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        New Message Board Archives >> 2004-2005 Getting to Know Ya Posts >> Summer/Winter soltice
        
(Message started by: usnad on Jul 20^th, 2004, 9:50pm)

Title: Summer/Winter soltice
Post by usnad on Jul 20^th, 2004, 9:50pm

Hello all. My name is Dave and I too suffer. My clusters come during the summer and winter. I read in a book about them and it mentioned stuff about having a cleft chin (I got), solitce time (I get em), Geography (in Maine) etc. Hey thats me! All of it. Get em two hours into sleep, last 2 hours, about every other night for a few weeks then alls normal again.

I have seem docs, had MRI's etc. I lost my career as a flight engineer because of these clusters.

I'm not on any treatment as of now, just dealing with them.

Well hello

Title: Re: Summer/Winter soltice
Post by don on Jul 20^th, 2004, 10:04pm

Forget the physical characteristics associated with Ch. Its all hog wash. The other stuff may have some basis in truth.

Why no treatment? There good medications available now and proven protocols that could make your life a whole lot easier.

I began my CH career while living in Maine. I wonder now how much of the beauty of "Gods Country" I may have missed because I was being swallowed up by episodic cluster cycles without treatment. A simple shot of imitrex would have allowed me to keep snowshoeing around the fields at 3 AM when everything was hushed. Instead I was a huddled mass of pain on the living room floor. Dont cheat yourself. Seek treatment.

Title: Re: Summer/Winter soltice
Post by BobG on Jul 20^th, 2004, 10:11pm

Welcome to the board Dave.

Do you also have a ruddy complexion? Is your face pockmarked? Is that cleft in a square jaw? Do you smoke too much? Are you a heavy drinker?
And thank goodness you’re male because females don’t get clusters.
Stereotypes, nothing but stereotypes. All left over bull from the 1990’s. Take a look at the photos from the OUCH convention.

Solstice? IMHO, nope, has nothing to do with clusters.

Geography (in Maine)? Nope. I live in Nevada and I get clusters. California, Texas and the Carolinas are full of clusterheads. We have cluster sufferers all over the world.

Getting hit during sleep? That is very common. Fix? See my tag line.

Sorry about losing the job. That’s just wrong and it sucks.

Not on any treatments? Is that by choice? Lack of insurance? or? If it is because you choose not to fill yourself full of meds that’s cool. Have you tried oxygen? It is safe (we all breath it with every breath), no side affects, inexpensive, and non-habit forming.

Again, welcome. There is a lot to learn here.

Title: Re: Summer/Winter soltice
Post by floridian on Jul 21^st, 2004, 8:41am

July and August for me. Always. First headache of the season around 6:00 am. Then 4:30 am and 6:00 am. Then 3:00 am, 4:30 am, and 6:00 am. Like clockwork.

Title: Re: Summer/Winter soltice
Post by Axel on Jul 21^st, 2004, 10:50am

...Reading is good and you seem to have done you're homework ,so it's time for some action now ! Waiting and suffering more is useless... I've started o2 and can finally abort hits for the first time in 15 yrs.! Got diagnosed 2 mths ago , and am finally taking contol over the beast! Don't hesitate... good luck!...PFD's ........................................................................................Axel

Title: Re: Summer/Winter soltice
Post by TxBasslady on Jul 21^st, 2004, 11:15am

Welcome to the board.

Sounds like you get hit at night and early a.m.???

Try melatonin. It's relatively cheap, you don't need a Rx, and for alot of us here.....it works.

Buy the 3mg. Some here take 9 mg. before going to bed. For me, 3mg. works just dandy. Check out the posts on melatonin.

To just "deal" with CH is a nightmare. There are many meds and remedies out there!

