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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies >> ice water worked for me
        
(Message started by: dh on Dec 27^th, 2006, 9:52pm)

Title: ice water worked for me
Post by dh on Dec 27^th, 2006, 9:52pm

Hello - I stumbled onto this site and don't intend to repeat post, but a history of cluster attacks, sometimes separated by months or even years, gives me great empathy for those who suffer the agony. I'd like to share what helped me.
Although I haven't had any attacks for about 8 years, several episodes lasting from 7 to 20+ days previously inspired me to try the home remedy described below and allowed me to avoid a life on "preventive" meds with potential side effects.

To the point, my personal success in consistently shutting down a full attack within 10-30 seconds involves ice water. Many (but not all) of my attacks often started about an hour after falling asleep. In desperation, I kept a bucket of ice water (mostly ice and just enough water to wet a thick towel thoroughly) by the bed. When the pain woke me up, I would sit up in bed and pull the saturated a terry hand towel folded in half lengthwise with the *extremely* out of the cold water and would wring it out just enough so it didn't drip. Then I wrapped it around the back of my head, touching as much skin surface as possible (scalp, ears, neck, face and forhead) and pulled the ends together with both hands at my forehead absolutely as tightly as I could. I even pinned my hair up on top of my head to maximize skin contact. Within a few seconds, like a switch was flipped, my attack went away with a feeling of the pain seeping from the top of my head down and out of my neck like water down a drain . . . and almost that fast once it started to leave.
Note: cold compresses and cold gel packs never worked for me, and I concluded they were not comprehensive enough in the distribution of the cold . . . but this combo of *very* cold water saturating a thick towel in extensive and tight tight contact worked every single time for me.
Once I discovered it, the longest it ever took for me to shut the episode down was thirty seconds, during which I might sometimes resaturated the towel with fresh ice water from the bucket and reapply a second time. Most of time it only took a few seconds and one saturated wrap.

It didn't prevent reoccurance of pain again about each hour after I fell back to sleep again through the night, and it didn't seem to shorten the duration of the episodes, which might last weeks. It also was not fun to have to wake up several times a night and basically stick my head in a bucket of ice water, especially in winter.

Some attacks started during the day during work, and I didn't have a very understanding supervisor at that time. So I just kept ice and the towel in one of those small insulated plastic personal lunch coolers that lots of folks take to work and excused myself to the restroom to wrap my head when necessary. Since it worked within a few seconds, no one was even aware of it. But it gave me back control of my life and mercifully eventually they've gone away now for the longest period yet.

This technique worked for me over several attacks and allowed me to avoid chronic medication. At least for me it had no adverse effects other than the discomfort of the cold on my skin and interrupted sleep, sometimes for weeks at a time - but the headache pain was interrupting it anyway. I realize nothing works for everyone and make no claims it will even work for anyone else. But I was rolling around on the floor and trying to twist my head off before I happened onto this.

Sorry for the long post - I hope this can help just one person because I know how awful they are. Best regards.

Title: Re: ice water worked for me
Post by Ob1kanobee on Dec 28^th, 2006, 12:12am

Hey, as long as it sounds safe, I'll try it. It sounds pretty good to me.

Title: Re: ice water worked for me
Post by TxBasslady on Dec 29^th, 2006, 3:12am

Glad you found a remedy that works for you.

I used to use the ice water...and it helped alot, but unfortunately it stopped working.

That's the deal with CH, not everything works all the time, and certainly there's many here who have been helped none at all with the ice water.

It's difficult to find very many of us alike. CH affects each of us differently, thus different treatments.

I use nothing but 02 for my CH, and I've had great success.

Good luck to you, and thanks for posting the info. It may help someone who hasn't tried it.

Jean