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        New Message Board Archives >> 2004-2005 Getting to Know Ya Posts >> new with cluster questions
        
(Message started by: clustercole on Jun 2^nd, 2004, 2:44pm)

Title: new with cluster questions
Post by clustercole on Jun 2^nd, 2004, 2:44pm

Hi board, I can't wait to look around, but before I glue myself to this Cluster nightmare, I needed your advice. My Dr. when I was a kid diagnosed me as having Cluster headaches and ran all the head scans and everthing. Now that I am uninsurred and would never beable to pay for all those tests again, i come to the experts, you. Here's the deal. My symptoms are similar but not usual to what I have read from some of you and on-line. They do come in clusters but mine come 20-50 a day AND only last between 2 and 10 seconds (although today I think I reached over a minute. It's hard to tell time when you can't breath. I will have 3-5 within 15 minutes then could go hours before having another and they all reach different levels of pain. The pain is PIERCING always on the right temple to ear and shoots down my right arm. They come and go like yours, fast and when it's gone it's completely gone like nothing happened. My eye does not droop, no leakage of any kind and I don't necessarily get them at night although I can. They do wake me up. I look like I am seizing. I am afraid to go my daughters first swim meet tonight because I look like an idoit when I get one.

If anyone agrees that this sound like a cluster, what the hell do you do? Tylenol? Can I get meds from Canada w/o perscription?

Your time to read this lengthly one and advice is so appreciated in advance.

Cole

Title: Re: new with cluster questions
Post by thomas on Jun 2^nd, 2004, 3:10pm

CPH is what it sounds like, maybe you should look at using indomethicine.
check this out
http://www.clusterheadaches.org/comparison_table.htm

Title: Re: new with cluster questions
Post by Bob_Johnson on Jun 2^nd, 2004, 4:15pm

Agree with Thomas: these are not Clusters.

Title: Re: new with cluster questions
Post by Giovanni on Jun 3^rd, 2004, 7:32pm

Ditto on Thomas.

John

Title: Re: new with cluster questions
Post by UN_SOLVED on Jun 6^th, 2004, 3:49pm

I agree with the others that this is not clusters ALTHOUGH, the number of attacks suggest CPH...the duration of attacks is short. (a minute or less). I believe common CPH attacks last from 5 to 15 minutes. The pain in the arm sounds uncommon too. I would seek a neuro asap to rule out any other (potentially serious) problems.

on 06/02/04 at 14:44:09, clustercole wrote:

They come and go like yours, fast and when it's gone it's completely gone like nothing happened.

This is NOT always true. A CH attack can last anywhere from 15 minutes to a few hours (of hell)

on 06/02/04 at 14:44:09, clustercole wrote:

Can I get meds from Canada w/o perscription?

RX without a prescription is illegal.

Unsolved

PS... TYLENOL and CH don't belong together in the same sentence :-X

Title: Re: new with cluster questions
Post by eyes_afire on Jun 6^th, 2004, 6:05pm

Cole,

You may want to investigate this webpage (scroll down a bit to read about SUNCT):

http://accessible.ninds.nih.gov/health_and_medical/disorders/sunct.htm

Also, read this article about ISH (Idiopathic Stabbing Headache... which I also suffer from):

http://www.upstate.edu/neurology/haas/hpstab.htm

That 2nd article is great because it contains info on differential diagnosis.

--- Steve

Title: Re: new with cluster questions
Post by Gator on Jun 7^th, 2004, 3:29pm

It doesn't look like CPH. The attacks in CPH can last from 2 to 120 minutes.

It sounds more like SUNCT syndrome, where the attacks last from 5 to 250 seconds.

Do all the reading assignments suggested above.

Having said that, none of us are doctors. You absolutely should go to your doctor to get diagnosed and have tests done to rule out anything physical that might show up on an MRI. Self-medicating what the disorder "sounds like" may cause more harm then good. There are a lot of actual physical problems that can mimick any of the cluster related head pains. I know it is expensive to do them, but how much will it cost your family if you treat a tumor like a headache and die because of it.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Gator