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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Cluster Headache Specific >> Hot as hell?
        
(Message started by: Pellsey on Jan 17^th, 2007, 9:58am)

Title: Hot as hell?
Post by Pellsey on Jan 17^th, 2007, 9:58am

G'day, I've read a fair bit of stuff now about the beast and on this site and others read how fellow sufferers try to deal with it. I've not heard of anyone else trying what I do and wanted to know if anybody does it.

I get in the shower and turn the water on as hot as I can bare it. I stand with the shower pouring over the back of my head and then move my head up and down, back and forth so the whole right side of my head gets the water. When i'm used to the heat I turn the water hotter so it really burns, almost scalding if I can. The pain's nothing to that of the CH as you know. About 40% of the time after about 20 minutes of this it goes away for a while. Other times when the shower fails i'll get out, just put a towell around me without drying myself then sit and rock in front of the air conditioner in the bedroom so that i freeze. I do this till it goes or I pass out. Other times nothing works.

I'm sure that it's probably just me using other discomforts in an attempt to focus on something other than the torture but it really seems to help me out some of the time.

Title: Re: Hot as hell?
Post by Shedz on Jan 17^th, 2007, 10:08am

I think theres a few of us that torture ourselves while in mid hit chap ;) The freezing of the head is something that works for me too! At the first sign of a hit I neck 2 or 3 red bulls then press an ice pack onto the back of my neck, but now I have o2 at home which is what i reach for first. For a major hit, I use it all! Anything to get the beast to leave me in peace instead of pieces ;;D
PFDAN's to ya chap.....

Title: Re: Hot as hell?
Post by nosnowmen on Jan 17^th, 2007, 11:34am

I do the exact same thing. From the hot, hotter, hottest method, to damp and standing outside in the cool of the night. It helps me quite a bit, or it just confuses the beast into submission for a time.

Title: Re: Hot as hell?
Post by Bob_Johnson on Jan 17^th, 2007, 1:10pm

Several years ago some folks were reporting good results directing a hot hair dryer at the site of the pain. The idea of temperature extremes have been a regular topic of discussion here.

Title: Re: Hot as hell?
Post by floridian on Jan 17^th, 2007, 1:49pm

While it may not affect the hypothalamus, heat and cold can definitely impact shallower nerves that are connected to the trigeminal nerve. Maybe the hypothalamus is the finger, and the trigeminal is the trigger, and if you can make the trigger stiffer, less likely to fire? The ideas of referred pain and pain circuits where the trigger is distant from the experience of pain is somewhat mysterious, but may be useful in understanding CH. Heat or cold could overload or turn down these circuits that may feed into trigeminal activity.

Quote:

Cephalalgia. 2006 Sep;26(9):1061-70.

Myofascial trigger points, neck mobility and forward head posture in unilateral migraine.

* Fernandez-de-Las-Penas C,
* Cuadrado ML,
* Pareja JA.

Department of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, and Department of Neurology, Fundacion Hospital Alcorcon, Madrid, Spain. cesarfdlp@yahoo.es

This paper describes the differences in the presence of myofascial trigger points (TrPs) in the upper trapezius, sternocleidomastoid, temporalis and suboccipital muscles between unilateral migraine subjects and healthy controls, and the differences in the presence of TrPs between the symptomatic side and the non-symptomatic side in migraine subjects. In addition, we assess the differences in the presence of both forward head posture (FHP) and active neck mobility between migraine subjects and healthy controls and the relationship between FHP and neck mobility. Twenty subjects with unilateral migraine without side-shift and 20 matched controls participated. TrPs were identified when there was a hypersensible tender spot in a palpable taut band, local twitch response elicited by the snapping palpation of the taut band and reproduction of the referred pain typical of each TrP. Side-view pictures were taken in both sitting and standing positions to measure the cranio-vertebral angle. A cervical goniometer was employed to measure neck mobility. Migraine subjects showed a significantly greater number of active TrPs (P<0.001), but not latent TrPs, than healthy controls. Active TrPs were mostly located ipsilateral to migraine headaches (P<0.01). Migraine subjects showed a smaller cranio-vertebral angle than controls (P<0.001), thus presenting a greater FHP. Neck mobility in migraine subjects was less than in controls only for extension (P=0.02) and the total range of motion in flexion/extension (P=0.01). However, there was a positive correlation between the cranio-vertebral angle and neck mobility. Nociceptive inputs from TrPs in head and neck muscles may produce continuous afferent bombardment of the trigeminal nerve nucleus caudalis and, thence, activation of the trigeminovascular system. Active TrPs located ipsilateral to migraine headaches might be a contributing factor in the initiation or perpetuation of migraine.

Title: Re: Hot as hell?
Post by Mattrf on Jan 17^th, 2007, 3:13pm

I did the banging the head against the door frame thing for a while but it scared the crap out of my kids and I had to stop doing it. I know it did not help but it inflicted a different pain and at the time it was preferable and kind of took my mind off the other pain but trying to explain that to a 8 year old who just see’s daddy hurting himself is a bit hard so now I just suck it up and no more head banging at least not at home.

Matt
[smiley=laugh.gif]

Title: Re: Hot as hell?
Post by Barry_T_Coles on Jan 17^th, 2007, 5:21pm

Hi Pellsey
Welcome; I’m the opposite hot water only intensifies the pain for me, it’s gotta be cold packs and as many as I can fit on that side of my head.

There’s a few of us Aussies here & Aussie Brian who’s been around forever will proly be along shortly and is a Banana Bender like you.

