woke up at 23:30 on the 11th with what i thought was blinding toothache survived the weekend and went to my dentist on the monday morning, she actually pulled a tooth,  pain kept comming each evening until i got too scared to sleep. went to a&e on saturday and the doctor told me to go home and take painkillers. found this site and went back to the hospital today or sorry now yesterday. after scans , prods and pokes they eventually confirmed hat i suffer from ch. They have offered no explanaton as to why it has suddenly started and have sent me away with steroids, beta blockers and two nasal sprays. feel so low and have no idea what to do or where to go from here. still scared to go to sleep. i hav :-Xe read some of the posts on this site and know i am not lone. am 42 years is this it now!!!

Matt,

Read read and read some more.  I would talk to your doctor about oxygen.  Get at least 15 lpm regulator with a NON REBREATHER mask.

Don't panic, you can beat this and sleep again.

I am very tired this evening, but I am sure others will be able to help.

Welcome to the lifeboat, my man.  You'll find good support here, and lots of good info.  It's my new family!
-Paige

matt.withernsea wrote on Jan 19^th, 2009 at 9:18pm:

am 42 years is this it now!!!

No, not at all.

It seems that there are some who have only one cycle of headaches, and then never have them again.  Perhaps you'll be one of them.

If not, chances are you'll be episodic--ninety percent of us are.  

Even if it turns out that you end up with chronic CH, there are many here who've learned to live around CH, make the most of their painfree time, and have found the means to control their headaches.  You can too.  

It's simply the hand you were dealt.  No fault, no external cause, and no evading it.  Not everyone has to deal with CH, but I'm convinced that everyone has some challenge in their lives--this is just the one you've been presented with.  

Take heart.  It'll be okay.  There are worse things.   :)

Ask any questions you like.  We'll be happy to help in any way we can.

And welcome home.

Best wishes,

George  

It's critical to invest in yourself by spending hours and hours reading this site. Once you understand what treatment course(s) works for YOU, CH's can generally be managed to a point that you won't have to go through the pain levels that you are seeing now.

I would start by getting oxygen - read more about this immediately, and get going on it in order to see some pain reduction now.

It is often quoted around here that O2 is effective for 70% of us. The study being quoted actually found it's 87% for men and 59% for women.

87% isn't a bad number...........

Marc

You've been pointed in the right direction, welcome to the board. If CH becomes a part of your life then please stick around the board. You will not find a more comprehensive knowledge source anywhere. And do try 02, it's my best friend in cycle!

Joe

You've been pointed in the right direction, welcome to the board. If CH becomes a part of your life then please stick around the board. You will not find a more comprehensive knowledge source anywhere. And do try 02, it's my best friend in cycle!

Joe

You definately not alone Matt.

Find yourself a good neuro and take all the info you can from this site.

There are plenty of people here to help you get through this.

                              Good Luck & Welcome
                                       JPC

Matt,

Are still around? How are you doing?

While it sucks to have to get these headaches, at least you were diagnosed relatively easily.  I started getting these clusters every 18 to 36 months since i was 15, and it took until i was 25 to be diagnosed correctly.  I spent the first two clusters told I had a sinus infection!  Hope you've found some treatments that work.