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        New Message Board Archives >> Jan-Mar 2003 >> Gone for 6 Years...back !!!
        
(Message started by: shipo on Feb 3rd, 2003, 9:17am)
Title: Gone for 6 Years...back !!!
Post by shipo on Feb 3rd, 2003, 9:17am
G'day all,
This is my first post , i stumbled across this forum by searching in dogpile on CH and i'm glad i did. My first bout of CH began in the mid 80's and continued yearly until around 1997.For several years the bouts would come at exactly the same time of year but moved forward monthly as time went on.Not one doctor diagnosed what was wrong and i tried every avenue,i finally found out myself through reading books what i was suffering from. After nearly 6 years of freedom i've got the devil on my back again, :'( 2 weeks ago i thought i must be getting a virus. I'd forgotten the old symptoms and the first signs of a bout, i can't believe i've got this shit again. Has anyone ever had a break for so long and copped it again ??? i used to take Migral and still had some old pills so i've been popping them for some relief but i was wondering what newer drugs are available also.
Any replies would be most appreciated...
Regards
Shipo :)
Title: Re: Gone for 6 Years...back !!!
Post by neilr on Feb 3rd, 2003, 12:20pm
Hi there,

I know how you feel,  my clusters had gone for 3 years and came back in mid December (haved had CH for 15 years and previousley it was always a yearly attack).  
Migril works well for me too,  one thing I would suggest though,  is get some new tablets, the ones i took this past december when it flared up again were old and made me feel very ill plus heavy limbs.  Don't know if they do degrade with age but the new batch dont give me those affects.  thought it was worth mentioning.  good luck.

Neil  
Title: Re: Gone for 6 Years...back !!!
Post by DeanO on Feb 3rd, 2003, 12:52pm
My CH's were gone for four or five years and have just come back. I used to get them every one year and 3-4 months.

Then, when I turned 38, they just stopped. My internist at the time also had CH's and said the same thing happened to him. Late 30's and they just left.

I'm now in my first cluster since then. Much of the medicine refered to on these boards I don't recognize, so I'm going the "tried and true" route of vicadin.

I just moved to Washington DC and my health insurance from New York City doesn't really extend down here. I don't have the money to try new procedures (this will all be out of pocket except for the medicines).

Yes, regretably, CH's do come back. Let's hope it's not as frequently as before.

Dean
Title: Re: Gone for 6 Years...back !!!
Post by ZAIRA on Feb 3rd, 2003, 2:24pm

Hi Shipo, Welcome.
I’m sorry that the beast didn’t forget you...
FIGHT Shipo, that you are not alone, let’s keep in touch!

My best best wishes,

Zaira  :-*
Title: Re: Gone for 6 Years...back !!!
Post by Mark C on Feb 3rd, 2003, 2:49pm
Welcome to the Nuthouse Shipo,
I hope the beast makes a sharp left turn and heads back away from you. Sorry bout the "relaspe". I have attached a good link about current meds, I hope it helps.
PFDAN's
Mark

http://www.clusterheadaches.org/library/medications/index.htm
Title: Re: Gone for 6 Years...back !!!
Post by JDH on Feb 3rd, 2003, 3:56pm
Hi Shipo, sorry to see you here but welcome.
I hadn't been in a CH cycle since 1998 but the beast found me this past Sept and been staying around for an extended stay ever since.
Ask your Dr about oxygen. It's cheap and I've had great success with it aborting attacks.
Good luck & PFDAN's to you Shipo!
Title: Re: Gone for 6 Years...back !!!
Post by domm on Feb 3rd, 2003, 5:44pm
Shipo and neilr - read up on the "new" stuff for CH. Oxygen, Imitrex (or other triptans) and Verapamil as a preventative. Although none of this is really "new". Vicadin probably won't do squat for a cluster, at least it didn't for mine.
Click your way through this site and the OUCH website. When you're done, you'll know more about CH than most doctors.
Good luck
domm
Title: Re: Gone for 6 Years...back !!!
Post by Aussie on Feb 3rd, 2003, 7:52pm
G'day Shipo,
Seems the quaks in QLd are on par with the ones here in WA - aven't got a clue. If they can't fix something with antibiotics, they're stumped.
This site seems to have the answers and people who actualy give a F*#k.