Grab an oar & start rowing.

Cheers
Barry

Edited to ad Edbeek is a bender to, shees ;;D

Title: Re: Hot as hell?
Post by BB on Jan 17^th, 2007, 6:54pm

Hello Pellsey

Welcome and thanks for sharing your experience.

I am a supporter for my husband who has CH, we live in Sydney. For him its the opposite in temperature, he finds cold air and ice helps with the pain a lot more than heat. Getting hot and sweaty is a trigger for him.

Have you tried oxygen? It helps a lot and my husband has managed to abort several attacks with it and ice alone.

Painfree wishes to you.

Annette

Title: Re: Hot as hell?
Post by TonyG1 on Jan 17^th, 2007, 7:03pm

Hi Pellsey - I too generally use heat --- hot bath --- submerge my head -- leaving the hair wet (thank goodness it is winter in America) -- go outside in the cold air -- it seems to me alternating the heat and then cold is helpful to me... My personal experience is that cold by itself is not ever really been helpful for me

Title: Re: Hot as hell?
Post by BlueMeanie on Jan 17^th, 2007, 7:58pm

Welcome Pellsey.

Have you tried abortives (triptans)? 02 ?

The very hot water method followed by ice packs works pretty good while waiting for abortives to kick in.

Title: Re: Hot as hell?
Post by Pellsey on Jan 17^th, 2007, 8:15pm

I've been giventhe O2 a few times in hospital but by the time i get there and then seen to i don't know if the O2 worked or if it was just time for the beast to go elsewhere.

As far as ice goes there's nothing worse for me. The air con after teh shower works well but if i try to put anything cold near my head the intensity increases immediately. Feels like double some times.

Great night for me last night. The shadow had me thinking that I was in deep sh1t but it nver got any worse than a 3. Pretty happy today.

PF days to all

Title: Re: Hot as hell?
Post by BarbaraD on Jan 18^th, 2007, 6:48pm

When I get hit my thermostat goes to "burn" and I can't stand any more heat. I go for the cold. A few times I just stuck my head in the freezer - other times (when weather was extemely cold), I go outside and sit in a rocking chair, pull my hair and scream. Scares the hell out of the dogs, but they're used to it.

People who come to my house know to wear overcoats cause you can hang meat in here.

Heat is a definite trigger for me.

Hugs BD

Title: Re: Hot as hell?
Post by lskilly on Jan 18^th, 2007, 7:08pm

The heat is a no no for me. Head in freezer, Ice, right now snow packed on my face. And a popcicle shoved against the roof of my mouth. If I can't get anything else cold the popcicle alone will at least help.

Skilly

Title: Re: Hot as hell?
Post by catherinelane on Jan 21^st, 2007, 6:13pm

yeah heat is a trigger for me too loads of times my hubby has awoken to find me asleep on the floor by the back door and when im in cycle he goes out and buys himself thermal underwear because i sleep with every window wide open sleeping right underneath but i find that knocks off 90% of night time hits.

Title: Re: Hot as hell?
Post by tabascoice on Jan 21^st, 2007, 7:11pm

I am on my fourth period of clusters over the past 5 years. My Doctor misdiagnosed the first three. Thanks to this web site and furnishing him with info he now agrees that I am a cluster head. I believe i am in the tail end of the current cluster as the episodes have dropped to one a night and are only 4-5 on the kip scale after only 2 weeks. My first bout lasted three months. Hopefully they are on their way out for another year but i have learned not to be too optimistic to avoid a major disappointment.

I too have had success with the hot shower blasting on my face. I think the brain gets confused getting two signals of pain and will only let one through at a time.

I also found at time sit ups, in the early stages, fends off the beast. If that did not do the trick it is off to the treadmill or 350 laps around the sofa.

Laying down seems to bring it on hard and strong so during the cluster period i sleep sitting up. Just lying down will trigger one. I even purchased one of those air mattresses that have the head of the bed that elevates. That is more comfortable than stacking pillows or sleeping in a chair.

After a week and a half of 2 to 4 hours of intermittent sleep a night it gets harder and harder to exercise (no pun) the beast by walking, pacing, running or sit ups. It seems that it is easier for the beast to attack when you are exhausted from lack of sleep. It is best to fight the beast when you are rested so i try to catch a snooze when ever possible, morning, afternoon or evening because you never know when you are going to spend an all nighter with the beast.

Thank god for this web site. I thought I was going nuts with this and all the doctors i was seeing were hinting that it was all in my head. That part they were right about. I have since had to educate them CH's.

One question for anyone who might know. My doctor said that he did not want to give me oxygen because i am a smoker and he said that getting oxygen would be more than i am used to and i might just quit breathing. Any one confirm this?

Tabasco22@aol.com

Title: Re: Hot as hell?
Post by Barry_T_Coles on Jan 21^st, 2007, 9:07pm

on 01/21/07 at 19:11:27, tabascoice wrote:

One question for anyone who might know. My doctor said that he did not want to give me oxygen because i am a smoker and he said that getting oxygen would be more than i am used to and i might just quit breathing. Any one confirm this?

Tabasco22@aol.com

I'm a smoker & swear by o2, some things you need to remember when using o2 is definately dont smoke while you are huffing the o2, it's better not to use the rubber straps on the mask in case you fall asleep as you can get to much o2 & when I have finnished using it I go out side to air myself out to rid my clothing of the oxygen rich air before I light up a fag.

Cheers
Barry