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        New Message Board Archives >> 2006-2007 Getting to Know Ya Posts >> Another Dull Noobie
        
(Message started by: Cricketbat on Jul 27^th, 2006, 6:16am)

Title: Another Dull Noobie
Post by Cricketbat on Jul 27^th, 2006, 6:16am

Hiya CHs - been lurking for a while and would like to thank you all for your encouragement and advice to complete strangers on this board which I have picked up on and used - especially explaining to my wife what im going through.

34 YO male - started with HAs 9 weeks ago - same time every night 1.30am - asleep or awake- ranging from a 7 to a 9 - 2 visits to GP who advised me to look up CH on the interweb - fell lucky and found you guys ( and gals ).
Last night was first HA free night in 2weeks - no idea why but have been guzzling the H2O and off the beer ( which is killing me :'( ) Taking Kapake at moment for pain relief but worried about dependence and never been kean on tablets so am trying to use them only when a HA starts - not taking any preventative.

Back at Docs on the 28th - gonna ask to see a Neuro if I continue to suffer but I suppose im like you all - 1 clear night and I think there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Anyway thanks to all who post on here - reading this MB in the wee hours helps so much during " those " nights.

Title: Re: Another Dull Noobie
Post by LeLimey on Jul 27^th, 2006, 6:37am

Hello!
Its nice to meet you even if sadly, its here. You're not too far away from me either by the looks of it!
Kapake or Diclofenac is about as much use to you for CH as a chocolate fireguard. Did your doctor prescribe them or are they something you have anyway?

Ordinary painkillers will not touch the sides of a CH attack and diclofenac are a slow release pill so they are even less useful when used as you are using them because by the time they would kick in any pain would be long gone!

CH works like this, when your attack starts the blood vessels on the affected side of your head swell by up to twenty times their normal size. Try holding twenty pencils together as opposed to just one and see what THAT looks like! What we need are vaso constrictors which reduce the veins ASAP. Triptans are meds which do this but not all methods of delivery are effective.

Tablets.. no use at all. They take up to two hours to kick in and your hit is long gone.

Nasal sprays? Faster but only worth using if Zomig as the effects last for 12 hours as opposed to Imigran or Sumatriptan which lasts for 2 hours.

Auto injectors of which there is only Imigran (sumatriptan) are the fastest and also the most expensive. GP's try to get out of prescribing them but currently they ARE the only licensed treatment for CH in the UK so they cannot refuse them to you.

Oxygen is by far and away the best abortive in my opinion, when used at 15 litres per minute through a non rebreather mask or ClusterMasx (http://www.clustermasx.com). I can abort a hit using my clustermasx in as little as 5-7 minutes.

You DEFINITELY need to see a neuro, for one thing you need an MRI. Everyone going through this kind of pain should have one just to rule out anything else. CH is an uncommon condition, your doctor telling you to look it up on the web shows how much he/she knows. You deserve to get treatment from someone who understands this condition and is up to date with the most current treatments.. bloody Kapake my arse ::)

Lets get you loaded with info for tomorrow so that when you see that doctor you come out armed to the teeth and ready to fight!
Helen

edited because I didn't check how many letters I hadn't typed! ::)

Title: Re: Another Dull Noobie
Post by Cricketbat on Jul 27^th, 2006, 7:19am

You DEFINITELY need to see a neuro, for one thing you need an MRI. Everyone going through this kind of pain should have one just to rule out anything else. CH is an uncommon condition, your doctor teling you to look it up on the web shows how much he/she knows. You deserve to get treatment from someone who understands this condition and is up to date with the most current treatments.. bloody Kapake my arse

Lets get you loaded with info for tomorrow so that when you see that doctor you come out armed to the teeth and ready to fight!
Helen

Helen you are now my all time heroine ;;D

Title: Re: Another Dull Noobie
Post by JeffB on Jul 27^th, 2006, 1:36pm

A chocolate fireguard [smiley=laugh.gif] [smiley=laugh.gif]

Too funny!
Welcome from the other side of the pond!

Title: Re: Another Dull Noobie
Post by lashultz on Jul 27^th, 2006, 7:49pm

Helen,

I could not have said it any better myself. You are on target.

Lee