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        New Message Board Archives >> 2004 Cluster Headache Specific Posts >> another attack in public :(
        
(Message started by: Judo_Tom on Oct 5^th, 2004, 8:18am)

Title: another attack in public :(
Post by Judo_Tom on Oct 5^th, 2004, 8:18am

im very fustrated right now. last nite was going great i went to work no problems and they told me my insurance would kick in soon. i went to judo and had a great workout. I go out with some people afterwards for some food. I start talking to a great girl at this bar having a really really great time laffing tellin stories it was really fun.... and then a twinge.. then some pressure.. well then the dance.. it sucked i went from having a great time to feeling like a complete psycho mental nutcase. people around me were starting to say the usual.. oh do this.. do that... breathe.. it will pass... DO YOU WANT SOME ASPIRIN?... well at least i composed my self for a sec and went outside.. my friend also gave me a bit of a neck massage which dulled or distracted things for a bit but i was not comfortable with her really doing that more out of my own insecurities iguess..i didnt know what to do.. people wanted to take me to a hospital or call an ambulance but i just got someone to call my sister who lucky for me only lived a fewmins away and has kittens so i guess it could be worse

i did try some nod med abortive things.. maybe with practice or something these would work but last nite they didnt..

1st chugging COLD redbull.. started to do something again maybe just a distraction who knows.. but after 2 glasses the pain was at a high and i had to keep dancin

2nd neck massage uppper back massage.. this worked to distract me. my friend is a massage therapist so maybe she knows something or maybe it was jsut knowing someone was willin to help or maybe the massage felt good but I couldnt keep it going and had to make her stop... probably a bad idea but i couldnt deal

3rd LIGHT neck massage on my carotid artery. i only read about this for a bit and gave it a shot.. i had no idea what i was doing.. rubbing certain spots made it worse and some dulled it.. ill try again but at times it made it much nicer

4th barefeet cold tiles.. this freaked me out but it gave me some relief but again i couldnt stand there long enough to see if it was going to work much so i bailed

5th and when all else fails my favorite.. lock myself in my car and scream and thrash around in privacy :(

ahh ok sorry to vent and blab it just sux.. ive had these attacks for years and had no idea what was going on.. just thought it was brain damage or something.. but now i know what it is but still dont have the meds and things i need so im buggin out to say the least

thanks for listening

Tom

Title: Re: another attack in public :(
Post by karma on Oct 5^th, 2004, 9:23am

Sometimes no matter what you do or what meds you try it still gets through.
When that happens I've learned to accept the fact that its gonna be realy bad for a short while and I gotta deal with it. The thing that works for me is to get myself into a sort of hypnotic state with real deep breathing and relaxing my entire body. It doesn't necessarily lessen the pain but it seems to shorten the length of the attack. The position I usually end up in is standing up straight in the middle of the floor with my arms crossed in front of my body and my head down. I've gotten good enough at it that I have almost fallen asleep standing up as the pain subsides.
I tried an abortive a couple of times w/o success and probably wouldn't use them again but I will use Verapamil as a preventative again.

Title: Re: another attack in public :(
Post by Judo_Tom on Oct 5^th, 2004, 10:40am

thanks karma.

Yeah i need better mental focus during the attacks or im gonna be in trouble.. either hurting myself or doing something dumb.

but its real hard to stay focus and even remember what can stop the attack when it hits.. i totally forgot about the h2o and the exercising which is what i really wanted to try next attack.. but i remember barefeet and tile floor..???!!!???

maybe as this cycle progresses ill get better control.. i hope so.. i also think im gonna write down a bunch of stuff on an index card and carry it with me so when i have an attack illhave some instructions to follow..

Title: Re: another attack in public :(
Post by thomas on Oct 5^th, 2004, 10:59am

Hot coffee can help sometimes too.

Title: Re: another attack in public :(
Post by Tom K on Oct 5^th, 2004, 11:17am

I second the hot coffee/espresso! A few of those and I'm usually pretty ok. If I can't get that, down 2 Mt Dew AMPs as fast as you can. I have stopped a K4 dead in it's tracks. What works for some, doesn't for others. Sometimes what works for one CH doesn't even work for an attack on the same day,

T

Title: Re: another attack in public :(
Post by Valerie on Oct 5^th, 2004, 11:40am

Tom,

Sorry you had to deal with that! The beast has ruined a lot of good times. If it makes you feel any better, I've had attacks in public and had to go to the car to be by myself - not fun!!

I hope you find relief soon,

Valerie

Title: Re: another attack in public :(
Post by vig on Oct 5^th, 2004, 11:43am

been there, done that and IT SUCKS!

"my sister who lucky for me only lived a few mins away and has kittens so i guess it could be worse"
::)

Title: Re: another attack in public :(
Post by don on Oct 5^th, 2004, 11:52am

Next time you are in your car crank up the A/C and plant your puss right in front of it.

Title: Re: another attack in public :(
Post by karma on Oct 5^th, 2004, 12:03pm

Cold air definately
2 double expressos and a single in about 45 minutes killed a sure thing in its tracks while out to dinner friday night.
Noticed you got hit a a bar but you didn't mention if you were drinking. Alcohol is a major trigger for most people.

