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(Message started by: marty on Apr 13th, 2005, 5:53pm)

Title: Page 1 of Svenn's pages translated
Post by marty on Apr 13th, 2005, 5:53pm
Page 1


The Fight against Suicide

Imagine to have an ice-pick forced thorugh your eyeball. A second ice-pick through your temple. The points of these ice-picks lines up and the points touch each other.That is how Svenn Thorn (51)describes the pain from Cluster Headaches.


The man from Oslo (Norway) is one of approximately 4,000 Norwegians that suffer from an affliction that have been described as the suicide headache. Patients suffering from this kind of headaches has taken their own lives in desperation to releive the pain.

Some describes the headache as having a red-hot poker behind the eye. We have met desperate people with very defined suicidal thoughts, and others who bang their heads into the wall to distract the pain, said doctor and researcher Erling Tronvik with the National Headache Center at St. Olavs Hospital in Trondheim.

Tronvik heads a study that has its goal to relieve the pain felt by sufferers and offer them hope for a new life. In February, they started testing a new blood preassure medicin that hopefully can prevent attacks.


Cluster Headaches

Cluster Headaches has its name from the clustering of attacks that most people experience. Their are certain traits that cluster headaches display. The most noticable is the level of pain felt by the sufferer.

Patients suffering from both Migraines and Cluster Headaches have rated their pain on a scale 1-10. Migraine is 4-5 and Cluster Headaches is 10, said Erling Torvik.

The attacks usually lasts 15 - 90 minutes and occurs in periods of  to 16 weeks. Once of twice per year is the most common. The patients go through pure hell when in cycle, but function normally thorugh the pain free periods.

There is alos a chronic Cluster Headache. Most that suffer from the chronic Cluster Headaches are disabled or (don't know what this word is in English), said Tronvik.

Svenn Thorn was approved for disability in 1997 (diagnosed in the 80's), when he was 44 years old.

Unbearable pain.

- I was on sick leave for many month of the year.  Only a very understanding employer made sure that I could keep my job as long as I did. At times, the pain is unbearable. I have been millimeters from taking my own life, said Thorn.

Today he takes medication and also use oxygen for the pain.

- You tense every fiber in your body dealing with the pain. I have seen a phychologist and he tought me techniques to use to ease the pain.

He uses pain-killing injections when the more serious attacks occur.

- Mostly I stay indoors. I do that because some of the attacks are so strong that I can not use the injections my self. I am scared of being among strangers if a strong attack happens, said Svenn Thorn.

He is now working on strating a suppport and self-help group for people suffering from the suicide headche.

- (Unable to translate the first sentece). We know people that have placed their fingers in a vice and tightened it  tightened it to distract the pain in their head.  

Marty

Title: Re: Page 1 of Svenn's pages translated
Post by Svenn on Apr 13th, 2005, 6:33pm
Thanx a mill Marty


Svenn



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