Clusterheadaches.com Message Board


    
      
        Clusterheadaches.com Message Board
        (http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi)
      

        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2005 >> Triple Bypass Cured Me
        
(Message started by: metro114 on Feb 8^th, 2005, 11:58am)

Title: Triple Bypass Cured Me
Post by metro114 on Feb 8^th, 2005, 11:58am

I suffered with the clusters from 1954 to 1987. On June 17, 1987 (I'll never forget the date) I entered the hospital for a triple bypass for blockages that were found during a Thalium treadmill test. When I entered the hospital I had just begun my latest round of headaches. I wondered to myself how I was going to recover from open heart surgery while experiencing those god-awful headaches. Much to my amazement, I have not had a headache since that operation. I wish I knew what to attribute that great news to. Did it have to do with increasing oxygen to parts of the body? I am curious though, whether there is any correlation between blocked arteries and the headaches? I also wondered whether the interrupting of the headache series by the operation affected the cure. As you know, we grasp for anything. While getting a triple by-pass is a little extreme for a cluster headache, I know I would have undergone it just for the headache cure. Don't know whether this information means anything, or I just lucked out. It certainly wouldn't hurt though to at least ascertain if you do have any blocked arteries.

Title: Re: Triple Bypass Cured Me
Post by JJA on Feb 8^th, 2005, 12:22pm

on 02/08/05 at 11:58:39, metro114 wrote:

Did it have to do with increasing oxygen to parts of the body? I am curious though, whether there is any correlation between blocked arteries and the headaches? I also wondered whether the interrupting of the headache series by the operation affected the cure.

Awesome! Actually we have been discussing this lately. There is a definite correlation between blood/oxygen/circulation and CH. I will leave it to Floridian to fill in the details as I believe he has a pretty good theory put together.

Jesse

Title: Re: Triple Bypass Cured Me
Post by floridian on Feb 8^th, 2005, 12:50pm

Yes, there is an emerging link between circulatory problems, oxygenation, and clusters.

Maybe as many 80% of us have some form of apnea. Patent Forman Ovale (PFO) is a heart condition that is more common in clusterheads, and it is associated with a decline in oxygen circulation. A large majority here smoke (which can reduce oxygenation). Pure oxygen aborts cluster headaches for most people. Some others here have reported improvement when treating vascular conditions (moyamoya disease, deep vein thrombosis). Some research articles have shown that migraneurs (and now clusterheads) may have fewer headaches when they are put on anti-coagulant drugs.

Circulation/oxygen alone does not explain cluster headaches - most people with heart problems, emphysema and apnea do NOT get clusters. But combine oxygenation problems with something else (probably neurotransmitter related) and clusters do happen.

Cure? Maybe. Or maybe just a good treatment - my guess is that the clusters could return if there are future circulation problems. For some of us, surgery (or exercise and diet) could lead to more pain free times. Maybe low dose aspirin can prevent, even if high dose aspirin is useless once a headache starts. Maybe other anti-coagulants would be more effective - only time will tell. But I do think that this is an important dimension to the problem, one that will help people as we understand more.

Title: Re: Triple Bypass Cured Me
Post by WifeofCHSuffer on Feb 8^th, 2005, 3:08pm

I'll sign my husband up as well.

Very interesting theory, anyone share this with the Neuro?

Cathy

Title: Re: Triple Bypass Cured Me
Post by godsjoy on Feb 8^th, 2005, 6:10pm

This is wild.....I was just thinking about how the ONLY year I DIDN'T have clusters is the year my Dr put me on ZOCOR.....He ended up taking me off when the yearly bloodwork for my thyroid showed that something was messing with my liver functions.....

I got my bloodwork done again and it showed high cholestral and the Dr put me again on ZOCOR....(only been a few days so far....)AND....I'm having a heart Nuclear stress test done tomorrow .....hmmmmm.....Hopeing we can come up with something here.....

Title: Re: Triple Bypass Cured Me
Post by Giovanni on Feb 8^th, 2005, 9:16pm

Really strange thing with the cholestrol lowering drug. I never had a CH until AFTER I had participated in a 5 year clinical trial with Zocor.

I had a couple of CH's and the doctor at the clinic diagnosed me and sent me to my current neurologist.

GO FIGURE [smiley=huh.gif]

Title: Re: Triple Bypass Cured Me
Post by godsjoy777 on Feb 8^th, 2005, 9:35pm

Giovanni,
Did you get off of the Zocor before you were diagnosed? Just wondering.....

Title: Re: Triple Bypass Cured Me
Post by aggiegran on Feb 8^th, 2005, 10:02pm

Thats Great Metro, my hubby also had Heartattacks in l987, it damaged the heart so bad he can't have by pass, but before that he had lots of Bad headaches, but after all the stents in his heart he hasn't had a one, Now I get the headaches.....Hummm makes you wonder doesn't it. PFD's to ya...ann

Title: Re: Triple Bypass Cured Me
Post by Giovanni on Feb 9^th, 2005, 12:04am

Quote:

Giovanni,
Did you get off of the Zocor before you were diagnosed? Just wondering

I developed CH AFTER 5 years of clinical trials with cholestrol lowering drugs; lipitor, zocor (statin family drugs). I never had a cluster headache prior to the clinical trials.

