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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Getting to Know Ya >> Please allow me to introduce myself :)
        
(Message started by: Peaches on Feb 13^th, 2008, 6:29am)

Title: Please allow me to introduce myself :)
Post by Peaches on Feb 13^th, 2008, 6:29am

Hi there, nice to meet all of you.
Today I'm feeling like a million bucks, thank you very much.

While I'm new here to this board and newly diagnosed as having cluster headaches, suffering long bouts with this ailment is NOT new to me.
During other bouts which ran from several weeks to several months I was sent to many drs. and for many tests but never to a neurologist.
This time around I decided to send MYSELF to the very best ENT I know rather of than the one , my family dr. sent me to (and he's a miserable cuss at that). My own wonderful, kind, caring and brilliant guy sent me directly to an equally wonderful, kind caring and brilliant neurologist and she had me diagnosed in short order.

I'd used so many ice chips to help my middle of the night episodes that I swear I was getting freezer burn! They helped enough that it was worth it. Holding my breath rather like you'd do to clear your ears at high altitude helped a bit too but well, you all know........
The regular prescribed pain medication stuff simply did not work for me, not at all.
Then there was that thought in my mind (of which there are very few most of the time), that said why am I taking this uber strong stuff whose effect lasts 4 hours or more for pains that last 20 min to an hour X2or 3?

So here I am today feeling all fuzzy and good after getting 3 good nights sleep in a row! The neuro. put me on Depakote and so far it's working or at least I think it is.
Never can be sure about these things = is it just that the headache/killer pain cycle is over after 3 months or is it the medication ?
Can you tell the difference?

After reading everyone else's experiences it was good to know that yep, that was my experience too. I know just how you feel/felt.

Great site, great information and thanks for sharing.

Peaches

Title: Re: Please allow me to introduce myself :)
Post by DennisM1045 on Feb 13^th, 2008, 6:42am

Hi Peaches,

Welcome to your 2nd home :D

It is an amazing feeling when your realize that you aren't alone. That there are other people out there that suffer the same as you do. There is strength in shared experience and that is what this site is all about.

Most folks use a two pronged approach to managing these things. You want an abortive strategy that shortens the attacks and a preventative strategy the keeps them at bay, or as close to that as possible.

For me, 100% Oxygen at a 15lpm flow rate with a non-rebreather mask can kill a visit from the beast in 10-15 minutes. I do get reattacks so I usually back that up with an energy drink - anything on sale that has 1000mg of Taurine in it. You're gonna hear a lot about O2!

For a preventative, well I'm still searching for something that will work.

Here are a couple of documents that describe the latest in treatment approach.

http://www.plainboard.com/ch/chtherapy.pdf
http://www.efns.org/files/guideline_49.pdf

I hope this info is helpful in setting up your strategy for your next cycle. Welcome to the nut house.

-Dennis-

Title: Re: Please allow me to introduce myself :)
Post by Guiseppi on Feb 13^th, 2008, 10:03am

What Dennis said!!! So glad you found us, it's a great feeling to know you aren't as crazy as you were starting to think you were! Another very strong vote for oxygen here, I can abort an attack, that is be completely pain free, in less then 10 minutes, often as short as 6 minutes. You'll hear that a lot on this forum.

My preventative medication is lithium at 1200 mg a day. Been very effective for many years now, I'm episodic like you, I get cycles of headaches then months/years with nothing. Others on the board are chronic, they don;t get the remissions we get. :-/

Check out the Dallas get together we have coming up. Hanging out with 50 or so CH'ers, meeting them and their families is an incredible experience. Welcome home!

Guiseppi

Title: Re: Please allow me to introduce myself :)
Post by Peaches on Feb 13^th, 2008, 11:42am

Thanks for the warm welcome, it's appreciated.

Actually I'm grinning from ear to ear because, while it may have been my imagination, some of the drs. I've seen about this issue over the years actually seemed to have a look of dread seeing me in their office AGAIN. - The whole "it's probably a sinus infection" and "here's an Rx for some antibiotics" thing didn't work for me. It' NOT a sinus infection and I do NOT want antibiotics, it's something else and needs to be treated some other way.

Funny how things like that work, isn't it.

Well anyway, thanks again for making me feel welcome and like I'm in a good place.

A gathering? How fun! Probably won't be able to participate in that but I wish I could. But maybe...
Can I bring my little dogs?

Besides having the CH thing which is painful for me, I've recently become an obnoxious small dog owner person which is probably quite painful to those around me.

Title: Re: Please allow me to introduce myself :)
Post by Ray on Feb 13^th, 2008, 2:21pm

Welcome Peaches:

Glad to have you aboard!

Ray

Title: Re: Please allow me to introduce myself :)
Post by thebbz on Feb 13^th, 2008, 10:45pm

Hope your still doing better
Welcome
thebb