6 years without a CH would be like winning lotto, mine come and go in 4 - 6 month cycles and normaly last up to 2 - 3 weeks a cluster.

Good Luck mate.
Title: Re: Gone for 6 Years...back !!!
Post by shipo on Feb 4th, 2003, 12:32am
Thank you all so much for the warm welcome and great responses i really appreciate the input. :) I actually thought i'd seen the last of my CH'S after such a long break but from what you've all written i see now i was mistaken.
Neilr, i have a docs appointment Friday so i'll get a new script as i suspect your right about the old pills degrading thanks for the advice.
DeanO, thanks for your help and good luck.
Zaira, don't worry i intend to fight,with the help of all the good people on this forum,best wishes to you also.
Mark,thanks for the link mate i'll check that out.
JDH,i worked in the hospital for 20 years and suffered some horror CH'S at work,i used to grab an oxygen mask and plug it straight into the wallmounted supply.For me it had no real benefit unfortunately,thanks and good luck also.
Domm,thanks it looks like i have a bit of reading and research to do,good luck back at you.
G'day Aussie,nice to see a fellow countryman from downunder though it would've been better to meet you at the pub then in a CH forum.Your right about the quacks mate not a friggin' clue,and yep 6 years was like winning the lotto.I love it over in WA but haven't been for a long time,your in a great part of Aussie mate i'm sorry your suffering so much though.Bloody hard to enjoy much at all when your going through a bout.
Thanks again everyone
Good luck to you all
Shipo :)
Title: Re: Gone for 6 Years...back !!!
Post by Charlie on Feb 4th, 2003, 6:58am
Welcome aboard and I'm sorry the beast found you again.  

It's been nearly 12 years since my last attack. Can't say I miss it and I'm aware how lucky I've been. It's been long enough that I'm pretty sure it's over. My case makes me wonder if there really is an age factor. I got them in 1969 when I was 23 and they disappeared in 1991 when I was 45. I really don't know why and it was during the most stressful time of my life. I know, it makes no sense to me either.  

Anyway, glad to have you on our ward and stick around.

Charlie
Title: Re: Gone for 6 Years...back !!!
Post by ZAIRA on Feb 4th, 2003, 7:28am
Hi Shipo,
I’m sure you’ll win because all the clustered are very strong character.
I always think: “Had I found this site before…”.
The first clusterhead was Riccardo, my Boss in OUCH Italia, It was a wonderful day!

All the best,

Zaira  :-*




on 02/04/03 at 00:32:14, shipo wrote:
Thank you all so much for the warm welcome and great responses i really appreciate the input. :) I actually thought i'd seen the last of my CH'S after such a long break but from what you've all written i see now i was mistaken.
Neilr, i have a docs appointment Friday so i'll get a new script as i suspect your right about the old pills degrading thanks for the advice.
DeanO, thanks for your help and good luck.
Zaira, don't worry i intend to fight,with the help of all the good people on this forum,best wishes to you also.
Mark,thanks for the link mate i'll check that out.
JDH,i worked in the hospital for 20 years and suffered some horror CH'S at work,i used to grab an oxygen mask and plug it straight into the wallmounted supply.For me it had no real benefit unfortunately,thanks and good luck also.
Domm,thanks it looks like i have a bit of reading and research to do,good luck back at you.
G'day Aussie,nice to see a fellow countryman from downunder though it would've been better to meet you at the pub then in a CH forum.Your right about the quacks mate not a friggin' clue,and yep 6 years was like winning the lotto.I love it over in WA but haven't been for a long time,your in a great part of Aussie mate i'm sorry your suffering so much though.Bloody hard to enjoy much at all when your going through a bout.
Thanks again everyone
Good luck to you all
Shipo :)


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