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        New Message Board Archives >> Jan-Mar 2004 >> Please advise
        
(Message started by: Fishman35 on Jan 9^th, 2004, 1:10pm)

Title: Please advise
Post by Fishman35 on Jan 9^th, 2004, 1:10pm

I have never been a headache sufferer in my life, even through 7 years of alchohol abuse. I had two years sober and still no headaches. Then I relapsed a couple of weeks ago on alcohol. I have been sober a couple of weeks and now I get these intense headaches about 3 times a day. I awake after two hours of sleep. The weird thing is that I can take two aspirin and it is gone within 5 minutes. I am going to the doctor on Monday. I don't know if this is a cluster headache, but it is intense and is only on the left side of my head. Any feedback or advise would be greatly apprieciated. [smiley=huh.gif]

Title: Re: Please advise
Post by Paigelle on Jan 9^th, 2004, 1:15pm

Oh I am so sorry you are suffering with headaches. Take the cluster quiz on this site and just read all the info available here and at the OUCH site. It will be helpful. Good luck! Let us know what happens and we will be to listen. Welcome to the family.

Title: Re: Please advise
Post by TomM on Jan 9^th, 2004, 1:26pm

I get CH's whether I drink or not. I tend to cut back when in cycle just because I don't feel like drinking.
Welcome aboard and do take the quiz. Do some research on this site, get feel for what's happening, and keep us informed of your condition.
TomM

Title: Re: Please advise
Post by Charlie on Jan 9^th, 2004, 4:58pm

Headaches that wake you out of a cold sleep may well be clusters. Usually they hit any time. Aspirin will have zero effect on clusters. If they are, I suspect that the attack subsides on its own. Aspirin takes somewhere near 20 minutes to take effect.

Look around here and let us know what you find.

Charlie

Title: Re: Please advise
Post by Prense on Jan 9^th, 2004, 5:41pm

For me, some alcohol (beer, rum...) is a near instant trigger for an attack... The timing may very well be coincidental in your case though.

Please let us know how the doc visit goes.

Chris

Title: Re: Please advise
Post by jonny on Jan 9^th, 2004, 5:49pm

on 01/09/04 at 13:10:59, Fishman35 wrote:

Asprin in five minutes?....gimme a break.

TROLL

...........................jonny

Title: Re: Please advise
Post by FrankF on Jan 9^th, 2004, 6:08pm

on 01/09/04 at 17:49:07, jonny wrote:

Asprin in five minutes?....gimme a break.

TROLL

...........................jonny

Or... if the headaches were CPH they could be gone in five minutes, making the person think that aspirin must have helped.

Title: Re: Please advise
Post by Mark C on Jan 9^th, 2004, 6:11pm

http://www.drfeller.com/Mark/textclickhere.gif (http://www.clusterheadaches.com/quiz.html)

http://www.drfeller.com/Mark/textclickhere.gif (http://www.clusterheadaches.com/traits.html)

http://www.drfeller.com/Mark/textclickhere.gif (http://www.clusterheadaches.org/diagnose.htm)

http://www.drfeller.com/Mark/textclickhere.gif (http://www.clusterheadaches.org/library/general/index.htm)

I hope you do not have CH...good luck.

Title: Re: Please advise
Post by captdshea on Jan 9^th, 2004, 7:04pm

asprin seldom goes to work in five mins.

Title: Re: Please advise
Post by Patrick_A on Jan 10^th, 2004, 12:38am

I got news for ya. Even if you had a 4 hour cluster headache. You could take 20 aspirins and it wouldn't touch ur CH at all!
I hope ya aint got CH, but if ya do, forget the aspirins. Its a waste of time!

Patrick

Title: Re: Please advise
Post by Fishman35 on Jan 10^th, 2004, 9:37am

First of all, I want to thank everyone for replying. Last night was the worst one. I woke up after 1:45 minutes worth of sleep to a seething headache that took 20 minutes to go away. A hot compress did not help and I almost drove to the hospital because I felt like my left eye was going to pop out of its socket. Then it went away, but I do not wish that kind of pain on Saddam, (well, maybe). I have read about this and taken the quiz and it was 50/50. I have high blood pressure, I was also very sick with flu for 2 months and I feel like I might have a polip on the left side if my sinuses, (where the pain is), so it may be one of these. I took some catapress for the blood pressure today so we will see if that helps. I hope it is nothing serious like a tumor. We will see on Monday. By the way, how do doctors diagnose this CH? I am an analytical person who researches as best I can so I am not oblivious to the situation.

Title: Re: Please advise
Post by FrankF on Jan 10^th, 2004, 10:21am

on 01/10/04 at 09:37:17, Fishman35 wrote:

.... By the way, how do doctors diagnose this CH? I am an analytical person who researches as best I can so I am not oblivious to the situation.

If you are extremely lucky, your doctor will know the difference between sinus infections, migraines, CH, and CPH. And if you very accurately describe your symptoms, he will know what it is.

In the real world, it doesn't usually work that way. So you get prescribed antibiotics for sinus infections, or pain killers like Percocet and Vicodin.

I suggest that you print out the cluster quiz, circle the answers, and show it to your doctor.

Title: Re: Please advise
Post by captdshea on Jan 10^th, 2004, 10:28am

keep a headache log to show to the doctor.
Log date, time begins and time it ends.

pfdan

Title: Re: Please advise
Post by Prense on Jan 10^th, 2004, 10:50am

on 01/10/04 at 09:37:17, Fishman35 wrote:

By the way, how do doctors diagnose this CH?

There is no test that a doc can run to diagnose CH...there are several tests they can run to rule out other conditions. To diagnose CH, docs rely on the patient's description of symptoms to include frequency/severity. There are some unique symptoms to CH.

Chris

Title: Re: Please advise
Post by Zonie on Jan 10^th, 2004, 9:57pm

You are on the right track by doing the cluster research yourself. The if your doctor rules out every other possibility you should definitely inquire as to his/her knowledge or expertise regarding these monsters. If he is not knowledgable, then "run" to the nearest physician that you can find who is familiar with this problem. You should not have to suffer through educating your doctor as so many of us have done.

Hopefully you will escape this plague, but you know where to find us if you have any more questions.

Title: Re: Please advise
Post by Fishman35 on Jan 13^th, 2004, 11:51am

Well, I went to the emergency room on Saturday because it became overwhelming. They gave me Naproxin, Vicadin, and a Z pack. I then went to the regular doctor on Monday and they stated that it is cluster headaches brought on by acute sinusitus. They gave me a steroid nasal spray, Verapimil, and more Viciden. I did not have a headache last night, so maybe we are on to something. I can only hope. It has cost me $250.00 out of pocket for this, but anything is worth not getting the headaches I was having. I will keep you all informed. Thanks for all of your help.

Title: Re: Please advise
Post by thomas on Jan 13^th, 2004, 11:57am

on 01/13/04 at 11:51:02, Fishman35 wrote:

Viciden.

hmmmmmmm..... I don't think I would recommend that for treating ch.....

Title: Re: Please advise
Post by CJohnson on Jan 13^th, 2004, 12:02pm

on 01/13/04 at 11:57:12, thomas wrote:

hmmmmmmm..... I don't think I would recommend that for treating ch.....

I agree with Thomas. Vicodin for CH is like trying to stop a charging bull with a tennis ball.

PFDANs
-Curtis