:-/

Title: Re: Triple Bypass Cured Me
Post by ozzy on Feb 9^th, 2005, 9:32am

on 02/08/05 at 12:50:14, floridian wrote:

Yes, there is an emerging link between circulatory problems, oxygenation, and clusters.

Putting this thread together with a previous one, we have that Kudzu works on the 5-HT receptors and may be potentially good for CH. Reading some of the Kudzu literature, the most traditional use for it is treatment of vascular problems, particularly:

Quote:

Kudzu
Latin name: Pueraria lobata
Other name: Ge-gen

A Remedy For

* Hardening of the arteries
* High blood pressure

Kudzu contains ingredients known to lower blood pressure and improve circulation in the muscles of the heart. It shows promise as a treatment for alcoholism, as well.
In Chinese medicine, Kudzu is also used for allergies, migraine headache, measles, and diarrhea, but its effectiveness for these disorders has not been clinically verified.

Once again, we might be onto something......

Ozzy

Title: Re: Triple Bypass Cured Me
Post by nani on Feb 9^th, 2005, 9:36am

Speaking of kudzu....day 5 of great improvement. :) Not totally PF...but the best 5 days I've had in a looong time.

Title: Re: Triple Bypass Cured Me
Post by floridian on Feb 9^th, 2005, 10:10am

Here are two abstracts that show that kudzu can decrease the tendency for blood to clot.

Quote:

Zhong Yao Cai. 1997 Sep;20(9):468-9.

Effects of Puerariae isoflavone on blood viscosity, thrombosis and platelet function

Yu Z, Zhang G, Zhao H. China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210038.

Puerariae isoflavone (500, 1000 mg/kg% x 7 d, p.o.) significantly lowered blood viscosity and platelet adhesion rate, inhibited thrombosis and ADP-induced platelet aggregation in rats, and showed obvious antagonism for platelet thrombosis in ADP-treated mice.

Quote:

Biol Pharm Bull. 2002 Oct;25(10):1328-32.

Antithrombotic and antiallergic activities of daidzein, a metabolite of puerarin and daidzin produced by human intestinal microflora.

Choo MK, Park EK, Yoon HK, Kim DH. College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.

To evaluate the antithrombotic activities of puerarin and daidzin from the rhizome of Pueraria lobata, in vitro and ex vivo inhibitory activities of these compounds and their metabolite, daidzein, were measured. These compounds inhibited ADP- and collagen-induced platelet aggregation. Daidzein was the most potent. However, when puerarin and daidzin were intraperitoneally administered, their antiaggregation activities were weaker than when these compounds were administered orally. When in vivo antithrombotic activities of these compounds against collagen and epinephrine were measured, these compounds showed significant protection from death due to pulmonary thrombosis in mice. To evaluate the antiallergic activity of puerarin, daidzin, and daidzein, their inhibitory effects on the release of beta-hexosaminidase from RBL 2H3 cells and on the passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) reaction in mice were examined. Daidzein exhibited potent inhibitory activity on the beta-hexosaminidase release induced by DNP-BSA and potently inhibited the PCA reaction in rats. Daidzein administered intraperitoneally showed the strongest inhibitory activity and significantly inhibited the PCA reaction at doses of 25 and 50mg/kg with inhibitory activity of 37 and 73%, respectively. The inhibitory activity of intraperitoneally administered daidzein was stronger than those of intraperitoneally and orally administered puerarin and daidzin. Therefore we believe that puerarin and daidzin in the rhizome of Pueraria lobata are prodrugs, which have antiallergic and antithrombotic activities, produced by intestinal microflora.

Title: Re: Triple Bypass Cured Me
Post by floridian on Feb 9^th, 2005, 10:13am

Kudzu also has some beta-blocking ability; beta-blockers can blunt migraines that are triggered by nitroglycerin.

Quote:

Zhongguo Yao Li Xue Bao. 1994 Mar;15(2):180-2. Related Articles, Links

Effects of puerarin on cat vascular smooth muscle in vitro

Wang LY, Zhao AP, Chai XS. Department of Physiology, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Ji-nan, China.

Puerarin is an isoflavone compound isolated from Pueraria lobata (Wild). This study characterized the vascular action of puerarin in order to more clearly elucidate its pharmacological activities. Helically cut strips of cat femoral veins and renal arteries were suspended in an organ chamber filled with Krebs bicarbonate solution for measurement of isometric force development. In the cases of femoral veins and renal arteries isoproterenol (0.01 mumol.L-1 -0.1 mmol.L-1) caused relaxation of methoxamine-induced contraction (0.01 mmol.L-1) in a concentration-related manner. Puerarin (0.01-0.1 mmol.L-1) inhibited the relaxation response to isoproterenol in a concentration-response fashion. Propranolol (0.1-1 mumol.L-1) inhibited the isoproterenol-induced relaxation too. Puerarin (0.1mmol.L-1) did not alter the relaxation response to nitroglycerin (1 mumol.L-1). These results indicated that puerarin acted as a beta-adrenoreceptor antagonist in isolated arteries and veins.

Title: Re: Triple Bypass Cured Me
Post by sandie99 on Feb 9^th, 2005, 12:28pm

That's great! I am happy for you! :)
I hope you'll also stay PF years to come!

PFDAN,
Sandie