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        New Message Board Archives >> 2004 Posts >> Painless Cluster Headaches (Really!)
        
(Message started by: floridian on Oct 12^th, 2004, 5:07pm)

Title: Painless Cluster Headaches (Really!)
Post by floridian on Oct 12^th, 2004, 5:07pm

Make it a Beast Lite!

The case report follows a 22-year-old man who was experiencing the neurologic symptoms of cluster headache including nasal stuffiness, a droopy eyelid, and contraction of the pupil in his left eye -- without the head pain normally associated with the condition.

This is the first case reported showing evidence that these symptoms may be initial symptoms and not a response to the pain, as experts have believed.

"This report may guide future cluster headache research in another direction, away from viewing these symptoms as a reflex reaction to the pain," said neurologist Rolf Salvesen, MD, PhD, author of the case report and associate professor at the University of Tromsø in Norway.

The man reported that these symptoms occurred every day for a few weeks with one to three attacks a day for one and two hours. After six weeks, the attacks stopped.

Six years later, he returned with his previous symptoms and severe pain in the area around his left eye that lasted for about 90 minutes about twice a day. He was treated with sumatriptan, a drug used to alleviate cluster headache pain, and within 30 minutes the pain was gone. After six weeks the pain was gone and so were most of his other symptoms.

"It's suggested by experts in cluster headache that the other symptoms experienced by people with cluster headache are a reflex response to the head pain," said Salvesen. "This report is evidence that a person can have other symptoms of cluster headache without the pain, suggesting these symptoms are primary symptoms."

Cluster headache is characterized by severe pain and several other neurologic symptoms, including tearing and redness of the eye, contraction of the pupil, stuffy nose and drooping eyelid. About one in every 1,000 people suffer from cluster headache and the majority of sufferers are men.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/08/000811062536.htm

Title: Re: Painless Cluster Headaches (Really!)
Post by echo on Oct 12^th, 2004, 5:08pm

Cluster symptoms with out the pain?

Sign me up.

Title: Re: Painless Cluster Headaches (Really!)
Post by Valerie on Oct 12^th, 2004, 5:42pm

"About one in every 1,000 people suffer from cluster headache and the majority of sufferers are men."

Not me, I'm one of the lucky, lucky women!

I think my chances of winning the lottery are SMALLER than being a woman with cluster headaches.

I'll take the pain free kind - anyone want mine?

Good article though :)

Valerie

Title: Re: Painless Cluster Headaches (Really!)
Post by Valerie on Oct 12^th, 2004, 5:44pm

Or would that be my changes of winning the lottery are greater than being a woman with cluster headaches? I don't know, my head hurts [smiley=huh.gif]

Valerie

Title: Re: Painless Cluster Headaches (Really!)
Post by Margi on Oct 12^th, 2004, 5:53pm

My husband gets those for the duration of his remissions now. About 4:30 every day, he gets "cluster eyes" (one pupil dilates, one constricts) and it lasts for about 45 minutes. You could set your watch by it. This time of year, in his remission year - it will happen two or three times a day. He often doesn't even realize it, but I always see it. I hate seeing cluster eyes. :( But...no pain, so we'll take it.

He's been this way since the end of a very bad cycle in 2002. Another Floridian (Todd) told us about this phenomenon way back when and it was called a "silent attack" at that time. So I guess Mike is now, officially, a "silent chronic". But he still does go into a full blown attack every second November. Cluster is punctual if nothing else. ::)

Title: Re: Painless Cluster Headaches (Really!)
Post by Donna_D. on Oct 12^th, 2004, 8:07pm

Redd and I were just talking about this the other day!

There are times when the left side of my face "droops" and I get the one sided stuffy nose, but NO pain...

It is not very often but it is the same way my face reacts when I am getting hit....wierd, huh?

Anybody else have this happen to them?

DD

Title: Re: Painless Cluster Headaches (Really!)
Post by eyes_afire on Oct 12^th, 2004, 10:39pm

Yes, been there, done that unmedicated. Late October 2002 to early April 2003. Sandwiched between a 13 month cycle and my current 17 month cycle. At least I'm controlled. :-/

--- Steve

Title: Re: Painless Cluster Headaches (Really!)
Post by OneEyeBlind on Oct 12^th, 2004, 11:03pm

That's funny, cause my sinuses have been giving me problems .. or so I thought. Head has been kind of weird lately. But what I did notice was my eye !!!!!!!! For weeks it has had the droopy goofy look to it, but no headaches. I'm taking an asprin and calling it a day though, cause no clusters and I'm still a happy camper !!!!!!!! I'll take what I need, and leave the rest !

Title: Re: Painless Cluster Headaches (Really!)
Post by john_d on Oct 12^th, 2004, 11:07pm

It seems like the stuffy nose and droopy eyelid would just be a minor annoyance without the pain. It's amazing to me that a doctor was even be able to diagnose the condition described in the article.

