OK OK OK I caved today and went to my GP. Know what he did? Gave me a steroid shot, which if i wasnt soooooo drained i would be bouncing off the walls. no HA's yet just a couple small shadows. Got some Cipro for a cold. Oh here's the kicker!!! He asked if i would like some hydrocodone! [smiley=crackup.gif]
I really held back laughing but grinningly said ya sure whatever...your the doctor [smiley=lipsrsealed.gif] [smiley=oops.gif]
Gotta love a  GP.

Sounds just like my doctor. I got a steroid shot and some vicodin. The steroid shot gave me 2 days pf. But I woke up at 2 am this morning with the beast and ealier this afternoon I had a long 2.5 hour nightmare.  Now the right side of my face and eye are extremely tender and occasionally I get a stinging feeling behind my eye.  He also told me to take Zyrtec and I am stopping that... I really think that triggers worse headaches for me.

Gary

Oh my...it is sooooooooooooo time for a new doc Kimmie!!!!! While I'm not knocking Hydrocodone.....(Vicodain!!!)......but my.......not the road for CH! ;D

Joe

I know!!!! That's why i barely could contain laughing at him. my neuro couldnt see me so i had to resort to the family doc.

gmann-
Did you get one pain free night from the steroid shot?

I hear you.

Sometimes when I go to a gp or the doc-in-a-box for a physical, or something minor or whatever, I answer the question about other medical conditions by mentioning "episodic cluster headache".  

It's interesting to watch their eyes glaze over.  Usually, nothing is said in response.  I look at them.  They look at me.  Then it's on to the next question.

I imagine that some sneak a quick look at their reference books after I've gone.

Best,

George

We bitch about poor docs but most of us don't know how LITTLE education they get about complex headache disorders.

Many folks take some good medical literature with them to educate their docs--if they are fortunate enough to have found someone who is open to being taught by their patients.
=========

Medical education in headache
Posted 9/26/07, MEDSCAPE  

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Abstract statements from a study of headache education in medical programs. Second para. specific to neurological residency training. Gives good idea of why it's difficult to find a sharp doc.
=========================
"Objective. To explore the extent of headache education received by medical students and residents.
Background. Headache is a common, often severe, and sometimes disabling problem. However, 49% of sufferers do not seek professional treatment -- of those who do, only 28% are very satisfied. One possible reason is limited education of physicians about headache.
Methods. Surveys were sent to all allopathic and osteopathic medical schools, 200 family medicine residencies, and all 126 neurology residencies. Information requested included the amount and perceived adequacy of headache education and any plans to increase headache education.
Results. Response rates were 35% to 40%. MEDICAL SCHOOL LECTURE HOURS RANGED FROM 0 (4%) TO >5 (24%) WITH 92% HAVING NO PLANS FOR AN INCREASE IN HEADACHE EDUCATION. FAMILY MEDICINE RESIDENCY LECTURE HOURS RANGED FROM 1-3 (30%) TO >5 (34%) AND CASE PRESENTATIONS FROM 1-5 (23%) TO >5 (41%), WITH 88% OF PROGRAM DIRECTORS HAVING NO PLANS FOR INCREASE. NEUROLOGY RESIDENCY LECTURE HOURS RANGED FROM 1-3 (11%) TO >5 (64%) AND CASE PRESENTATIONS FROM 1-5 (23%) TO >10 (57%), WITH 80% HAVING NO PLANS FOR INCREASE.
Conclusion. Undergraduate medical education in headache is limited. Despite medical schools perceiving their training as adequate, both neurology and family practice residency program directors believe entering residents are inadequately prepared in headache upon entering the program."

"Neurology Residency Programs
Neurology residency program lecture hours varied from 1 to 3 hours (11%) to >5 hours (64%) (Figure 2). The number of case presentations ranged from 1-5 (23%) to >10 (57%) (Figure 6). Forty-two (95%) of program directors believed that their headache education was adequate (Figure 4). Interestingly, 20% of neurology programs indicated plans to increase training in headache management. Similar to the family practice programs, 68% of the program directors believed that new residents had inadequate knowledge about headaches upon entering the program while only 11% of the program directors believed that their residents were well informed about headache."

Steroid shot bought me 2 days PF. It was worth it... but the beast came back.