Title: Re: another attack in public :(
Post by Judo_Tom on Oct 5^th, 2004, 3:03pm

ahhhhhh im soooo dumb..

i remember on teh way to the car thinking about the ac trick

but once i was in the car i lost control and forgot about it :(

yeah this time at teh bar i didnt even drink i was gonna be good but it didnt matter

do must people just give up alcohol all together?

Title: Re: another attack in public :(
Post by karma on Oct 5^th, 2004, 3:34pm

I gave it up completely but most people just stop during cycle. For some its the ultimate test to see if it really over.

Title: Re: another attack in public :(
Post by Superpain on Oct 5^th, 2004, 4:34pm

Drinking alcohol in cycle is like hunting grizzly bears unarmed, dressed as a bag of groceries.

Title: Re: another attack in public :(
Post by vig on Oct 5^th, 2004, 4:43pm

cold air in the face is one of the quickest ways to bring on an attack for me.

plus, in season, booze is out. completely

Title: Re: another attack in public :(
Post by BobG on Oct 5^th, 2004, 5:11pm

I've always used cold for relief. Many nights I've stood with bare feet on the cement patio sucking in winter air with an ice pack on my eye/temple/jaw.

If it happens again in a bar ask the bartender for a baggie of ice and stick it on you face.

Title: Re: another attack in public :(
Post by BlueMeanie on Oct 5^th, 2004, 6:46pm

Hi Tom,

Yea the public hits really SUCK. You definately need to get an abortive. It's like an American Express card, you never leave home without it.

Here are some things to take with you next time you go out:

1. Imitrex, Zomig or any other abortive you may have a prescription for.

2. Ice packs (2 minimum) with cooler of ice.

3. Liquid drinks (Red Bull, Mt. Dew, Gatoraid, Water)

4. Excedirin Migraine aspirins. (They don't stop a cluster, but helps with the after effect of a major hit.)

5. Sunglasses

6. Box of Kleenex

7. Hard candy or gum

8. Hot coffee to go

9. Bath towel

10. 02 canister and mask if you can get a prescription.

Other than that, just make sure you have A.C. in vehicle and know where the exits and rest rooms are when you enter an establishment and be prepared for a mad dash to privacy.

It sucks having to think of all this stuff ahead of time. That's the life of a Clusterhead.

PF vibes to ya Tom

Title: Re: another attack in public :(
Post by don on Oct 5^th, 2004, 9:47pm

And a blow up doll. Well? Your gonna be real happy after the attack is over so..............................

Title: Re: another attack in public :(
Post by Kevin_M on Oct 5^th, 2004, 10:28pm

on 10/05/04 at 18:46:56, BlueMeanie wrote:

Hi Tom,

Here are some things to take with you next time you go out:

Yeah, the prepared thing, always. Keep it in mind, the beast don't give a..... where, when, why or how.

edit. Don's an Eagle scout... extra prepared

Kevin M

Title: Re: another attack in public :(
Post by Judo_Tom on Oct 6^th, 2004, 1:14pm

thanks for the great post.. this is alllll sooo new to me its crazy.. but ive been doing a ton of reading and trying to absorb as much as i can

that list will really really help me out

thanks again!!! this place is a life saver!!!!

on 10/05/04 at 18:46:56, BlueMeanie wrote:

Title: Re: another attack in public :(
Post by Tom K on Oct 6^th, 2004, 2:14pm

on 10/05/04 at 16:34:37, Superpain wrote:

Drinking alcohol in cycle is like hunting grizzly bears unarmed, dressed in a meat suit.

Fixed it for ya! [smiley=laugh.gif]

T

Title: Re: another attack in public :(
Post by kb on Oct 9^th, 2004, 10:27pm

Tom:

I did the dance today at the national art museum in DC. Only had some Imitrex with me. Didn't have the savior O2 tank that I keep under the bed. Don't know if you've tried O2. If not, try it. Follow the directions on this site (7-8 lpm, full face rebreather mask, don't use it for more than about 6-7 minutes or after the CH is gone) You'll need an "E" tank from your doc - need a Rx for it - and a high flow regulator. No drugs. Works faster than anything I've ever tried. I have the classic cluster symptoms. If you've already tried this, sorry for wasting your time.

Ken (good luck)

Title: Re: another attack in public :(
Post by fullhead on Oct 12^th, 2004, 7:06pm

I did the dance in church last Sunday morning. Are ya ready for this? I was supposed to speak! Needless to say, my wife clued in right away, grabbed me by the arm, took me into the lady's rr (its bigger than the men's) turned off the lights; got me the kleenex / ice water; moved everything out of my way (for pacing)
Then she went and told my assitant that he was going to be the speaker for that morning! (guess he did pretty good - they all decided to vote me out ;) I'm lucky enough to have a great wife! She takes care of me!

One time we were in Applebees w/ frineds and she got my food in a take out and rushed me to the van where I thrashed till we got home

I'm surprised to here the suggestions for caffeine! My vice is coffee and I usually have to give it up til the demon's gone...

mark

Title: Re: another attack in public :(
Post by Jonny on Oct 12^th, 2004, 7:12pm

on 10/12/04 at 19:06:01, fullhead wrote:

I'm surprised to here the suggestions for caffeine! My vice is coffee and I usually have to give it up til the demon's gone...

mark

Different strokes for different folks, Mark

In 30 years I have never found anything that will trigger a HA....go figure.

.....................................jonny