Title: Re: Painless Cluster Headaches (Really!)
Post by down_the_tubes on Oct 12^th, 2004, 11:28pm

i go through the spells of droopy eye, nose, the whole nine yards without the pain. usually when i am in remission. i am an oddball that falls between episodic and chronic. i might go a month with out the beast paying me a visit, and then bam, he pulls up a chair and stays for about a month. it scares the hell out of me when i get the droopy eye without the pain, because i don't know if it is the real deal, and i am going to get hit.
melissa :P

Title: Re: Painless Cluster Headaches (Really!)
Post by Gator on Oct 13^th, 2004, 2:47am

on 10/12/04 at 17:07:24, floridian wrote:

Make it a Beast Lite!

LMAO Good one!!!

Painless clusters, huh? Deal me in!!!

Gator

Title: Re: Painless Cluster Headaches (Really!)
Post by BobG on Oct 13^th, 2004, 4:47am

Painless or phantom ch has been discussed here before………..

Todd's post from the archives that Margi mentioned, it is connected to what floridian posted above.

click this

http://www.clusterheadaches.com/wwwboard/messages/59810.html

Title: Re: Painless Cluster Headaches (Really!)
Post by Svenn on Oct 13^th, 2004, 6:50am

AHHHHHHHH

What a classic ;;D ;;D

This is still under discussing with the "brains" here.Rolf Salvesen, MD, PhD " A Professor in neurology"well known and respected in many countries says this.We clusterheads has tried for years to get a meeting with him here.No luck so far.While attend the medical congress in Sandefjord a while back i got the chanse to talk to Professor Lars Jacob Stovner about this over a lunch.

Stovner is the head neuro in headaches here in Norway

This might happend in 1/500 clusterheads he said.No further explanations.He tried but you has to remember that im just a clusterhead and no DR.

Trying to explain all those fancy words will risk my toungh to brake.Cant take any chanse on that

Svenn

Sorry,my mistake 500 and not 5000.how can i stop this "fighting against the keyboard" ?

Title: Re: Painless Cluster Headaches (Really!)
Post by BobG on Oct 13^th, 2004, 8:37am

Since the only cluster sufferers that come here are the ones with computers, that would make us only a small minority of all clusterheads......and

since the phantom ch has been mentioned here more than once,

I'd say that Professor Lars Jacob Stovner's statement of 1/500 is way off.

Just like the old myth that women don't get ch. This board has proven that very wrong.

modified to change 5000 to 500.
But, even 1/500 sounds, to me, wrong. I'd be willing to bet it's closer to 1/100.

Title: Re: Painless Cluster Headaches (Really!)
Post by Melissa on Oct 13^th, 2004, 8:51am

on 10/13/04 at 08:37:08, BobG wrote:

Just like the old myth that women don't get ch. This board has proven that very wrong.

I'd grin, but I wish we DIDN'T get them. :-/

Ya know, it's all the mans fault. Everything is the mans fault. :P

;;D

Title: Re: Painless Cluster Headaches (Really!)
Post by Gena on Oct 13^th, 2004, 9:00am

phantom ch - Yep been there done that. As a matter of fact I was getting them at the convention. I talked to the nero about them and he could give me know REAL answer. I am just thankful for anytime I have that is pain free, so what if everyone thinks I cry everyday at 3 ;)

Title: Re: Painless Cluster Headaches (Really!)
Post by ozzy on Oct 13^th, 2004, 10:08am

Maybe this should be a new thread, but depending on the responses I might make it, it's own or not.

Painless CH, other autonomic symptoms being primary (droopy nose, etc) fits very well with something I have been thinking about lately. As an episodic turned chronic, I've had the "privilige" of being on both sides. Also as chronic, I am more aware of all symptoms a lot more than when I was episodic. As episodic I never gave another thought about one sided: pressure, stiffiness, droopiness, etc. Now I am more aware.

I believe that all those symptoms are always there, to a greater or lesser extent, always. Meaning, if you have CH it is more of a spectrum than a clear cut case of Episodic/Chronic. You may not experience pain but only a few weeks a year, but you probably experience the other symptoms year round.

I don't want to bum anyone out, this is only my theory. Being Chronic, has taught me to take one day at the time (big cliche), but it is the only way to deal. Some days are harder than others, but you deal and move on with your life.

Ozzy

Title: Re: Painless Cluster Headaches (Really!)
Post by Tiannia on Oct 13^th, 2004, 10:37am

on 10/12/04 at 23:28:27, down_the_tubes wrote:

i go through the spells of droopy eye, nose, the whole nine yards without the pain. usually when i am in remission. i am an oddball that falls between episodic and chronic. melissa :P

I wish. Mine has been for 15 months straight now and never have the eye without the Pain. I guess there is something to look forward to. But the eye will start always before the pain, and I refuse to take any trex until I see how bad the pain will be because if it is an attack that I can just fight through, then I dont waste the trex I have. Especially since Trex is no longer covered by my insurance, and the Replax doesn't do shit.