It's been over 20 years now, and i have never even come close to switching sides.
I find this hard to believe that this really happens.
All of the people I have ever spoken to are either a"rightie" or a "leftie".
I would welcome a switch, but I am convinced it will never happen.
I am beginning to be of the opinion that this is a myth, or bad information given to doctors by those who really don't have this terrible condition.
Thoughts?

There have been several regulars on this board who are "side switchers". It's been posted by enough reliable people that there's no question in my mind it happens. Like you, I'm a 31 year "same sider". I figure at my age, I'm just too damned lazy to change! :)

Joe

Hi Danny,

It is NOT a myth.   Switching sides CAN happen.  It has happened to people here.  

I have had CH for 28 years.  Once, I experienced a CH that affected both sides at the same time.  Strange things happen with CH.

Jeannie

I believe Chuck is one to whom this has happened.

No, unfortunately, it's not a myth.  

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

"In approximately 14-18% of patients, headaches switch sides during a cluster cycle or in subsequent cycles."

It's never happened to me--I've always been an episodic lefty--but it does happen.

Best,

George

I've had hits on the right (I'm a lefty), and dread them. With left hits, I know what to do - where to put my fingers, etc. When a righty arrives, it's hard to find the right places to push....

I've been back in cycle about 6 or 7 weeks now, and have had 2 rightys already... sigh....

I thought it was a myth too until it happened to me one time (not for one whole cycle) but for a single hit towards the end of a cycle after almost 20 years of always being a leftie.  I definitely have not "switched sides" but it was a "taste" of what can happen with side switching.  When it switched sides the one time I also had intense sound sensitivity (I had never had that before either--always just light sensitivity).  

I have always been a lefty and couldn't even imagine getting hit on the right until it happened.  It was a very strange experience.

Beth

Switching is uncommon but possible. I've found one report which speculated that it may signal the development of Chronic CH--but don't take that as established "truth".

It's not a myth!
The same goes for double sided hits.

Well, I guess I am a myth!!!  LOL!

I am chronic, for the last ten years, and episodic for twenty years before that.  Total of thirty years (unless the "new math" has changed the basic addition factors).  For 26 or 27 of those years, I was a total lefty.  Then I started getting a rare one on the right side.  Very mild, basically a shadow.

Then it started to get more frequent, and full hits.  Now, I never know which side I am going to get hit on.  And, there have been times where I get them on both sides, at the same time.  You want to talk about total hell, that is it!

Dr. Monstaad, (a ch expert) in Norway, told me, on one of my trips over there, that it is actually much more common than most think, to switch sides.

So, unless I am a myth <pinch ... OUCH!  I felt that!!>, it DOES happen!  (YES, Brew, for a change ;), you are right ... heehee)

Chuck

ClusterChuck wrote on Apr 16^th, 2009 at 12:11pm:

(YES, Brew, for a change ;), you are right ... heehee)

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and again.

It happened to me back in January, and the switch lasted for a week. It was exquisite pain, and everything changed except that I still had Horner's in right eye with the left side hits. I went from needing heat to needing cold, and had a very runny nose instead of the normal stuffy nose.

It was a terrible experience. I was on antibiotics at the time, and when I stopped taking them, it switched back. For those of you that have never had one, I hope you never do....it will redefine your Kip scale.

Hi,
I have chronic CH since june last year.  It started exclusive on the left side.  After a few months it began jumping to the right, first very slightly and then more and more intense.  After infiltration of the ganglion sphenopaltine, it moved for 90 % to the right.  Now I am on Verapamil and Lithium and the hits decreased very much in frequency and in intensity but they come still on both sides, sometimes it even happens on both sides at the same time.
kind regards
Marc

Brew wrote on Apr 16^th, 2009 at 12:45pm:

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and again.

;D, Thanks.

I'm a switch hitter.  (In CH, Baseball, and Softball ONLY  Don't get your hopes up Chuck)  

Better than 90% of the time I'm a rightie, but lately I've been having shadows start on the left and then the hit come on the right.  I hate it when they switch sides.  I'm with Lizzie on this one.  When they hit on the left it seems much more intense because I don't know how to deal with them.  I know they aren't really worse, buth just seem like it.

Jerry

Callico wrote on Apr 17^th, 2009 at 12:42am:

I'm a switch hitter.

WOOHOO!!!

I am gonna have some FUN now ...

Oh wait .. there is some fine print there ... What does that say?  Let me do a bit of ENLARGEMENT (NOT that I need it for myself, mind you) on that print ...


Quote:

Don't get your hopes up Chuck

Well SHIT!!!  Leave it to the fine print to screw you EVERY time!!!

<Grumble grumble ...>

Grumpy old Chuck

Over the past few years I've noticed that towards the end of a cycle I'll get one or more headaches on the 'other' side (sometimes bad shadowing, sometimes a full hit)..... also had one on both sides once; that's something I hope I never EVER experience again!!

Thank you all for your input.

The one I find strangest is the one that said he gets hit on one side, but his other eye gets (Hortons)? That means RED right???
I have always been of the opinion that the REDNESS is only a symptom of the NERVES being SO aggrivated and traumatized.
How can one have that with no pain???

That's just extra special weird.

I am grateful for all your replies.

We are a special breed, and I hope to meet some of you some day.
PEACE-Danny

Danny,

Hortons is a little more than Red Eye -- My eye is permanently "drooped" - waters all the time and usually stays red - not hard to tell which side I get hit upon.

And I'm a lefty EXCEPT last year when I went into high cycle and it hit on the right side. Never had that happen before and couldn't quite figure out what was happening, but for about 5 weeks I got hit BAD on the right side.  Then it went back to business as usual on the left side and has been that way since.

One thing we've found out about Mr. Beast is that he's unpredictible and just about the time you think you've got it figured out - he changes the rules. I've been chronic since 97 and just hope someday he decides he's tired of messing with me and lets me go back to being episodic, but then I wake up from that dream..... :) and get on my O2.

Hugs BD

I'll chime in too.  I'm an episodic right sider (and have always been, ever since I started having CH 9 1/2 years ago) , but during the past year, in and out of cycles, I have been hit with left side shadows.  That makes me nervous, because it means the rules have changed for my (as my neurologist puts it) already very aggressive headaches.

BTW, I see the board has changed since the last time I posted (about 2 years ago).  Hi everybody!   :)