PF vibes,

Jean

Title: Re: Summer/Winter soltice
Post by ShannonJ on Jul 21^st, 2004, 11:49am

I couldn't imagine just dealing. The first time I had an attack was in November of 2000 and it was the worse time of my life. I knew nothing of CH so I suffered and went back and forth to the ER numerous times. My second episod was in 2002 and that's when I was diagnosed. This time around I found a new doctor and we are now trying preventatives. This site should help you, God know's it was a blessing for me. Read everyhing on here, print it out, find a good doc and start some kind of treatments!!

I wish you many pain free days!
Shannon

Title: Re: Summer/Winter soltice
Post by Ronny on Jul 21^st, 2004, 3:48pm

Hi,

Welcome here, lots of info to find.
You really should get some treatment, it's no life without.

Scheisse about your job, that sucks.

Ronny

Title: Re: Summer/Winter soltice
Post by usnad on Jul 22^nd, 2004, 11:47am

The neurologist at first gave me Naproxin (useless) then we went to Sansert. The Sansert gave me numb legs and other side effects so I quit that. I have aborted it once with O2 but I dont have access to it all the time.

I have a high pain threshhold and I know how long to expect the headaches so I can deal with them for now. They are like clockwork no guessing, only when they come.

I'm active duty in the Navy and I cant say the military doctors really follow up, I have seem a couple civilian doctors and I will see more I'm sure. I'm not avoiding treatment but I have a couple other issues to deal with first then I will make the Navy treat me correctly, no more of this passing me off to the next doc.

I looked into this site a couple years ago and liked what I read. Its good to have some support from those who really understand. When I try to explain these headaches to someone they think of migraines, they just dont understand.

Title: Re: Summer/Winter soltice
Post by usnad on Jul 22^nd, 2004, 12:06pm

on 07/20/04 at 22:11:37, BobG wrote:

Do you also have a ruddy complexion?
Is your face pockmarked?
Is that cleft in a square jaw?
Do you smoke too much?
Are you a heavy drinker?

And thank goodness you’re male because females don’t get clusters.

No,
no,
no,
no,
no,
????? [smiley=huh.gif]

Title: Re: Summer/Winter soltice
Post by BobG on Jul 22^nd, 2004, 12:43pm

on 07/22/04 at 12:06:23, usnad wrote:

????? [smiley=huh.gif]

The women don't get cluster is another old and very untrue stereotype. A lot of old information said the women get migraines and only men get clusters. Just reading this site tells us that is totally false.

Title: Re: Summer/Winter soltice
Post by don on Jul 22^nd, 2004, 8:05pm

Quote:

Just reading this site tells us that is totally false.

No its not. The women here just want us bad so they embellish about their migraines.!

Title: Re: Summer/Winter soltice
Post by Gator on Jul 23^rd, 2004, 10:18am

on 07/22/04 at 20:05:43, don wrote:

No its not. The women here just want us bad so they embellish about their migraines.!

OOOHHHH! You're gonna suffer for that one. LOL

Gator

Title: Re: Summer/Winter soltice
Post by don on Jul 23^rd, 2004, 12:47pm

Back in the good ole days there would have been 600 responses already............all saying....................

STFuD

Title: Re: Summer/Winter soltice
Post by jemme2000 on Aug 10^th, 2004, 4:33pm

hullo, I also lost my job as a result of clusters, I was a teacher, and well, lets look on the bright side, no more kids to lecture! I get clusters, always in the summer, and developed them 2 years ago.U nfortunately, diagnosed as trigeminal neuralgia, and I was treated incorrectly, after hospitalisation, and became sooo ill with sodium deprivation.
Still, not properly diagnosed, at the moment my snooty, pain specialist, says I have atypical facial pain, and wants to remove a little nerve here, and another somewhere else, I should think so!(not)
Try the medication available, Imitrex really does work, but watch the old blood pressure.
At present seeing a chiropractor, as my clusters are acompanied, by severe neck pain, and would you believe it no headaches for four days.......

Try all the options, I mean in the middle of a bout, If a doctor offered to chop off my head, I'd let him, it couldn't feel much worse. Keep on smiling.........