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        New Message Board Archives >> 2004-2005 Getting to Know Ya Posts >> Clarification of an attack
        
(Message started by: Major on Aug 5^th, 2004, 12:19am)

Title: Clarification of an attack
Post by Major on Aug 5^th, 2004, 12:19am

Hi... Can somebody tell me what a HA or an attack consists of? I'm confused. I've tried to find this out by reading through the posts and the info on the links but haven't found a consistent answer.

My husband has been having 1-2 HA periods per day that are generally lasting 1-2 hours. During this time, he has attacks, usually 1-4 minutes of really intense pain, then it subsides for a couple of minutes, then starts and stops again for the rest of the 1-2 hr time period. Is this consistent with the rest of the group?

One site described CH as consistent pain, with CPH as jabbing pains -- more confusion for me.

Thanks - still waiting for his first neuro appt.

Thanks and good night (I hope).

Title: Re: Clarification of an attack
Post by pubgirl on Aug 5^th, 2004, 1:14am

Hello Major

The pain of a cluster attack is pretty relentless, it switches on abruptly, is usually agony for its duration, and switches off usually equally suddenly.
It certainly doesn't start and stop during the attack period, but several of the other headache types do, particularly Idiopathic stabbing headache/ice-pick headache and PH/CPH.
If the pain is triggered by touch, another option is trigeminal neuralgia.

There is a good link at http://www.upstate.edu/neurology/haas/hpstab.htm which could help.

Another good diffential diagnosis factor is whether there are any autonomic symptoms such as eye or nose watering during the attack, and what your husband does during an attck e.g. lies down or is agitated.

The good news is that the headaches where the shorter-lived but probably higher frequency pain occurs are nearly all very responsive to Indomethacin. A good neuro needs to diagnose but ALL good neuros will use an indomethacin trial if there is any diagnosis doubt.

Hope this helps

Wendy

Title: Re: Clarification of an attack
Post by Major on Aug 5^th, 2004, 2:31am

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. As for other symptoms, he definately gets a droopy eyelid on the affected side. I have not seen his eye water. He says he gets congested, but he doesn't need a kleenex - how drippy do people get?? As for what he does, he does lie down (propped up by a bunch of pillows) at the start, but during the peaks of pain, he is writhing all over the place.

Guess I'm still undecided - trying to play the neuro myself.

Title: Re: Clarification of an attack
Post by IndianaJohn on Aug 6^th, 2004, 1:23pm

Hi Major, sorry your husband is in pain. I get he droopy eylid and the nostril on the side of the HA gets a little congested. Enough so that I have to use my nasal spray on the opposite side.

However, there is absolutely no way I could lie down during a CH.

Best Wishes

Title: Re: Clarification of an attack
Post by Charlie on Aug 6^th, 2004, 3:41pm

The symptoms sound like clusters to me. That he cannot lie down without writhing, droopy eyelid, and the congestion. I never needed a Kleenex for mine either.

One thing I look for is: Do the headaches wake him out of a sound sleep? Clusters will always do that.

Good luck and let us know how you're doing.

Charlie

Title: Re: Clarification of an attack
Post by Prense on Aug 7^th, 2004, 1:11pm

on 08/05/04 at 02:31:39, Major wrote:

He says he gets congested, but he doesn't need a kleenex - how drippy do people get??

My eye and nose will soak a bath towel during an attack... Some folks don't get the drippy nostril; stopped up instead. We are all different.

Chris

Title: Re: Clarification of an attack
Post by Rick_K on Aug 7^th, 2004, 11:19pm

on 08/05/04 at 00:19:36, Major wrote:

... Can somebody tell me what a HA or an attack consists of?

That is a hard question to answer since it so different for all of us…there are some definite similarities such as the pain is CONSTANT and the beast will wake you up out of a sound sleep with a vengeance.

For me…a CH will come on very quickly, usually from start to full blown pain within 5 minutes lasting anywhere from 30 minutes to 2+ hours with no let up in the pain, then it’s over. Pain is always on my right side, the most intense pain is in the temple and eye. My eyelid drops and waters my nostril is so clogged nothing can get out. During a cycle I have given up sleeping in bed, lying on the sofa with my head propped up (almost in a sitting position) and the oxygen bottle within reach. My last cycle lasted 5 months, during the “peak” I was getting 10 CH a day.

