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        New Message Board Archives >> 2004 Cluster Headache Specific Posts >> CA's that differ from the norm
        
(Message started by: ex_pat_asia on Aug 18^th, 2004, 9:14pm)

Title: CA's that differ from the norm
Post by ex_pat_asia on Aug 18^th, 2004, 9:14pm

I wonder if other clusterheads experience specific attacks that fall way outside their norm and if so, what do they think is going on.

I have just finished the mother of all bad nights topped off with an ER visit early this morning. It started about 11 pm, before retiring. The first appearance of an attack seemed normal, ramping up to a 7 or 8 pretty quickly. About 45 minutes later it began to subside, into the shadow mode. Still, these particular shadows were accompanied by the tearing eye, which usually happens when the attack is in full bloom (call it 7 or above). The shadow would continue for thirty mintes or so and then "boom" start ramping back up again. I exhausted my oxygen tank and had already used max triptan, so was left sorta holding on.

Any thing like this out there or are their other stories of attacks that deviate from your norms?

Title: Re: CA's that differ from the norm
Post by IndianaJohn on Aug 18^th, 2004, 11:20pm

Hi ex pat, so sorry you're having a tough time.

Some of my attacks are like that. Especially when I'm getting multiple HA's (6 or more a day).

Best Wishes

Title: Re: CA's that differ from the norm
Post by Versilleus on Aug 19^th, 2004, 1:52am

Sorry to hear about your pain ex pat. May you be pain free soon and never have to experince the demon again.

My attacks change too. Sometimes they switch sides for days, sometimes my eye is swollen and puffy. Other days there are no 'normal' cluster symptoms except for the pain, watery eye and running nose. Pain on the back of my neck varies from attack to attack.

I don't think its uncommon for them to change. I do find it is harder to deal with because my body is so used to having my chronics a certain way.

Paul

Title: Re: CA's that differ from the norm
Post by Superpain on Aug 19^th, 2004, 2:56am

Yep... A "double whammy". I've had those before. No fun at all...

Title: Re: CA's that differ from the norm
Post by Prense on Aug 19^th, 2004, 8:47am

on 08/18/04 at 21:14:21, ex_pat_asia wrote:

Any thing like this out there or are their other stories of attacks that deviate from your norms?

Yeah, like a roller coaster ride on the pain scale. Days/nights like those are what sends me to the ER...

Chris

Title: Re: CA's that differ from the norm
Post by karma on Aug 19^th, 2004, 9:30am

I got exactly the same thing last nite.
Damn thing got down to almost gone and then began to build back up three times. It never got back to the intensity of the first one but close.
Happened again this morning.
The zomig isn't doing it for me so I pop a xnanax and just go with the flow. Relax, relax, relax until its gone.
I really gotta believe that the aborts make it worse for me.

Title: Re: CA's that differ from the norm
Post by Prense on Aug 19^th, 2004, 9:42am

on 08/19/04 at 09:30:17, karma wrote:

I really gotta believe that the aborts make it worse for me.

You are not alone with that thinking...

Title: Re: CA's that differ from the norm
Post by Gator on Aug 19^th, 2004, 2:30pm

Sorry you got hit so hard. That pretty much describes last Saturday and Sunday for me. One attack right after another all day long. Maxed out on hits of Zomig NS on both days and went through lots of ice. Sometime during the weekend, I even gave myself a little black eye.

I hate it when the beast changes tactics. Once in awhile I get the attacks on the opposite (left) side. Those hits aren't as bad as the ones on my usual (right) side, but because I'm not used to it they seem worse than they are. It's like knowing you are going to get punched in the right arm, so you draw your arm up and tense up getting ready for the hit and someone slugs you on the left arm instead.

I've never been to the er for a ch. Too many horror stories from the people that have BTDT.

Hope it gets better for you.

Gator

Title: Re: CA's that differ from the norm
Post by ex_pat_asia on Aug 21^st, 2004, 6:28am

on 08/19/04 at 14:30:24, Gator wrote:

I've never been to the er for a ch. Too many horror stories from the people that have BTDT.

And you can believe them mostly, though I have been only three times in the 30 yrs of having them.

This visit to the ER was simply to get some oxygen...spendy way to do it but any port in a storm as they say. On Thursday I was in my apartment in Bangkok (I visit frequently for business) and I had one of those small pony cansiters there. It is good to go for a couple of attacks but wasn't up to snuff for an all night party. Around 5:30am I was an hour and a half into the ride when I said to myself :"get thee to a tank". Hopped into a taxi and 5 minutes later presented myself to a pretty little doe eyed Thai nurse. I said, I am having a cluster attack and I needed Oxygen at 15LPM. Then she started asking questions of an admin nature. I had already given her my patient ID which I had from going through a physical there a year before. With each question I answered : "I need oxygen at 15 lpm". About 4 questions later my answer was one word: "NOW!" I shouted. She literally lost a slip-on shoe in her haste to get a mask. God bless her. Chances are that if I had been in an American hospital they would simply have called security and cuffed me....then started the questions all over again.

Thirty minutes later strolled out tired but pain free. That morning I made a choice to add cafergot to my daily regimen (3x per day) Now I'm on my third day with no attacks since that morning. It is the longest PF period since early May. I'll pull the cafergot in a day or two to see what happens. Not crazy about using it as a preventative but in this case it certainly seems to have helped. Can't ask for more then that.

Title: Re: CA's that differ from the norm
Post by E-Double on Aug 21^st, 2004, 6:49am

Enjoy your pain free times!!!!!

Title: Re: CA's that differ from the norm
Post by ExPat_jac on Aug 24^th, 2004, 12:58am

on 08/19/04 at 14:30:24, Gator wrote:

I hate it when the beast changes tactics. Once in awhile I get the attacks on the opposite (left) side. Those hits aren't as bad as the ones on my usual (right) side, but because I'm not used to it they seem worse than they are. It's like knowing you are going to get punched in the right arm, so you draw your arm up and tense up getting ready for the hit and someone slugs you on the left arm instead.

This is something I have always felt....my body knows whats coming so does it's own form of damage control..often in the process making changes to itself that causes changes to my headach pattern...

I felt the start of the heaach...start to tense...and that makes it worse!

I have also found that changes in my normal life actitives can bring on a much worse headach...this causes me to sometimes not do or go to actitivies (and become "anti-social") at times that I normally would...the company holds a picnic, I find a graceful way of not showing up...things like that...

on 08/19/04 at 14:30:24, Gator wrote:

I've never been to the er for a ch. Too many horror stories from the people that have BTDT.

Hope it gets better for you.

Gator

There have been many times when I have had no other choice than an ER visit....not an option now...but.....

Sometimes it has helped...sometimes not...

Once on a flight back home, I had to be let off the plane in Atlanta and taken to a hospital because they figured I was freakin out :)

Hang in there ex_pat_asian

>> On Thursday I was in my apartment in Bangkok

(course we all know it's the night life that's been killing you :) ...I want to party with you sometime cowboy (line from "Stripes" )

peace bro.....

jac