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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies >> New here...just started a new cycle!  Yay!
        
(Message started by: diefaster on Mar 15^th, 2008, 3:02am)

Title: New here...just started a new cycle! Yay!
Post by diefaster on Mar 15^th, 2008, 3:02am

Hello, my name is Josh. I'm 27, and I've been getting ch's off and on for 8 years now. I just found this site, so I thought I'd share/rant/ramble.....

So, how long did it take everyone else to get diagnosed? I'm in the military (USAF), so of course their answer was Motrin, Motrin, Motrin. And since it would go away for months at a time, I didn't stay on top of getting a diagnosis. When it went away, I was just thankful. It was about 3 years before I was able to see a neurologist for it.

In 2003 I saw a neurologist, and he's the first one who told me about the Imitrex auto-injectors. At first I was on a combo of that (at onset) and 1000mg/day of Depakote for prevention. At first the auto-injectors were a god-send, and having military health-care, they were free and plentiful (!), but after a while, I noticed that I would get HORRIBLE rebound headaches as little as 4 hours after treatment. So I stopped even getting them from the pharmacy. As good as I felt once the pain was gone, I always knew that more (and worse) pain was right around the corner, and at bad times, like when I was at work. Not taking the auto-injectors allowed me to sort-of schedule when I was going to get the headaches, and plan for them. I know that when I'm in cycle, I'm going to get them in my sleep, right when I wake up, and usually right before dinner.

With my last cycle and this one, I've noticed a few trends, and I thought I'd share, to see if anyone else had noticed them:

1. During my last cycle and this one, when I entered the cycle, I had just changed shifts from days (7 a.m. to 4 p.m.) to swings (3 p.m. to 11 p.m.) I know that any change to your routine can wreck havoc on your system, but it was my sleep schedule that I noticed more. When I was on days, I usually averaged around 5-6 hours of relatively peaceful sleep, and I woke up with an alarm clock. When I went to swings, I started sleeping closer to 9 hours a day, and waking up whenever I woke. In the last two cycles, they started within two weeks of the new schedule. So it got me thinking: could too much sleep actually trigger clusters? I'm about three weeks into this cycle, and for the last couple days I've been waking up with an alarm clock after about 6 hours, just to test this theory. I haven't noticed anything yet, other than being so tired I feel drunk. But on the bright side, I set my coffee to start at the same time as I wake up, so my 1st headache of the day only lasts about 15-30 minutes, so it can't be all bad...

Anyway, this post is WAYYYY too long, so I'll go. Thanks for letting me ramble!

Title: Re: New here...just started a new cycle! Yay!
Post by AussieBrian on Mar 15^th, 2008, 5:41am

Ramble all you like, Josh, and welcome. Firstly, there's many a shift-worker here will tell you that the swinger is the killer. Secondly, everyone reacts differently to pretty much every medication and rebounds can be devastating this time round and yet not occur next time.

Oh, the roulette life we lead!

You never mentioned oxygen, though, which is first line of defence for many ClusterHeads. On the left of your screen is "oxygen info" which is well worth a read.

Cheers and beers,

Brian down under.

Title: Re: New here...just started a new cycle! Yay!
Post by Superdave on Mar 15^th, 2008, 5:17pm

Hi Josh and welcome to clusterville,
It took me 5 years 4 neuros (“headache specialist“) and numerous GPs to finally get diagnosed with ch. It was brutal every Doctor I saw was sure I was nothing more than a drug addict. At least they were right about something. My present neuro diagnosed me in less than 10 min. because unlike the others he really was a “headache specialist”

Wake up in the morning with an attack is quite common for me, I don’t actually have the headache when my eyes open but before I can get the coffee in the cup it hits me. The coffee seems to abort the attack fairly quickly.

Something for you to try that has helped many of us is, Redbull energy drink with the combination tureen and caffeine, This combination can abort an attack in short order. I keep them room temperature so I can down them real fast at the first sign of an attack.

But most importantly get yourself an oxygen setup it seems to be the best abortive so far.

o2-o2-o2

Glad you found us Josh

Superdave 8)

Title: Re: New here...just started a new cycle! Yay!
Post by DennisM1045 on Mar 15^th, 2008, 7:23pm

Hi Josh,

You aren't rambling, you're just filling in distant relatives on where you've been. And we want to know all about it ;)

So welcome cousin to your virtual home away from home. We all understand what you are going through so go ahead and vent/ramble/scream all you want.

12 years undiagnosed for me >:( That's not uncommon around here either. This was partly due to uneducated docs and partly due to my stubborness trying to prove something to myself. Bad combination either way. So now neither of us is alone in this any more eh!

I'm glad swing shifts aren't something I have to deal with. I know just getting irregular sleep with kid stuff is enough to wake the beast even when I'm out of cycle. Can't imaging going through that disruption regularly.

-Dennis-

Title: Re: New here...just started a new cycle! Yay!
Post by Annette on Mar 15^th, 2008, 7:53pm

Welcome to the Board :)

I am a supporter for my husband who has CH.

I would like to send you my support and vibes for painfree times and all the very best wishes.

Rant away [smiley=hug.gif]

Title: Re: New here...just started a new cycle! Yay!
Post by GonnabeatemJudi on Mar 15^th, 2008, 8:19pm

Hi and welcome! I was feeling so miserable and then read "New here... just started a new cycle! Yay!" and cracked up! I could almost hear a voice saying that. Glad you still have your sense of humor. I had to reply as I had been painfree for 14 years and then got the flu and a virus and was sick for 2 weeks. Sleep cycle completely disrupted and badda bing badda beast. The beast was back. It has been 4 1/2 weeks for me, I think. Try some relpax and wash down with RedBull. I sometimes get by just taking 5 mg melatonin right before bed. Seems the more caffeine during the day, the better.
Hey, anybody suffer from allergies? Maybe that is a common thread.

I am a mom of 2 and want to thank you for your service to our great Country. God Bless you and give you PF days and nights... Be safe. Judi

Title: Re: New here...just started a new cycle! Yay
Post by diefaster on Mar 15^th, 2008, 8:49pm

Hi everyone, thanks for the support. After surfing around, I noticed that I put this thread in the wrong area--don't know if a mod would want to move it or not.

Anyway, just got through with another one--2 hours. I'm still in that early phase of the cycle where I try to see how long I can suffer through the headaches, without taking anything for them. I don't know, I'm kind of stupid about it. As long as I'm at home, I can usually get through them without taking anything, except caffeine. I've been trying some crude meditation too, and it seems to at least let me not concentrate on the headache itself. My wife hates it though, because I'm pretty much worthless while I have it.

Does anyone ever get extremely happy and energetic after a headache has passed? I can't tell if it's a byproduct of the caffeine, or if I'm just glad to be rid of the headache, but I feel great right now!

Anyway, thanks again for great people and a great site!