Read everything to the left print it out and take it with you to the neuro appointment, also read everything on the OUCH site. Go see the neuro armed with info and ask for oxygen, it works for a lot of us but you must use it correctly. I still have 5 bottles left over and I’m not giving them back.

Stick around and read, read, read…there is a lot to learn here. After dealing with the beast for 35 years I can say they won't kill you (at least he has not yet and I won't let him)....be strong you will get through this.

Rick

Title: Re: Clarification of an attack
Post by farmboy on Aug 10^th, 2004, 9:26am

When i am in the throws of a ch my nose runs like a garden hose. i can soak a few paper towels folded together during the attack.

Title: Re: Clarification of an attack
Post by Margi on Aug 10^th, 2004, 10:10am

Hi Major,
I've seen my husband's pain ebb and flow like that, too, during an attack. He'll think it's going away and then it will come back and nail him again.

He gets congested too - sometimes he will try and relieve it by making himself sneeze and that can help a little but there really isn't much he can do but wait for the attack to end.

Don't try to play neuro, Major - we've all been there, done that. Get him in to see a professional and get him on some kind of treatment plan. Oxygen is a very popular defense - has he tried it?

Hey, I see you've registered over at our OUCH Canada. :) Look forward to seeing you over there, as well!

Title: Re: Clarification of an attack
Post by marfanoidus on Aug 10^th, 2004, 10:57am

I bet a nickle that its clusters.

Any takers? ;)

Sorry he's hurting. GET HELP - its out there. Don't take 'no' for an answer, even if you have to dismiss a doc or 2.

Title: Re: Clarification of an attack
Post by ex_pat_asia on Aug 10^th, 2004, 1:47pm

on 08/10/04 at 10:57:52, marfanoidus wrote:

I bet a nickle that its clusters.

Any takers?

Nope, I kind lean to it being cluster as well, but a lot more info is needed. definitely time to see a neuro.

Title: Re: Clarification of an attack
Post by don on Aug 10^th, 2004, 4:04pm

Diagnosing Cluster Headache

Are you getting 1, 2 or 3 headaches each day?
Is the pain excruciating, the worst you've ever felt?
Does each headache usually last from 1/2 hour to 2 hours?
Are the headaches only on one side of your head, in the area shown in the picture to the left?
Does your eye tear or nose run on that same side during a headache?
Do the headaches occur around the same time each day?
Do they sometimes wake you up an hour or two after going to bed?
Do the attacks keep coming for 2, 3 up to 16 weeks in a row and then go away for months or years?

If your answers to these questions are yes, you probably have cluster headaches

Title: Re: Clarification of an attack
Post by pubgirl on Aug 10^th, 2004, 4:05pm

and are you generally agitated/move around while the pain lasts?

Wendy

Title: Re: Clarification of an attack
Post by Major on Aug 10^th, 2004, 10:30pm

Yes to all of the above.... except we are new at all this and I am hoping it doesn't last for 16 weeks...

And as a side note, over the past couple of nights the HA have been more relentless - less of the peaks I described in my first post and more fierce.

Thanks to all for your replies - I've got a stack of reading material that is really helping to shed light on this whole thing.

Title: Re: Clarification of an attack
Post by marfanoidus on Aug 11^th, 2004, 3:16pm

There is a lot of helpful information here, thats for sure.

Although I said I would be a nickle that its clusters, like ex_pat_asia said, time to see a neuro.

If you find a good neuro, your visit will go like this:
dr: describe your symptoms.
husband: will describe symptoms.
dr: sounds like clusters
you: thats what we were thinking.
dr: lets try some meds for clusters for a while. If they help, great. If they don't then we'll need to think about running an MRI, ekg, etc..
you: can you please give him a prescription for oxygen also???? (look real sad-eyed at this point).

See, just in case they're not clusters, your husband needs to see a neuro.

Although, if the dr says "sounds like migraines", you say "sounds like time to find another neuro." :)

If he says "Lets try midrin", say "Oh, I forgot. He tried that one and it didn't work." :D

I'm kidding, just trying to blend humor into this awful reality.

Seriously though, do YOUR research, do your best to get him some oxygen, and don't assume your doc knows squat - remember what we call a doctor's business???? - a practice.

good luck to all,