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New Message Board Archives >> Jan-Mar 2004 >> Might have CH...
(Message started by: mem024 on Jan 8th, 2004, 12:03am)

Title: Might have CH...
Post by mem024 on Jan 8th, 2004, 12:03am
I'm new to the board and I'm not yet sure if I have CH or not.  The pain started last Monday, I woke up Monday morning with this weird pain over my left eye.  It was a constant, pressure like pain.  I called my uncle who is an ER doctor and he said it was a sinus infection and put me on amoxil.  The pain continued during the week worsening at time and then diminishing at others.  Come Friday night, I was in the worst pain I've ever felt and my eye was tearing up on my left side.  I went to the ER and they did x-rays and gave me a shot of an antibiotic and pain killers and sent me home.  The pain continued off and on and on Monday morning I went to a doctor and he wanted to do a catscan, but being a student out of my insurance area, I had to drive to home to New Orleans to be seen by my own doctor before I could have a catscan done.  Today, Tuesday, I went to my doctor and she believes I have CH and sent me in to have a catscan done to rule out anything else.  So, my present systems are: a constant pain almost like a pressure feeling over my left eye that will come and go...sometimes it is severe and sometimes just there, a teary left eye, and the area is tender to the touch.  Since, this is the first time in my life I've ever felt this type of pain and I don't know alot about CH, I wanted to know what all of you thought.  Thank you.

Title: Re: Might have CH...
Post by Rick_K on Jan 8th, 2004, 12:08am
Take the Cluster Quiz on the left.  

I hoping you don't bit if it turnes out you have clusters sorry that you do but welcome, this is the right place to be.  A lot of help here...

Read everything you can...as they say read, read, read and try O2, link to the left, it helps a lot of us.

Rick

Title: Re: Might have CH...
Post by cootie on Jan 8th, 2004, 12:10am
Hey mem024......nice ta meet ya.......you will now learning ALOT since you found this place so keep yer eyes peeled and keep us informed of what the docs find and tell ya. Pam that's a house supporter of sorts

Title: Re: Might have CH...
Post by Woobie on Jan 8th, 2004, 1:10am
Well, welcome to Clusterville...

I hope you DON'T have CH.    But, if you do, you found the right place .....  

Read everything, and do what the others said....

HEY = Maybe you could inform your Uncle about CH while you're at it.  A lot of ER docs have NO clue....

Tina

Title: Re: Might have CH...
Post by Patrick_A on Jan 8th, 2004, 1:10am
Seems like there are lots more versions of CH than when i first started researching them. I didnt even know there was any such animal as a Cronic CH till i came here.
But the one symptom that i believe everyone has is the nighttime attack that hits us all about 1 to 3 hours after we go to sleep! That should be the "red flag" for the 1st diagnosis for CH!

Patrick  :)

Title: Re: Might have CH...
Post by t_h_b on Jan 8th, 2004, 6:13am
The "constant pain" doesn't sound typical of CH.  Clusters usually last 30 min to 2 hours or so.  They have rapid onset and resolution.  The eye pain is of a burning/stabbing quality.  But these things are tricky.  It almost sounds like you're having a "shadow" headache with clusters on top of the shadow.  Shadows can last for days.

Nitroglycerin triggers clusters.  You might try that as a sort of a test if you can handle it.  Oxygen (see link on left) is one of the best abortives and you might try that to see if your headache responds to that.  If it is CH you need to find a preventative that works (like melatonin, psilocybin, verapamil or one or more of the many other meds that work for different clusterheads) as well as abortives (like Imitrex, Oxygen, Amerge.)  Almost every clusterhead has preferred treatments.  This site is the best place to begin your education.

You need to make damn sure it is CH because if it's not the treatment would be completely different.

If you do have CH and it got diagnosed so quickly, consider yourself very lucky for that.

Good luck.

Title: Re: Might have CH...
Post by hunterdon04 on Jan 8th, 2004, 6:20am
sorry to hear about yur headaches...like everyone before me said...read and read and read...i also get those shadow headaches and i've been living with the CH above my left eye for tooooo many years...try O2 and the water X3 and watch the alcohol thing......good luck...and unfortunately...welcome 8)

Title: Re: Might have CH...
Post by stevegeebe on Jan 8th, 2004, 7:16am
Hey.

Some things you describe do not seem to fit while other things do.  I hope it's not CH.

Do what others have said and educate yourself.

I see you're from "Mararah".  I'm across the Lake.  If you need any additional assistance please do not hesitate contacting me directly.

Steve G

Title: Re: Might have CH...
Post by thomas on Jan 8th, 2004, 7:55am
Take the quiz, you're a student, you should be good at those.  The only problem is, this is one test you DON'T want to pass.  Seriously though, welcome aboard, if you do have ch you will get lots of support and information here. :)



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