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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Cluster Headache Specific >> question. Pain and when is it urgent
        
(Message started by: joke ten dam on May 14^th, 2006, 6:49pm)

Title: question. Pain and when is it urgent
Post by joke ten dam on May 14^th, 2006, 6:49pm

Sory I posted this on medication spesific.
do you ever vorry you might not realise that you may have a brain hemorage because we are so often in pain?I myself have realised that I have difficulty identifying other pains.
Pains I used to think of as unbareble seem nothing in comparison to CH. When dose one seak a GP for other aches or pains?

Title: Re: question. Pain and when is it urgent
Post by mynm156 on May 14^th, 2006, 9:08pm

This is a fair question. However, the symptoms are not the same. MOST aneurysms come with symptoms more like a Migraine than that of the cluster. You will most likey have blurry or double vision, dialated pupil/pupils, nausea vomiting, sensitivity to light, pain radaiating down your neck and then as it gets worse loss of sensation. These are not usually what you find with the typical Cluster Headache. I spent two years working the Neuro ICU.

Good Vibes

MYNM156

Title: Re: question. Pain and when is it urgent
Post by nikozai on May 17^th, 2006, 5:07am

It seems everyone here at one time or another thought - or was told - that they might have a life threatening illness.
Mine was first diagnosed as a possible unruptured aneurysm.
Bottom line is, doesn't seem that anyone that has these attacks have ever had even the slightest implication of tumor, aneurysm, cancer, or hemorage.

Don't worry, it's just pain and while logic would suggest that any pain would mean damage is being done; I've accepted that these just aren't logical.
Fight the pain, don't worry about it being something serious, it's really not.

Title: Re: question. Pain and when is it urgent
Post by Karla on May 17^th, 2006, 2:30pm

I wait until the pain is as bad as or worse than my cluster headache kip10 before I seek a trip to my dr or ER. I have had severe pain in my body 3x that was worse than ch and in other places as my body. I wait until it is that bad befor I seek help. All 3x I required surgery. The dr couldn't understand how I could be walking around as long as I had before I came in. I simple state the pain wasn't as bad as my ch. My dr got a great understanding of what my daily pain was like then and I never had problems getting meds for my ch. My ch is always on the right side in certain spots. If my ha were to go to another spot I would seek immediate help.

Title: Re: question. Pain and when is it urgent
Post by rapunzel on May 17^th, 2006, 6:27pm

Well, I am going through this right now. I had the standard clusterheadache CAT scan which showed I had had a stroke. That being said, I cannot pinpoint exactly when I had a stroke because I was in the middle of a cycle when it occured. I could not accurately answer the questions ie:
Have you ever had severe headache- um, yes.
When?- um, nightly for the past five months....
what? I have clusterheadaches.....etc etc etc.

I went to physical therapy last week, and they asked me how the pain in my neck and shoulder is on a scale from 1-10, 10 being the worst pain I have ever experienced.
I told them straight out that I suffer from cluster headaches and the worst pain I have ever had was therefore an extremely high 10. I put my shoulder/neck pain at a 3- however, it may be a 10 on someone elses scale. (since physical therapy made me be in pure agony for days afterward, I have since decided that it is not worth going)

I think that clusters prevent us from making accurate judgment calls on our own pain and symptoms that require medical attention. How many of us have wished that the cluster could occur in ANY other part of our body besides our head/eye?? I do so regularly....so, any ache anywhere else is really no big deal compared to my head/eye/nasal passage/neck pain. I just tell people "well, if I pass out or start hemorrhaging profusely just call 911.

Title: Re: question. Pain and when is it urgent
Post by unsolved1 on May 17^th, 2006, 7:21pm

on 05/17/06 at 05:07:02, nikozai wrote:

Bottom line is, doesn't seem that anyone that has these attacks have ever had even the slightest implication of tumor, aneurysm, cancer, or hemorage.

You are WRONG. I know of at least one regular here that had an aneurysm.

on 05/17/06 at 05:07:02, nikozai wrote:

Don't worry, it's just pain ...

don't worry about it being something serious, it's really not.

That's NOT very good advice.

Everyone, plz disregard those statements !

UNsolved

Title: Re: question. Pain and when is it urgent
Post by Jonny on May 17^th, 2006, 7:33pm

Ditto....to what Unsolved posted!!

Title: Re: question. Pain and when is it urgent
Post by BlueMeanie on May 17^th, 2006, 7:37pm

PLEASE.... follow Unsolved's advice. If you have never been tested for any kind of brain damage, tumor, aneurysm, cancer or any other possible defects to the brain, PLEASE... ALWAYS get checked out.

NEVER assume it's just a CH until you know for sure and you have been properly diagnosed. I have read SEVERAL testimony from peeps right here on CH.com that have came back saying that it was NOT CH's and WAS another problem.

ALWAYS get checked first..... PLEASE.

Title: Re: question. Pain and when is it urgent
Post by thebbz on May 17^th, 2006, 9:53pm

[smiley=twocents.gif]
Your response to pain can make CH worse. The body is tough and reactes to counter the pain autonomically. Blood pressure and respiration increase, neurotransmitters adjust accordingly and then the adrenaline hits...makes a Kip 6 increase quickly. Read the Kip scale again I think he nailed it. That being said
when you feel different or there are significant changes from the DIAGNOSED symtoms go see the doc quickly. CH will not kill you however the drugs we take for it will.
Other pains do not rate on the Kip scale not even close.
all the best
jb
U da man Unsolved1 good advice

Title: Re: question. Pain and when is it urgent
Post by thomas on May 17^th, 2006, 10:39pm

That's the million dollar question, Joke. I ignore a lot of pain...... :-/ Just don't have the time to take and get checked out.......

Title: Re: question. Pain and when is it urgent
Post by BarbaraD on May 18^th, 2006, 5:22am

The CH pain I live with and other aches and pains don't compare.

I did go to ER for a pulled groin muscle - and was screaming for pain meds (which I got - I think to shut me up). Now that smarted! But most of the time I just live with the other aches and pains (I'm old you know and have a lot of "old people" pains).

The funny thing -- I went to the doc one day with a stomach pain and he asked me to rate it -- I said about an 8. He was amazed that I was still walking and not screaming. I just told him I have CH -

But it is amazing how much "other" pains seem to be not as important as they were before CH. I guess we just build up a tolerance to them.

Hugs BD