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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Cluster Headache Specific >> Lead Paint My Ass
        
(Message started by: Phil the Desert Rat on Mar 20^th, 2006, 5:00am)

Title: Lead Paint My Ass
Post by Phil the Desert Rat on Mar 20^th, 2006, 5:00am

Hey, all...

Again, my bottomless thanks for your help, advice, and support during my first bout with these dreaded monsters (Jan 1 - Jan 16, 2006). Thankfully, I have been HA free so far (knock on wood). I still get occasional "twinges," but nothing--NOTHING--compared to those awful days in January.

As I am in the process of renovating an old house (pre-1940's), and the HA's started during, my doctor asked me if there might be any lead paint on the old drywall I am tearing out, as if to suggest a cause...yes, there is lead paint, and yes, I do wear a mask (though not a proper NIOSH-approved, face-fit cartridge type). My partner did not develop these monsters even though he and I work side by side gutting this old place...seems a dubious connection.

BTW...methinks me IQ remains somewhat intact during the demo and remo...lead would dim me wits? A bit??

Just out of curiosity, any CH sufferers in the process of lead paint removal?...

I didn't think so.

Well, anyway, thanks again for the advice, the support, the understanding. It truly sucks that we know the beast, but it truly helps that we have each other. Great Spirit keep us all.

--Phil

Title: Re: Lead Paint My Ass
Post by Jasmyn on Mar 20^th, 2006, 5:06am

Hi Phil, I'm glad to hear you are still CH free.

No, I'm not in the process of lead paint removal and I do not plan to do such an activity in the near future ;;D but for other health reasons besides CH, please wear the correct mask.

CH won't kill you but lead paint may, in the long run ;)

Title: Re: Lead Paint My Ass
Post by BarbaraD on Mar 20^th, 2006, 7:52am

Phil,

don't think lead paint causes CH, but who knows. I ate enough of it as a kid -- but didn't get CH till later years - so who knows... delayed reaction [smiley=huh.gif] [smiley=huh.gif]

Hope you stay HA free for a long long time.

Hugs BD

Title: Re: Lead Paint My Ass
Post by BobG on Mar 20^th, 2006, 7:57am

Glad to hear your attacks have almost stopped.

I have to agree with you that the lead paint and the attacks is a dubious connection. I’m not an expert but have never heard of it before. And your partner not getting the headaches does not surprise me. Cluster sufferers are only .001 percent of the population. If there were thousands of partners on the job then maybe, only maybe, would one be expected to also suffer clusters.

Title: Re: Lead Paint My Ass
Post by burnt-toast on Mar 20^th, 2006, 8:06am

I've renovated several older homes. I'm sure I've exceeded my daily recommended dose of lead on numerous occasions. Who knows?

Tom

Title: Re: Lead Paint My Ass
Post by BMoneeTheMoneeMan on Mar 20^th, 2006, 10:04am

You have to consume a pretty large amount of lead paint to be affected.
The way this lead paint scare all came about was in Chicago, when a mother left her little kid to starve to death in a locked room. The kid was so hungry, he scraped a shitload of the paint off and ate it. Its not like it was a few flakes, or a few drops.
Lead paint is actually pretty safe stuff, just dont leave your starving kid in a room with it.
B$

Title: Re: Lead Paint My Ass
Post by floridian on Mar 20^th, 2006, 12:46pm

Headaches (unspecified type) are one recognized consequence of lead poisoning. Lead, like most other heavy metals, is a neurotoxin.

No one is saying that lead is the cause of all clusterheadaches, any more than they are saying that alcohol or gas fumes are the cause of all clusterheadaches. But we know that many people are made worse by alcohol and gasoline, and no one has studied the effect of lead on cluster headaches. Could lead make clusters worse? Sure, it might. In 20 years, we will probably know for sure. Until then, you are on your own.

One study I found said that lead at low doses (that caused no obvious changes in body weight and behaviour) messed up calcium metabolism and reduced the effects of verapamil. I can't imagine that an anti-verapamil would be good for cluster activity.

on 03/20/06 at 10:04:20, BMoneeTheMoneeMan wrote:

Gotta disagree with you on that, BMonnee. Exposure to lead in smaller amounts (in the air from leaded gas exhaust, for example) has measurable impact on children's intelligence. Lead paint also tends to get pulverized when sanding, and blood levels spike up when doing that kind of rennovation.

This was on the Tennessee.gov website: Lead poisoning is caused by swallowing or inhaling lead. Even small amounts of chipped lead paint or leaded dust can cause severe and lasting harm to children.

Title: Re: Lead Paint My Ass
Post by Barry_T_Coles on Mar 22^nd, 2006, 1:53am

on 03/20/06 at 07:52:45, BarbaraD wrote:

What made kids of our era eat lead paint I dont know but we all seem to have done it, maybe it was we were told not to so we did.
I didn't get CH untill I was 51 and beer had truly replaced lead paint as my favorite.
Cheers
Barry

Title: Re: Lead Paint My Ass
Post by CHTom on Mar 22^nd, 2006, 3:10am

Chronic, long-term exposure to lead paint can cause brain damage, but the process takes a long time and one must have exposure over a long period of time (unless you eat it, like those poor children). The same is true of long term exposure to mercury. In the 16th and 17th centuries, mercury was used to prepare fur for making hats; many hat makers became insane after years of breathing in the stuff, hence the expression "Mad as a hatter". From medieval times until sometime in the 19th century, mercury injections were used to "cure" venereal disease, which was rampant in those days. Many of those treated, particularly many times, died of mercury poisoning rather than from the VD. Condoms have been available since ancient Roman times, but they weren't used much until the 20th century (the ones from years ago were reuseable-just wash and wear again ::))!