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        Supporter's Corner >> Supporter's Corner >> New supporter - 
        
(Message started by: motye51 on Aug 8^th, 2004, 6:07pm)

Title: New supporter -
Post by motye51 on Aug 8^th, 2004, 6:07pm

My husband is now going on his 5th week of cluster headaches. He was just diagnosed Friday, August 6th. He is exhausted, depressed, losing weight, and just all out miserable. I don't even think that is a good enough word for it. We have 4 children and a small business. My whole house is waking up from 11:30 - 12:00 every night trying to help him get over this awful pain. But nothing we do seems to help. We finally got our hands on some medicine and we have the oxygen tank in our room.

The reason for this message is that I don't feel like I am going to be able to handle this if this is an ongoing thing? I know that sounds really terrible but my husband is so useless after he has these headaches it makes him debeliatated. I feel like he's turning back into a child? I know that sounds horrible on my part but I don't know what else to say. For 4-5 weeks now these headaches are running our business into the ground. I'm trying to get all 4 children ready to go back to school and it's just not working. No one in my house is sleeping because we're getting up with him. He's so scared to go to bed at night it's not even funny. Like clockwork - we go to bed for 9:00 - 9:30 at 11:30 he's up immediately throwing up and ice on the face and nothing we seem to give him works. I'm waiting for him to O.D. on all the freakin medicine he's on. Instead of feeling sympathy I'm getting mad and I know that's not right. These things are taking over my household and I hate them. Will they ever end? Will my husband ever be the same again? What can I do?

Title: Re: New supporter -
Post by Svenn on Aug 8^th, 2004, 6:14pm

All i can say to this point is to calm down.

I will give you my coctail of medications that has helped me a lot.

"Verapamil Retard 120mgX5-7/daily during cycle
Oxygene alone at 10ltm for at least 15 minutes on a nonbreathermask or combined with imitrex-shots does miracles.The shots should start working in 6-9minutes.a few seconds after that you are almost painfree
Prednisolone in high doze for 10 days 80mg
then over a 3 weeks periode step down like 60-40-30-20-10-5mg every 3dh day
Tapering down the verap im on full dozage 7 days after my last hit,then over the next 5 weeks im down to 1/daily.
after 1 week on Verap retard 120mgX1 and still no hits i can quit that to"

Other may have other advices,but this is what i can give you now

Svenn

Title: Re: New supporter -
Post by Jackie on Aug 8^th, 2004, 8:02pm

Hi Motye....
Welcome to the boards. I'm really sorry that you have to be here but it's the best place for clusterheads and their supportes...lots of information and support here.

My husband is a clusterhead too. Yes, it's hard....on him, you and the family....but you can manage. It does get better....I promise.

What medication is your hubby on....does he have oxygen? Tell us as much as you can and we'll try to help. There are lots of knowledgeable people here.

Hang on, sweetie......help is on the way.

Jackie

Title: Re: New supporter -
Post by motye51 on Aug 8^th, 2004, 8:44pm

My husband has started prednizone therapy and takes Imitrex daily. We have an oxygen tank in the bedroom which he say's works wonders. This is discounting all of the other medicine's he was taking before he went to the doctor. The main problem is that our neurologist, Dr. Gangi, is afraid that he might be chronic and that is scaring the crap out of all of us. I never imagined that this could be so debilitating. It has my household totally upside down. They also gave us a medicine called Maxalt, which I assume is like Imitrex. He is taking Fennegan for the nausea. But it doesn't work very well. I was so glad to see this web-site, you just don't know. (Or maybe you do?)

Title: Re: New supporter -
Post by Jackie on Aug 8^th, 2004, 9:04pm

Motye,

Don't want you to miss anything......Mark C moved your post to the General Board (Welcome to the board thread)....folks are talking to you over there too.
If you have questions post them there....guarantee you'll get answers and help.... :)

Can you get hubby to the board.....bet he'll feel some better just knowing you all are not alone in this.

Jackie