Gary

ya the steroid is wearing off now....definately worth it!! I'll probably go back in for another Monday.

Gary- the weather here has been so topsy turvey ehh?! Are your HA's starting to fizzle down yet?

Are you not able to simply take prednisone in tablet form? Sounds like a huge hassle going in for an injection every few days.

I am taking 40 mg of prednisone a day now... I have been for 6 days.

I went to bed around midnight last night. I took 50mg of imitrex 20 mg of amitriptalyene, vicodin, 10 mg zanax and 200 mg of verapamil.  

Slept good till 6 am woke up and took 50 mg of imitrex.   The worst part of all this is I just need enough imitrex to make it through the cycle.  I am sick and tired of being a walking pharmacy.  

I am currently searching for a way to use welding oxygen and try to convert it to a medical regulator.  

If I can just abort these headaches with oxygen I will just do that and not take any meds or not until an emergency.

It sucks cause I am getting these after a 3 year remision.  I should have refiiled those imitrex tablets every month and had 100's of pills stockpiled.

The imitrex pills don't stop the pain immeadiatly.... in fact it is pure hell for about 15 - 20 minutes.  But this is sooo much better than 3 hours.  

I can live with an hour of hell a day and still function.  But multiple 2 & 3 hour headaches a day can make one seriously question wether or not it is at all worth it.

I could take imitrex as a preventative for a couple of months and get no headaches.  But as it is I am biting off pieces of a 100 mg tablets trying desperately to make it last 24 hours.

I tell the doctor I want imitrex injections and it is as if I said nothing.  I asked for O2 AND THEY THINK THEY CAN STOP THEM INSTEAD.

My headaches go away... (thank god) after a couple of months and the doctors think it is because they treated them.  

I am venting... sorry.  It helps somehow just saying it out loud to people who don't just tell you to take a bc powder cause it works for them.

Gary

This was my STRANGEST CH cycle. It only lasted 10 days!! It ended when i got the steroid shot!

Gmann-
sorry your HA didnt go away with the steroid shot...I'm guessing I'm just a freak of nature, but i do notice that taking the imitrex sprays seem to prolong my cycle and make the hits worse. I'm going to talk to my doc about getting on prednisone. Sounds like you are taking wayyyy too many meds, and although i, by no means am knocking the trex....my personal opinion is to stay the hell away from them unless it is a last resort! If you are on prednisone, how long have you been taking it?

Kim

I have been using steroid shots with very good success! the steroids (betamethasone) were given to me over a long period of time, and it would have given me just about 120 days Pain free out of 365 days!
I am a CCH with up to 8 episodes a day and it was a blessing! I have now a Occipital Nerve Stimulator which yelds just about 83% rate of success.....

I have reported extensively about the use of the steroid (betamethasone) in my thread Suboccipital injection (Occipital Nerve Block, ONB)

link:  START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

I do add a warning that the use of steroids must be done under close observation by a MD and if possible by an endocrinologist, to avoid any adverse reactions to the steroids!

I had to stop the treatment (Suboccipital injection) due to the fact that I developed a strong adverse reaction to the steroids, and with the advers reaction I developed a secondary adrenal insufficiency, I was simply unlucky....

Michael

Steroids are funny that way. Some are lucky, and a blast of steroids will actually halt a cycle, end it. For others, like me, it blocks 100% of the attacks, but as soon as I go off the steroids, they come back with double the vengeance.

So happy you seem to be in the first group. May your remission last a lifetime!!!! ;)

Joe

I may have spoke too soon....I went to the store today and on the drive home felt one coming on..it was different It didnt last that long and made me throw up. Now I'm stumped [smiley=frown.gif]. Maybe a rogue hit? I've been pf 4 days...til now....the pain was the top leftside of my head and flowed down behind my ear. Everytime i took a breath i would get a stabbing pain it  felt like i was getting stabbed in the left side of my head. DAMNIT!

>:( Okay...that's  a pisser...

Joe

from what i understand the tree pollen levels are sky-rocketing here,( my #1 allergy) and i believe i got a wiff of it coming out of my cycle and it may have flared it up. Haven't had a hit since, and i haven't been out of the house. Colds, allergies, foods, etc. can be triggers for CH. This was my first experience with having a steroid shot in a cycle, and i absolutely loved the results! :)