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        New Message Board Archives >> 2006-2007 Getting to Know Ya Posts >> Tess needs advice
        
(Message started by: Linda_Howell on Nov 9^th, 2007, 9:11pm)

Title: Tess needs advice
Post by Linda_Howell on Nov 9^th, 2007, 9:11pm

Hello to all! My name is Tess...short for Teresa. I am a 32 year old single mother of 2 and this is my first day here. Thank you for being here and thank you for having me here! I have had my ch's for about 6 years now. First episodic and turned chronic about 4 years ago. It's been especially hard to deal with because my children are only 10 and 6 and when I wake them up in the middle of the night with my sobbing and I scare them because I am begging the Lord to just please please make this end!! It's horrible! And then they look at me with those beautiful eyes and tell me how sorry they are for me having a bad ha. I am currently taking Topomax and Propranolol daily and just today started on Lithium in addition becasuse the other two alone weren't working. I do have a small supply of Imitrex and use it sparingly as well as a Rx for oxygen but cant find a place that will accept my insurance so I dont even know yet if oxygen works for me yet. i hope I get to find out. I didn't know where to start writng so I figured this was as good as any place. I just hope some one sees it right away. Does this site have a chat room? I would like to chat with people if it is possible because i think it is easier than the message board. Mayber its just because Im not sure yet how all this works. Well I am really glad to have found this site and I hope to make friends here. I am praying for the healing of everyone here as well as myself! May the Lord be with us all!

I got permission to post this, as where she had it might be over-looked.

Tess, as far as cluster headaches arre concerned you are now "Home" we are a family and we will help you any way we can.

You can send me a Personal Message up above, and I will give you a link so we can talk in real time.

Linda

Title: Re: Tess needs advice
Post by DennisM1045 on Nov 10^th, 2007, 8:30am

Hi Tess,

I'm so sorry to hear you have clusters. Like Linda said, you have come to the right place. Welcome home hon!

What insurance do you have? Maybe we can help figure out how to get you a supplier.

O2 works well for me. I use 15lpm and a non-rebreather mask. There is lots of good info on how to use it properly on ouch-us. You should become a member there too.

http://www.ouch-us.org/medications/oxygen/o2links.htm

To cut down on night hits I use Melatonin. Its an over-the-counter supplement. Start with 6mg and work your way up to 12mg after a week if 6mg doesn't work. It takes some time to build up in your system. This cycle I had almost no night hits at all.

Have you tried energy drinks? They will abort a hit too. I use them in combination with Oxygen therapy during the day. If you drink one at night you may not be able to get back to sleep.

On the topic of chat vs the message board I will say this. Chat will get you in touch with whomever happens to be available at that time. By posting to the message board you will get valuable feedback from many more people over the next 24 hours. Many folks (me included) aren't here late at night but are here early AM and again around noon. I'm on the east coast of the US. There are folks on this board from all over the world. So posting gets you the best of what we have 24/7.

Anyway, please tell us more so we can get started helping you. Good luck hon. I hope you get some PF (pain free) time soon.

-Dennis-

Title: Re: Tess needs advice
Post by Melissa on Nov 10^th, 2007, 8:32am

Hello Tess and welcome!

As for the O2, forgo whether or not they'll accept your insurance and pay for the O2 yourself. The largest cost would be to rent the tanks & regulator, but the refills arn't that expensive. It'd be WELL worth the money!

It's honestly the BEST thing I've ever found to give me some relief within 20min or less.

Title: Re: Tess needs advice
Post by ski2k on Nov 10^th, 2007, 9:09am

Welcome Tess, from a fellow Michigander!

I found your original post, and Linda's right... it'd get lost in the shuffle.
I know exactly how you feel about the kids seeing you like that, and saying how sad for you they are. Mine have done the same thing! So what do you do about it?!?!
Well you've done the right thing! You've found this site!
You definitely want to call around about the O2. I found one company my last cycle that let me have all the O2 I wanted each month for only $50 per month! They told me that plan wasn't really meant for someone who would be using the large amount I needed, but they put me on it anyway! A few others I had called were MUCH more expensive, so it pays to call around a bit.
Also, with 2 kids THAT age (sooo hard to keep up with them!) it might be worth it to try an energy drink with Taurine and caffeine. ;) Many have found (myself included) that when you drink one at the first sign of a hit, it will knock it right out within just a few minutes!

Anyway... Good luck, and keep us posted!

Adam

Title: Re: Tess needs advice
Post by tessistired on Nov 10^th, 2007, 9:56am

Good morning all!! Thank you for replying. And hello to my fellow michigander! I am soooo excited because last night was my first PF night in a long time. I did wake up with what non ch sufferer's would call a bad ha and my body aching real bad...but hey I will gladly trade that in any day. Took two IB and I am all better now! I am praying daily for all of us and our healing and coping just so you all know. And I thank you all for your encouraging words and good advice. Just from being on here for one day I have learned so much. I just tried to log into the chat but couldnt get in..oh well. Hopefully soon. My fellow MI'er...where in MI are you?...do you know anymore about where I can get an o2 tank...can you help me with that maybe?

Title: Re: Tess needs advice
Post by DennisM1045 on Nov 10^th, 2007, 10:21am

Hi Tess, The username and password for chat has to be created separately from your board username and password. Just follow the instructions on the login screen.

-Dennis-

Title: Re: Tess needs advice
Post by ski2k on Nov 11^th, 2007, 7:55pm

Sorry I haven't replied sooner, Tess... I live in Muskegon. Quite a ways away from you. I don't think the place I went for my O2 has any other offices, but you can check your phonebook and see if they're listed. They're called In Home Care Equipment. Other than that, I really don't know your area at all, and don't have any idea what's available there. Sorry!! :-/
If you have any more questions, feel free to pm me, or send me an e-mail. I'll do whatever I can to help out!

Take care,
Adam