only when it is pain that interfers. I don't want to mask something in case my body is telling me something is wrong. Perhaps I don't have CH but symptoms are fooling me and the Dr.

Maybe I got lucky with this Dr (family doctor) as he seemed familiar with CH. Then again I knew nothing of it so he could have told me anything. What he did explain matches what I'm reading, however (symptoms, etc). I told him I was going to research and he warned me that CH can be very difficult and many people are seriously affected.

What is the puzzler to me in all this is why my eye prescription changed and doesn't seem to be going back to what it was although it did go back some. Of course I still am having pains in each at at differnt times of the day so perhaps I'm just in a "cluster" and it may go back when it's over. Assuming I have CH, of course.

Thanks again for all the nice feedback and explaining to me how you are affected. I appreciate your time.